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Two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Terry Labonte takes over No. 32 C&J Energy Services Ford.

Terry Labonte, who won the 1985 edition of The Sprint Unlimited, will drive Frank Stoddard’s No. 32 Ford in Saturday night’s season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway at 8:10 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Labonte replaces two-time Sprint Unlimited winner Ken Schrader.

Kyle Busch will attempt to defend his title in the non-points event that opens the Sprint Cup season.

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver is among those headlining the entry list for Saturday night’s The Sprint Unlimited, the 75-lap exhibition at Daytona International Speedway that will kick off the 2013 NASCAR season. Busch could become the fifth driver to win back-to-back titles in the event, while his former teammate Tony Stewart has an opportunity for a fourth victory, which would inch him closer to Dale Earnhardt’s record of six crowns.

THE SPRINT UNLIMITED   
Sprint Cup Series kickoff

Fans decide: Vote on format

Mobile experience
New innovations for 2013

Ten of last season’s Chase drivers — Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Greg Biffle, Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth, Kevin Harvick, Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Martin Truex Jr. and Dale Earnhardt Jr. — are qualified for the race, which is restricted to pole winners from 2012 and former champions of the event. The Sprint Unlimited will also mark the competitive debut of the Generation-6 race cars, redesigned to feature more brand identity to match their production counterparts.

Fan voting will determine several aspects of the event, including length of the three segments, the type of pit stop (if any) teams will have to make after the first segment, and how many cars (between zero and six) will be eliminated after the second segment. The segment-length vote ended at 11:59 p.m. Wednesday night, and the fans chose the 30-25-20-lap format. The other two aspects won’t be determined until after the race begins Saturday night.

Two drivers qualified for the event — AJ Allmendinger, a pole winner last season, and former event winner Bill Elliott — will not be participating.

Entry Driver Make
1 Kasey Kahne Chevrolet
2 Marcos Ambrose Ford
3 Denny Hamlin Toyota
4 Tony Stewart Chevrolet
5 Greg Biffle Ford
6 Kyle Busch Toyota
7 Matt Kenseth Toyota
8 Joey Logano Ford
9 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet
10 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet
11 Terry Labonte Ford
12 Juan Pablo Montoya Chevrolet
13 Aric Almirola Ford
14 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet
15 Mark Martin Toyota
16 Martin Truex Jr. Toyota
17 Kurt Busch Chevrolet
18 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet
19 Carl Edwards Ford
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Waltrip to drive No. 25 Sandy Hook School Support Fund Toyota Camry for the Daytona 500; fans can donate by texting NEWTOWN to 80888

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Using the biggest race of the year as a backdrop, NASCAR, Swan Racing and two-time Daytona 500 champion Michael Waltrip announced today a special tribute to raise awareness and contributions for the Sandy Hook School Support Fund.

Following a private meeting with town officials, community leaders, first responders and victims’ families last week in Newtown, Conn., NASCAR, Swan Racing and Waltrip announced that the No. 30 Lean1 Swan Racing Toyota will instead garner the No. 26 Sandy Hook School Support Fund Toyota. Waltrip’s ride for the Daytona 500 (Sunday, Feb. 24 1 p.m. ET on FOX) will honor the 26 victims of Sandy Hook Elementary School and prominently feature a call-to-action decal encouraging the NASCAR community to make $10 donations by texting NEWTOWN to 80888.

The Sandy Hook School Support Fund, established jointly by United Way of Western Connecticut and Newtown Savings Bank, supports the healing process for the broader Newtown community including children, teachers, first responders, families, residents, mental health professionals, counselors and others, following the tragic events that occurred at Sandy Hook Elementary School in December. One hundred percent of the funds raised for the Sandy Hook School Support Fund go to meet the needs of the Newtown community.

"It will be an emotional week knowing that we have the potential to do so much good for the Newtown community."

— Michael Waltrip

“Americans everywhere are heartbroken about the tragedy in Newtown and Swan Racing is proud to join NASCAR and the United Way of Western Connecticut to help the community move forward,” said Swan Racing owner Brandon Davis.

In addition to piloting the No. 26 Newtown car in the Great American Race, Waltrip confirmed today that all three Michael Waltrip Racing entries will run the “text NEWTOWN to 80888” decal for the Daytona 500.

 “Driving the No. 26 Sandy Hook School Support Fund Toyota is like nothing I have ever been part of in my NASCAR career,” Waltrip said. “It will be an emotional week knowing that we have the potential to do so much good for the Newtown community. I’m racing for a reason.”

 NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France also announced today that he and his wife Amy would personally kick off the NASCAR industry support with a $50,000 donation that will be matched by The NASCAR Foundation, a 501(c) (3) non-profit that embodies the compassion of the NASCAR family and its commitment to serving communities.

 “Being in Newtown last week and delivering a moment of happiness to that community was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced,” said France. “Looking out at a room of smiling faces amidst the aftermath of a horrible tragedy was very powerful. It hit me that the NASCAR industry and our passionate fan base have an unbelievable opportunity to rally around this cause and make a huge difference for a community in need. I am excited to witness firsthand the NASCAR community’s embrace and support of the Sandy Hook School Support Fund.”

Separate from the Sandy Hook School Support Fund, United Way of Western Connecticut recently announced in cooperation with the Newtown Rotary Club Foundation that additional funds are available to help with the immediate financial and mental health needs for people impacted by the tragic events of Dec. 14.

 "One thing I can tell you for sure, is that there will be a whole lot of people in Sandy Hook and Newtown rooting for Michael and the No 26 car," said Sandy Hook Fire Chief Bill Halstead. "It will be something positive to rally around, and there will be smiles on faces that haven’t smiled in quite a while."

 The NASCAR community can contribute to the Sandy Hook School Support Fund by texting NEWTOWN to 80888. For fans without short-code texting plans with their wireless carriers, there are two additional opportunities to donate. Donations can also be made online at newtown.uwwesternct.org or by mail to:

Sandy Hook School Support Fund

c/o Newtown Savings Bank

39 Main Street, Newtown, CT, 06470

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More at stake for Daytona 500; Piquet plans ahead

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Don’t think for a minute that NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers haven’t thought through the ramifications of the new 2013 qualifying rules — particularly as they apply to the Daytona 500.

NASCAR’s biggest mulligan, the rule that guaranteed starting spots in each race to the top 35 cars in the owner standings, is gone this year.

That alone will force drivers such as Joey Logano, who inherits a No. 22 Penske Racing Ford that’s 21st in owner points, to focus more on Sunday’s qualifying session than he has in the past.  

"Quite a bit; quite a bit, for sure," Logano told the NASCAR Wire Service on Thursday during NASCAR Media Day Fueled by Sunoco at Daytona International Speedway. "We’ve got to go out there and qualify pretty good, to help ourselves in case something dumb happens in the Duel and make sure we’re in."

After time trials on Sunday determine the two front-row starting positions, two Budweiser Duel 150-mile qualifying races on Thursday will cement the first 32 drivers in the Daytona 500 field. The second-through-sixth fastest cars from time trials that don’t transfer from the Duels occupy positions 33-36.
 
The final seven spots are provisionals based on owner points, with position 43 going to the most recent past champion not otherwise qualified, if needed.
 
So Logano knows that, if he doesn’t post a strong qualifying time, and a handful of cars ahead of his in the owner standings fall victim to major wrecks in either of the Duels and gobble up the provisionals, he could miss the Daytona 500.  
 
Compounding the issue was a relative lack of speed in both Penske entries during Preseason Thunder testing at Daytona in January. Accordingly, Penske has invested in wind tunnel time and refinements to the building process for its new Gen-6 Ford, all in a quest for added speed.
 
"We’ve had the car in the tunnel working on that, trying make sure we can qualify up towards the front," Logano said. "We’ve made a lot of adjustments on our cars since the test down here. We need quite a bit of speed.
 
"Obviously, we’ve got a different car, because that one got destroyed (in a pack-drafting wreck in January), but we planned on having a different car anyway. We feel like there are some pretty big gains there, but I’m sure everyone else is going to have some pretty big gains, too. I just hope our gains are better than theirs, and we go out there and run good."
 
With the top-35 rule in effect, qualifying at restrictor-plate race tracks used to be a formality. Under the current format, a fast qualifying speed is an insurance policy against missing the race.
 
"Before, we didn’t really worry about qualifying," Logano acknowledged. "When we came to superspeedways and didn’t really qualify that well, we were like, ‘It doesn’t matter — we’ll just go out there and race.’
 
"It does matter a little bit now, especially in my situation where the 22 car is in points. If the perfect storm was to brew, we could be in trouble, so we’ve just got to be aware of the situation and what’s going on. So we’re just dotting all our ‘I’s’ and crossing all our ‘T’s’ and making sure nothing dumb happens."
 
Remarkable restraint
Impatience is a hallmark of most NASCAR drivers, whether it involves competing on the track or advancing their careers.
 
