Posted on by Staff Report

Lowe’s, Hendrick Motorsports sign sponsorship contract for 2014-15

Jimmie Johnson’s No. 48 car will continue to wear Lowe’s Companies Inc. as a primary sponsor through 2015. Lowe’s announced the two-year agreement to store managers at a national sales meeting on Wednesday. The relationship between Lowe’s and Hendrick Motorsports is now in its 12th full season.

“It has been a great ride with Jimmie since he started in the Cup Series 12 years ago,” said Tom Lamb, Lowe’s chief marketing officer. “We are proud to sponsor one of the most elite teams and drivers in racing and have a five-time champion carry the Lowe’s brand each week.”


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Johnson most recently claimed his second Daytona 500 win, and has never finished lower than sixth since his first full-time Sprint Cup season in 2002. Daytona also marked Johnson’s 400th Cup race, making him the only driver other than Jeff Gordon to have the same primary sponsor for that many starts.

“Lowe’s believed in me before I had any success,” Johnson said. “They are all I’ve ever known in my Sprint Cup career, and their support of me and the No. 48 team is second to none in the sport. We’ve been together for this crazy ride, and I’m so happy we’re continuing it together. They truly are family, and I’m proud to represent them.”


Johnson’s contract with Hendrick Motorsports is also through 2015.

“We caught lightning in a bottle with this combination,” said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports. “Jimmie and Chad have been successful because they always have a plan and do a great job executing. Lowe’s is the same way as a sponsor. The partnership has been incredible, and we’re looking forward to working together for many more years.”


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Posted on by Staff Report

Take a look back at the race and track history with some noteworthy numbers

.13  The closest margin of victory recorded at Phoenix International Raceway since the advent of electronic scoring. Ryan Newman beat Jeff Gordon to the start/finish line in April 2010 at the Subway Fresh Fit 600, breaking his 77-race winless streak.

1 The number of repaves at the track. It was done during a six-month period in 2011.

3 Consecutive poles won by Ryan Newman, from 2002-2004. His four poles are the most in track history.

4 Wins at Phoenix by Jimmie Johnson, the most among the top 12 in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points standings.

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5 Drivers have won the first two races in a Sprint Cup Series season, although only three include the Daytona 500 — Lee Petty (Daytona Beach Course, Tri-City Speedway; 1954), Marvin Panch (Willow Springs Speedway, Concord Speedway; 1956), David Pearson (Riverside, Daytona; 1976), Jeff Gordon (Daytona, Rockingham; 1997) and Matt Kenseth (Daytona, Auto Club; 2009). Jimmie Johnson won this year’s Daytona 500.

7 drivers have won more than once at Phoenix — Jimmie Johnson (four), Kevin Harvick and Davey Allison (three), Jeff Burton, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin (two apiece).

10 extra feet in the frontstretch — from 52 to 62 — following a 2011 reconfiguration.

16 The number of times Jeff Gordon raced at Phoenix before his first win in April of 2007.

17 The finish of Danica Patrick in last year’s fall race. Patrick is the only female to have made a Cup start at the track.

19 The number of different pole winners, with
Kyle Busch (November 2012) being the most recent.

21 Top-10 finishes for Mark Martin, more than any other driver.

29 The starting position of race-winner Ricky Rudd in 1995, the furthest back an eventual winner has started.

33 The number of Sprint Cup Series races at Phoenix, one per season from 1984-2004 and two each season since.

53 The age of the oldest pole winner — Mark Martin, at last year’s Subway Fresh Fit 500.

150.0 A perfect driver rating has been recorded twice at Phoenix — Kurt Busch in April 2005 and Kevin Harvick in November 2006.

184 drivers have competed in at least one Sprint Cup Series race at Phoenix.

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Posted on by Nascar

(Harold Hinson photo)

CONCORD, N.C. — NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Brad Keselowski said he doesn’t plan to be any less outspoken about the sport of stock car racing after meeting with NASCAR Chairman Brian France and International Speedway Corp., President Lesa France Kennedy.
 
At the same time, the driver of the No. 2 Penske Racing Ford said it was important for those involved in the sport to work together in an effort to ensure its continued success.
 
Keselowski, 29, met separately with France and Kennedy while in Daytona Beach, Fla., for last week’s Daytona 500, the Sprint Cup Series first points event of the season.
 
The meetings took place the same day a story appeared in USA Today in which Keselowski voiced concerns about several topics, including sponsorship entitlements, adapting to television’s continued role and the evolution of social media as it pertains to the sport.

“I think that I will still have the same approach to doing everything I can to push the sport forward as I see fit,” Keselowski told reporters following a press conference at Charlotte Motor Speedway. “It’s just a matter of balancing it with the interest of everything else."
 