Nelson Piquet Jr. is the exception. The 27-year-old Brazilian driver, the son of three-time Formula One champion Nelson Piquet, is quick on the asphalt, but his career moves are remarkably deliberate and well thought-out.
 
Piquet doesn’t believe he’s ready for a Cup ride. In fact, he had reservations about making the jump with Turner Scott Motorsports from the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series to the NASCAR Nationwide Series this year.
 
"A lot of people don’t think so, but I think I’m a down-to-earth guy," Piquet told the NASCAR Wire Service. "I know where I should be, where my place is, and I don’t think my place is Cup right now. I’m sure I want to do a few races here and there — a road course, and start maybe doing an oval here and there in the Cup series — but I know there’s still a lot to learn."
 
Piquet’s plan was to run a third full season in the Truck Series, but a change in his management and the addition of sponsorship accelerated his progress.
 
Piquet won four races in NASCAR divisions in 2012 (at Michigan International Speedway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Trucks, at Road America in Nationwide and at Bristol Motor Speedway in K&N Pro East). Nevertheless, he had second thoughts about making the move to Nationwide.
 
"We had worked the whole year," Piquet said, "and when we decided, ‘OK, we’re doing Trucks again next year,’ around September or October, we started planning everything for this year, building trucks and getting ready — even schedules and a testing plan, all kinds of things — because I really wanted to put my name out there and win the championship and multiple races.
 
"But the opportunity came up… It was hard for me, because, in a certain way, I still felt like I had to maybe show something else. OK, I won some races. One was a mileage race, one was a K&N and a Nationwide, too, but I think I would have wanted to win four or five races in a single year to say, ‘Hey, OK, now I want to move up.’"
 
Short strokes
Reporters gave Danica Patrick enough respite from questions about her romance with fellow Cup rookie Ricky Stenhouse Jr. to let her talk about her one-race Nationwide Series deal with Turner Scott Motorsports. Patrick will drive the No. 34 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet Camaro in the Feb. 23 DRIVE4COPD 300 at Daytona. As of now, that’s her only firm NNS commitment of the season. …
 
Stenhouse had several of the day’s best one-liners. Responding to Cup champion Brad Keselowski‘s contention that a Patrick-Stenhouse breakup would be more interesting than a Patrick-Stenhouse relationship, Stenhouse retorted, "Coming from a guy who never had a girlfriend? I don’t think so."
 
In one respect, Stenhouse said, it doesn’t matter whether he or Patrick wins the Cup rookie-of-the-year title this year. "At least we both get to go to the banquet," he said.

Posted on by Holly Cain

Driver prepared for questions about relationship with Danica — and he gets them

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Ricky Stenhouse Jr. knew it was coming. And he was ready.

The reigning two-time NASCAR Nationwide Series champion smiled politely as the interrogation into his love life began Thursday afternoon at NASCAR’s Media Day Fueled by Sunoco. His girlfriend and fellow NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Rookie of the Year competitor Danica Patrick had already spoken with reporters earlier in the day and had, for all intents and purposes, warmed the crowd.

This was the first time Stenhouse has spoken at length about the relationship, and he insisted that his life hasn’t changed much since the couple went public three weeks ago.

“Not many people notice me out there and it has been fine,” said Stenhouse, who takes over the Roush Fenway Racing No. 17 Best Buy Ford this season. “I have been spending most of my time in the shop though. I don’t go out a ton. Everything has been good. Everything is great.”

The two seemed almost giddy speaking about one another and their new relationship. Their participation in the Daytona 500 was clearly a subtext to the day. And they had capitulated to the idea.

Stenhouse was quick to answer the question of what attracted him to Patrick.

“Is that a question really?” he asked, shaking his head with a grin. “She’s hot.

“No,” he quickly added, “we have had a friendship for a long time and I can’t cook and she can. She loves to cook, so that is nice and I love to eat. We get along really well. I have never had someone that I can talk racing with, and I wasn’t 100 percent sure how I would like that but I have enjoyed it. I think we can learn a lot from each other and be successful.”

It’s getting used to the scrutiny and interest in his personal life that has posed the bigger challenge for the normally private Stenhouse.

“I think that people question whether you all should report on it or not,’’ Stenhouse chided reporters with a smile. “Obviously it is a big story. It isn’t my most important story. I am here to race, but it is something that you are going to have to deal with and just move on.

“I think once the season gets going and we can talk about how great this Gen-6 car is going to be and how great the racing is going to be, hopefully it can take a back seat and we can focus on our racing.”

The way they will race one another was a major topic during Thursday’s day-long interview session at Daytona International Speedway.