If such candor happens to draw the attention of officials, he said, it’s well worth the risk.
 
NASCAR Vice President and Chief Communications Officer Brett Jewkes said the story’s appearance didn’t spur the meetings, but that the subject matter was touched upon.
 
"Brad has been asking for more dialogue and yesterday was a good opportunity to catch up,” Jewkes said Feb. 23. “Hopefully, meetings such as that can help each other understand the different point of views."
 
Four-time series champion Jeff Gordon said it was difficult to comment on the meetings without knowing what was discussed. But, he added, “It is not out of the ordinary for a new champion to feel confident to be able to express their opinion on things.
 
“Brad cares a lot about the sport,” Gordon said. “He’s not trying to do anything that would hurt the sport. When you are that open, it doesn’t surprise me that NASCAR is going to talk about it. I don’t think it necessarily means that they are saying ‘Don’t do that’."

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Posted on by Staff Report

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Posted on by Staff Report

How are you watching the races at Phoenix? Find out how to get the latest from wherever you are using the table below

WATCHING AT HOME?
GOING TO THE RACE?
GOING MOBILE?
PLAYING FANTASY?

Even if you’re not at the track, you can keep up with all the live action on TV and at NASCAR.com. (All times Eastern, unless noted.)

Watch practices and the race on TV:

SPRINT CUP SERIES:

Sunday, March 3: SUBWAY Fresh Fit 500 on FOX, 3 p.m.

Get inside the media center:

Press Pass will have live news conferences here all weekend. (All times local.)

NASCAR K&N Series West post-race news conference | 8:30 p.m.

Sunday, March 3

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series post-race news conference | 6:15 p.m.

Want more?

Get lap-by-lap updates on NASCAR.com during practice laps, qualifying and races.

Want to attend the races this weekend? Buy tickets to Subway Fresh Fit 500, Dollar General 200 and Toyota 120

Know the track:

Check out our Phoenix International Raceway track page to take a video tour of the track and explore the best fan views.

Want to meet a driver?

Here is a list of appearances. (List subject to change, all times local.)

Sunday, March 3:

Bobby Labonte | Trackside Club, 9:30 a.m.

Casey Mears | GEICO campground display, 9:30 a.m.

Ryan Newman | Chevy Display, 9:30 a.m.

Kevin Harvick | Budweiser Roll Bar, 10 a.m.

Front Row Motorsports drivers David Ragan, David Gilliland, Josh Wise | Sprint Stage, Fan Midway, 10 a.m.

Jeff Gordon | Chevy display, 10 a.m.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Main Stage, Fan Midway, 10:30 a.m.

Re-live the race:

Watch race highlights from your favorite driver and top moments shortly after the race using Race Replay delivered by FedEx Racing.

Get packing:

The weather in Phoenix is:

Find more about Weather in Phoenix, AZ
Click for weather forecast

The Subway Fresh Fit 500 is a 312-mile, 312-lap race that is one of the few races that measures in kilometers.

Keep all eyes on the race:

With RaceView Premium and NASCAR RaceView Mobile ’13, formerly RaceView 360, you can watch live, virtual 3-D video with in-car audio as well as national radio broadcasts. You’ll also see telemetry data and real-time stats with pit and driver information. With RaceBuddy, you watch the race from inside cars while getting live stats.

Follow from anywhere:

NASCAR Mobile ’13: This new app is free to download with an upcoming in-app subscription for premium content including live driver audio, live advanced leaderboards, and live alternate camera angles (when available).

Play NASCAR FANTASY LIVE:

Don’t forget to do your research and set your lineup for the Subway Fresh Fit 500.

Expert tip of the week:

Players with teams decimated by "Big One" crashes at Daytona will be happy to know that as unpredictable as it was, Phoenix is the opposite. Last year, seven drivers earned top-10s in more than 50 percent of their short, flat track starts, led by Brad Keselowski, who swept the season. Get more tips from Dan Beaver’s fantasy blog.

Last year’s top three finishers:

1. Denny Hamlin

2. Kevin Harvick

3. Greg Biffle

See the complete results from last year’s event here.

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Posted on by

Almirola to fill in for No. 43 RPM Nationwide team

Michael Annett is out of the No. 43 Nationwide Series car for an undetermined amount of time because of chest injuries suffered in a crash during the season opener last weekend at Daytona International Speedway.

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According to his Richard Petty Motorsports team, Annett sustained a fracture and dislocation of his sternum after impacting the outside wall head-on in a multi-car crash near the end of last Saturday’s season opener. The 26-year-old from Des Moines, Iowa, spent one night in a Daytona Beach hospital complaining of chest and sternum discomfort. Annett is scheduled for impending surgery for his injuries in Charlotte, N.C.