Fellow drivers took comedic jabs at the situation. Reigning Sprint Cup Series champ Brad Keselowski insisted the real story with the Stenhouse-Patrick relationship would occur once they broke up. To which Stenhouse responded with a grin, “That’s coming from someone that has never had a girlfriend.’’

As for racing alongside Patrick, Stenhouse insisted, “I think for everybody to assume it is going to make me race any different is wrong.

“It’s not going to. I am respectful to my teammates and I will be respectful to her, but I am respectful to everyone on the race track. I don’t feel like if somebody crashes her I am going to go crash them because of it.

“I am out there to do my job. I am out there to put on the best performance I can for my sponsors and my team and my fans. I can’t get caught up in any of that. She has been racing for a long time and can handle that situation and I will handle mine. You are probably going to give her a break but it is nothing other than a teammate.”

He did, however, joke that if Patrick was running alongside one of his teammates out front on the final lap of the Daytona 500 that instead of choosing which one to get behind and push to victory, “At Daytona there is enough room for three, so I am going three-wide. That is a good scenario. I hope we win.”

In the meantime, the two drivers planned to celebrate their first Valentine’s Day together in a motor coach in the Daytona International Speedway infield.

The 25-year-old Mississippi native Stenhouse — prone to cowboy hats, big belt buckles and old-fashioned country music — said he got Patrick “a deck of fancy playing cards.”

The 30-year-old Patrick — who has a fondness for $1,000 stilettos, fine wine and Alanis Morissette music — shared that she had an entire suitcase “dedicated to Valentine’s Day” and was going to cook dinner for Stenhouse.

“We are happy and that is good, right?’’ Stenhouse said. “I feel like what I have learned in my career in racing is that anytime you are happy off the race track it tends to show up on the race track. That is one good thing that we have going.

“We are both happy, we are focused on racing and having fun.”

Posted on by Holly Cain

Driver says she’s happy to talk about boyfriend Ricky Stenhouse Jr. at Media Day Fueled by Sunoco

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Reporters and cameramen started gathering around Danica Patrick’s position at NASCAR’s annual preseason Media Day fueled by Sunoco a full 45 minutes before the Sprint Cup Series’ rookie was scheduled to arrive.

Before she could even step into the spotlight, climb up into the director’s chair and turn the microphone on, it came.

“You been dating anybody lately?’’ a reporter immediately called out.

VIDEO: Danica Patrick interview

But Patrick, who recently confirmed her relationship with fellow NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ Rookie of the Year candidate Ricky Stenhouse Jr. just smiled, sat back and told the reporter, “Ok, let’s do it. Start.’’

And for the next 13 minutes of a 24-minute interview — the first 15 questions — Patrick happily and openly addressed inquiries about her love life, fittingly set on Valentine’s Day at Daytona International Speedway.

“Sure seems like that now,’’ Patrick said, conceding her relationship with Stenhouse has been the talk of the sport in recent weeks. “I haven’t gotten too many (questions about it). I’m happy to answer them. I’m happy to talk about it. It’s fine with me.’’

As for Stenhouse, she said with a smile, “It seems like he’s doing pretty well (with all the attention)."

“A little while back he was talking about not wanting people to look at him or stare at him and I was like, ‘You better get used to that, because there’s going to be a lot of people looking at you.’ He said, ‘No they’re not, they’re going to be looking at you.’ And I said, ‘No they’re not, they’re going to be looking at you as well.’ "

The biggest question seems to be how their relationship might affect their racing on the track — something Patrick explained should be a non-issue. The two raced alongside one another in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, where Stenhouse has collected the last two championships.

In fact, their romance resulted from a strong friendship they developed while spending time alongside one another there, explained Patrick, who in January formally filed for divorce from her husband of seven years, Paul Hospenthal.

“I had a friend say, ‘I’m excited to see how you guys end up racing against each other when you’re out there,’ and that’s someone who’s not even into racing who’s curious to see how that will go,’’ said Patrick, who drives the No. 10 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet for Stewart-Haas Racing.

“As long as we’ve known each other we’ve been racing against each other. There are times out there on the track when you don’t even see each other, you’re not even near each other. But every time we have been (racing each other), it’s about respect and neither of us put up a big fight.

“So far it’s been pretty obvious who’s faster than who whenever someone comes up behind the other.  For the most part it’s been him faster than me, but the few times it’s happened to me, he doesn’t put up a fight and I don’t see that being any different.

“I don’t see us putting up a huge battle. But I’m guessing as we keep getting better over the year and over the years, you know, we’ll end having to race each other harder because they’re going to be for better spots. But in general, it’s going to be just like it always has been.’’

Patrick — who said she will be cooking a Valentine’s Day dinner for Stenhouse — also acknowledged that other drivers have had some fun with the situation.

Joey Logano said of the relationship, “Ray Charles saw that coming.” Five-time champ Jimmie Johnson said he hadn’t really given the subject much thought and that he can’t ever remember competing in a series where two competitors were dating.

“I was ready for a lot of questions today, but not that one,’’ Johnson joked. “People have had plenty of jokes about how humorous it could it be on the track but we will all be watching with great curiosity for sure."

“Anything’s possible,’’ Johnson said when asked about the possibility of the two crashing with one another.
“That would be one heck of a show. I’m sure ratings will go up for sure. Danica’s shown she can get quite upset at times, so there could be something going on."

“I haven’t thought about it all until just now. In some respects it’s just a relationship. It doesn’t hurt anything. It will keep people looking and watching curious as to what that dynamic on track is for sure.

“If it does (impact the way they race), it will impact their lifestyle, their job. We are paid to go on the race track and race. So if they’re handling things differently on the track because of their personal relationship, it’s going to impact their jobs and their owners aren’t going to be happy," he added.

Patrick joked that should Stenhouse wreck her, "He better have a really good, ‘I’m sorry.’" Then as the crowd started laughing, she nodded over to her public relations representatives, “I’ve got a feeling PR is sweating their butts off over there.’"

Patrick acknowledged the concerns even dropping a Romeo and Juliet reference regarding the longtime Ford driver Stenhouse and her driving a Chevrolet. “Sure, I think initially it was a little bit of a mental hurdle of like, we compete against each other,’’ Patrick said. “I said it’s like the Capulets and the Montagues with, like Chevy and Ford, and I’m like, this isn’t going to work.

“But you can’t tell your heart who to like or to not like, so in the end it ended up being something I didn’t think was a big deal at all.’’

After all the questions — Patrick said she felt like she was on an episode of “The Bachelorette” — she concluded her session with a reminder of what she’s really at Daytona International Speedway for.

Early Thursday, Turner Scott Motorsports announced it would be fielding a car for her in the Feb. 23 Nationwide Series season-opener. She’ll be making her second Daytona 500 start for Stewart-Haas the next day.

“It’s been a nice transition (from Nationwide to Sprint Cup) and it doesn’t scare me anymore,’’ Patrick said. “More than anything else, I’ve found something that I really really enjoy doing. I’ve said it before to people, but driving stock cars is really fun to me and the racing is really fun to me.

“While I get nervous, it’s something I really care a lot about and want to do really well, I just feel I have more excitement than I do nerves

“In IndyCar I was always nervous and always felt there was a lot of pressure. I felt like every lap was on the edge and racing was getting really dicey at the end and people were all over the place. I just felt nervous going into those. Now I just feel excited.’’

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Race format has changed over years, but great moments have remained

As the countdown draws closer to NASCAR’s season-opening, newly re-branded exhibition race, The Sprint Unlimited, it’s time to take a look back at the history of the traditional embarkment of the NASCAR season. Saturday’s race will be the 35th running of The Sprint Unlimited, so it feels appropriate to look back at the history of the race, five years at a time, to see how the format has changed while highlighting important turning points.

30 years ago | Feb. 14, 1983

Winner: Neil Bonnett, No. 75 Hodgdon Chevrolet

Starting position:

15th

Prize money:

$50,000
Laps:

20

Margin of victory:

1/2 car length
Time of race:

15 minutes, 35 seconds

Average speed:

192.513 mph
Cautions:

1 for 3 laps

Lead changes:

3

In the first of Neil Bonnett’s back-to-back The Sprint Unlimited victories, rain washed out all scheduled activities, forcing the race to be pushed to the following day, a Monday. Bonnett led just one lap, a feat that he repeated in his 1984 victory, as well. Only nine of the 16 competitors finished the race.

25 years ago | Feb. 17, 1988

Winner: Dale Earnhardt, No. 3 GM Goodwrench Chevrolet

Starting position:

2nd

Prize money:

$75,000
Laps:

20

Margin of victory:

One car length
Time of race:

15 minutes, 40 seconds

Average speed:

191.489 mph
Cautions:

None

Lead changes:

1

 

In Dale Earnhardt’s third Sprint Unlimited victory, he started in second position, quickly caught up to Geoffrey Bodine on the sixth lap, and held on until the end. The race featured no cautions and just the one lead change, both Sprint Unlimited records. Bodine finished fourth overall behind Earnhardt, Davey Allison and Bobby Allison.

 

20 years ago | Feb. 7, 1993

Winner: Dale Earnhardt, No. 3 GM Goodwrench Chevrolet

Starting position:

15th

Prize money:

$60,000
Laps:

20

Margin of victory:

Two car lengths
Time of race:

16 minutes, 3 seconds

Average speed:

186.916 mph
Cautions:

1 for 2 laps

Lead changes:

7

 

With his fourth Sprint Unlimited victory sprinkled in with a win in the 1991 running of the race, Earnhardt continued his hot streak by winning his fifth in 1993. No driver in history has won The Sprint Unlimited, a Budweiser Duel and the Daytona 500 in the same year, but Earnhardt came close that year. After winning The Sprint Unlimited and Duel #2, he took second place in the 500, finishing 0.16 seconds behind Dale Jarrett. Coincidentally, Dale Earnhardt Jr. won both a Duel (#2) and the 500 but finished second to Jarrett in The Sprint Unlimited in 2004.

 

15 years ago | Feb. 8, 1998

Winner: Rusty Wallace, No. 2 Miller Lite Ford

Starting position:

13th

Prize money:

$100,000
Laps:

25

Margin of victory:

0.290 seconds
Time of race:

20 minutes, 57 seconds

Average speed:

178.998
Cautions:

2 for 0 laps

Lead changes:

3

 

Seeing the first increase in laps in the race’s history, the 1998 running had a format change to a 25-lap circuit at noon that followed a 25-lap qualifying race at 11 a.m. which featured the previous year’s second-round qualifiers. The winner advanced to the main race and one two-tire pit stop was required in both the qualifier and main event. Rusty Wallace led for just the final lap, earning the victory and ending his record-long cold streak of 11 Sprint Unlimited starts without a win.

 

10 years ago | Feb. 8, 2003

Winner: Dale Earnhardt Jr., No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet

Starting position:

19th

Prize money:

$205,000
Laps:

70

Margin of victory:

0.180 seconds
Time of race:

58 minutes, 4 seconds

Average speed:

180.827
Cautions:

none

Lead changes:

13

 

The race was moved from Sunday afternoon to Saturday night, marking the first time The Sprint Unlimited was held under the lights. The 2003 running also saw a significant format change, working with the 70-lap format established in 2001 and breaking it up into two segments: a 20-lap portion, followed by a 10-minute intermission, finished with the final 50 laps. Pit stops were no longer required by officials, but fuel cell sizes were reduced from 22 to 13.5 gallons, making a fuel stop essential. Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s performance in this race was particularly memorable, as he moved up 18 spots for the victory, passing Jeff Gordon (who started one spot ahead of him and led for 31 laps) in the 66th lap for the victory.

 

5 years ago | Feb. 9, 2008

Winner: Dale Earnhardt Jr., No. 88 National Guard Chevrolet

Starting position:

7th

Prize money:

$215,000
Laps:

70

Margin of victory:

0.136 seconds
Time of race:

1 hour, 14 minutes, 36 seconds

Average speed:

140.751 mph
Cautions:

4 for 14 laps

Lead changes:

17

 

Dale Earnhardt Jr. dominated this race, leading for a record 47 laps in his first Sprint Unlimited start since switching to Hendrick Motorsports. Tony Stewart had a late lead, pulling ahead of Earnhardt in the 61st lap before surrendering it in the 68th. Earnhardt’s purse of $215,000 is also tied with Stewart’s from the previous year for highest purse in The Sprint Unlimited history.

 

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With 55 percent of the vote, race segments set at 30, 25 and 20 laps  

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — A few short hours after voting closed, the annual NASCAR Media Day opened. The first announcement of the news-heavy day: Fans have decided the race format for The Sprint Unlimited, Saturday night’s season-opening event.

In voting that closed Wednesday at 11:59 p.m. ET, fans voted on the first component — the length of the race’s three segments – to be set at 30 laps, 25 laps and 20 laps. 

The winning combination for the segment lengths received 55 percent of the votes, while the option for 40 laps, 20 laps and 15 laps finished second with 23 percent. In last place, the format consisting of 35 laps, 30 laps and 10 laps finished with 22 percent of the votes.

“By giving the fans the power to decide the length of the three segments in The Sprint Unlimited, we feel there will be an unprecedented buzz surrounding the event,” said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR vice president of competition. “The 30-25-20-lap format the fans voted for will create three distinctly different segments that will keep fans enthralled throughout the race.”

Fans still have an opportunity to vote on two other competition elements during Saturday night’s race.

Fans have until the green flag drops at the start of the race to vote for the type of pit stop each team must make after the 30-lap first segment. The three choices are a required four-tire pit stop, a required two-tire pit stop or no stop at all at the completion of the first segment. Fans also have until the start of the second segment to vote for the number of cars that will be eliminated after the 25-lap second segment. The four choices are none, two, four or six.

Votes for the remaining two categories can be cast on NASCAR’s new official mobile app — NASCAR Mobile ’13 — or at NASCAR.com/SprintUnlimited. All votes made through the NASCAR Mobile ’13 app will count twice.

Fans are encouraged to follow @NASCAR on Twitter to engage in the conversation via the hashtags #NASCAR and #SprintUnlimited.

Posted on by Staff Report

No. 34 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet will kick off season for Turner Scott Motorsports

Danica Patrick will pilot Turner Scott Motorsports’ fourth entry in the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Daytona International Speedway, the team announced Wednesday at NASCAR Media Day Fueled by Sunoco.

Patrick, who will be a full-time Rookie of the Year candidate in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2013, will be behind the wheel of the No. 34 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet Camaro in the season-opening DRIVE4COPD 300. Veteran crew chief Mike Greci will be calling the shots from atop the pit box. 

"I’m looking forward to competing in the Nationwide Series race at Daytona, driving the No. 34 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet Camaro," Patrick said in a release. "Turner Scott Motorsports is a great organization and they’ve got great people to work with. I really have to thank everybody at GoDaddy for this opportunity. They are always so supportive of what I do."

VIDEO: Danica Patrick interview

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The former IndyCar driver, who made her Nationwide Series debut at the 2.5-mile superspeedway in 2010, has five previous NNS starts in Daytona, with a best finish of 10th (July, 2011). Patrick has three top-five starts at the Daytona Beach, Fla., track, including one pole award, which she earned in the first race of the 2012 season. 

Patrick, who is the first woman in history to win an IndyCar race, has raced in a total of 58 NNS events, completing one full-time season in 2012. Patrick finished 10th in the 2012 driver point standings, tallying one top-five and seven top-10 finishes. The Roscoe, Ill., native also earned the NASCAR Nationwide Series Most Popular Driver award following her first full-time NNS campaign.

"We are very happy to announce the addition of Danica Patrick to our lineup for the race in Daytona," team co-owner Harry Scott Jr. said. "We think a lot of Danica and what she’s achieved so far in NASCAR. She’s a great qualifier at Daytona and she has a lot of experience there in her relatively short NASCAR career. We think Turner Scott Motorsports has a lot of potential for the first race of the season and we’re looking forward to getting to the racetrack." 

Turner Scott Motorsports heads to Daytona International Speedway as the defending winner of the February race; 2012 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion James Buescher claimed his first NNS win at the season opener in 2012. Patrick will partner with full-time TSM teammates Justin Allgaier, Kyle Larson and Nelson Piquet Jr. in the 300-mile restrictor plate race. 

The NASCAR Nationwide Series season kicks off on Saturday, Feb. 23rd with the DRIVE4COPD 300 at Daytona International Speedway. The race will air live on ESPN and MRN beginning at 1:00 p.m. ET.

Posted on by Staff Report

Get a first look at the potential field

Here’s the entry list for the 55th Annual Daytona 500 set for 1 p.m. ET Feb. 24 at Daytona International Speedway.

 

 

Entry Veh. # Driver Sponsor Manufacturer
1 1 Jamie McMurray McDonald’s Chevrolet
2 2 Brad Keselowski Miller Lite Ford Fusion
3 5 Kasey Kahne Farmers Insurance Chevrolet SS
4 7 Dave Blaney Florida Lottery Chevrolet SS
5 9 Marcos Ambrose Stanley Ford Fusion
6 10 Danica Patrick GoDaddy Chevrolet SS
7 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Express Toyota Camry
8 13 Casey Mears GEICO Ford Fusion
9 14 Tony Stewart Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1Racing Chevrolet SS
10 15 Clint Bowyer 5 Hour Energy Toyota Camry
11 16 Greg Biffle 3M Ford Fusion
12 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Best Buy Ford Fusion
13 18 Kyle Busch M&M’s Toyota Camry
14 19 Mike Bliss G-Oil/Plinker Tactical Chevrolet SS
15 20 Matt Kenseth Dollar General Toyota Camry
16 21 Trevor Bayne Motocraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford Fusion
17 22 Joey Logano Shell Pennzoil Ford Fusion
18 24 Jeff Gordon Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet SS
19 27 Paul Menard Menards/Peak Chevrolet SS
20 29 Kevin Harvick Budweiser Chevrolet SS
21 26 Michael Waltrip Sandy Hook School Support Fund Toyota Camry
22 31 Jeff Burton CATERPILLAR Chevrolet SS
23 32 Terry Labonte C & J Energy Services Ford Fusion
24 33 Austin Dillon Honeynut Cheerios Chevrolet SS
25 34 David Ragan Detail Doctor Ford Fusion
26 35 Josh Wise MDS Transport Ford Fusion
27 36 J J Yeley Golden Corral Chevrolet SS
28 38 David Gilliland Love’s Travel Stops Ford Fusion
29 39 Ryan Newman Quicken Loans Chevrolet SS
30 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Target Chevrolet SS
31 43 Aric Almirola Smithfield Ford Fusion
32 47 Bobby Labonte Kroger Toyota Camry
33 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe’s Chevrolet SS
34 51 Regan Smith Phoenix Construction Chevrolet SS
35 52 Brian Keselowski TruckerFan.com Toyota Camry
36 55 Mark Martin Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota Camry
37 56 Martin Truex Jr. NAPA Auto Parts Toyota Camry
38 78 Kurt Busch Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet SS
39 83 David Reutimann Burger King Toyota Camry
40 87 Joe Nemechek Florida DOT – D.A.B. Constructors Toyota Camry
41 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. National Guard Chevrolet SS
42 93 Travis Kvapil Burger King Toyota Camry
43 95 Scott Speed TBD Ford Fusion
44 98 Michael McDowell K-LOVE/Curb Records Ford Fusion
45 99 Carl Edwards Fastenal Ford Fusion

 

Posted on by Zack Albert

Truck Series title hopes run high after rookie campaign

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Older, wiser and more seasoned is a hard claim to make for someone just two weeks shy of their 21st birthday, but Ty Dillon seems believable when speaking in those terms. His belief that a championship could be in the cards seems just as plausible.

It’s lofty stuff for the rising sophomore in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, but the title aspirations seem to match the driver and team’s capability.

"Very realistic for us," Dillon said Thursday at NASCAR Media Day fueled by Sunoco. "I think that’s the only thing we’re wanting this year is to win a lot of races and win that championship. Anything short would be a disappointment for us."

Dillon will get his second truck series season started in next Friday’s NextEra Energy Resources 250 at Daytona International Speedway, but only after a healthy dose of dirt-track racing at nearby Volusia Speedway Park. Going from slinging mud on a dirt half-mile to the giant asphalt superspeedway might seem like a huge leap, but then again, Dillon is used to making sizable transitions.

His jump to the Truck Series last year came with a certain degree of learning curve built in, but the results didn’t portray any sense of early jitters. Dillon rattled off nine straight top-10 finishes to start the season, leaving him firmly in the top three in the points by May. He never fell lower than third from then on, until a crash in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway knocked him to his final rank of fourth place.

"The first half of the year, we were really true rookies and it took us a while to learn," Dillon said. "Then the second half, we matured a lot as a team, got our first race win and turned our top-10 finishes into top-five finishes. We really started narrowing down and getting closer to running up front and winning. I think that’s what brought us into the points chase there at the end and I think that just looks up for us this year. … We’ve got a full notebook going into this year so we can fine-tune our trucks just that much better."

Besides having a well-tenured Richard Childress Racing team in his corner, Dillon had one more valuable resource — his brother Austin Dillon, the 2011 Truck Series champion. While some elements of a mild sibling rivalry exist, Ty said that Austin’s assistance in his first year was anything but adversarial.

"It was huge because he’d already been through his rookie year in trucks, so he knew what I was going to expect and the things that were going to go on for me the first time," Ty said. "He was always there for me to lean on, to call. And he would call me, too. As much as we’re competitive against each other, we also want to see each other do well. He was there to help me get better and be better as a driver, and anything I could help him with, I was there, too."

The "family first" mentality seems to pervade within the Childress operation, run by the Dillons’ grandfather and legendary car owner. For the youngest Dillon in the bunch, that seems to be enough.

From there, the confidence to perform on the track becomes second nature.

"A good family, a good support system, a good girlfriend … It sounds silly, but it really means a lot when you have a lot of people who believe in you," Dillon said. "We’ve got a great race team who are like brothers to me. When you’ve got a great support system, you can go through the ups and downs and it makes it a whole lot easier."