Aric Almirola, who drives the No. 43 car in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for RPM, will replace Annett in the Nationwide vehicle this week at Phoenix International Raceway. The team will evaluate its driver options in the forthcoming weeks, it said in a release issued Tuesday evening.

Annett made contact with Austin Dillon in tight traffic, and was turned directly into the wall as part of a 13-car pileup that unfolded on lap 116 of the 120-lap race at Daytona. Annett’s injury was unrelated to the 12-car accident on the event’s final lap, which involved Kyle Larson’s vehicle going airborne and parts of his car injuring several fans in the grandstands.

Annett becomes the second national-series driver in the past five months to sit out races due to an injury suffered on the track. Dale Earnhardt Jr. missed Sprint Cup events last year at Charlotte and Kansas because of the effects of two concussions, the first sustained in a testing crash at Kansas and the second in an accident at the end of a race at Talladega. Although Annett underwent a CT scan at the hospital in Daytona Beach, he was not diagnosed with a concussion.

Annett was coming off a breakout season on the Nationwide tour, having finished fifth in final points last season in his debut campaign with RPM. Although he didn’t win, he set a new career-high with 17 top-10s, and recorded top-five finishes for the first time.

He entered this season believing his team was ready to compete for race victories and the series championship. His string of 139 consecutive Nationwide series starts — which dates back to his debut at Homestead in 2008 — will come to an end this weekend.

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Driver savors moment, with crew chief by his side

There was no Chad Knaus on the pit box. There was no little Genevieve running around. There were no championship trophies on the mantle. The atmosphere surrounding Jimmie Johnson’s first victory in the Daytona 500 was very different from the one that encompassed his second triumph Sunday at Daytona International Speedway.

Seven years ago on race day, the Hendrick Motorsports driver had been married to wife Chandra for only 14 months. Knaus, crew chief on the No. 48 team, had been banished from Speedweeks after front-row qualifying day because the rear window on his car had failed inspection. And despite a pile of race victories to his credit, Johnson himself had not yet been able to take that first step down the path to greatness.

That 2006 Daytona 500 crown changed it all, opening the door to an unprecedented run of consecutive championships in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series that would kick off that very same year. Looking back, though, Johnson didn’t enjoy it nearly as much, and with good reason. There was still so much pressure, so much left to prove. And there weren’t as many people in which to share the moment.

"We also felt like we were riding a great wave from the conclusion of last year’s season."

— Jimmie Johnson

“In ’06, it just seemed to go by so quickly,” Johnson said Tuesday in a teleconference with reporters. “And I maybe didn’t savor the moment as long as I did this time. And I didn’t have my daughter at this point in time, too. To watch her soak it up, to have that moment with Chani and Evie was very special for me. I’ve seen Rick Hendrick happy before in Victory Lane, but he had a glow to him like I hadn’t seen in a long, long time. So I was pleased to do that. The whole team is fired up from it.”

It was all evident in the post-race scene, which included little Evie running up and down the ramp that led to the media center stage where her father was answering questions, and Knaus and the team taking part in an impromptu dance number in the tri-oval grass many hours later. The always-focused crew chief allowed himself to let loose a little, understandable given that the last time his group had won the Great American Race, he watched it on television while former team engineer Darian Grubb — now a championship-winning crew chief in his own right — served in his stead.

“I eat, sleep and breathe 48,” Knaus said after the race. “Anytime that I’m taken away from that race car, I’m pretty sad. But when those guys were able to come down here and win the Daytona 500 in 2006 in my absence, I think that really solidified the strength of the 48 car. Was I here? No. Was I here in spirit? Most definitely. I couldn’t have been prouder of the group of guys we had there. To finally be able to come down here and win and be a part of this is definitely a huge dream come true. It’s great. It’s a lot of fun. It’s a great experience. I just couldn’t be prouder of everybody involved.”

It had been a long-stated goal of Johnson’s to win another Daytona 500 with his crew chief on the scene, an aspiration that became reality when he held off Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the final lap. There were also other incentives — building momentum off last year’s third-place points finish, winning the first race in NASCAR’s more brand-identifiable Generation-6 race car, and soaking in the sheer magnitude of the sport’s grandest event.

“I think there was a big push to be the team and driver to win this first Gen‑6 race,” Johnson said. “We also felt like we were riding a great wave from the conclusion of last year’s season. There was just a buzz in the air, a feeling pre-race. We just felt it was going to be a race that was highly viewed. It kind of all played into it. Chad did not experience those things in ’06, experience the victory celebration. So to have him there, see the smile on his face, soak it in, it’s something that all racers dream of.  They want to win the Indy 500 or the Daytona 500. To be able to pull that off a second time, to have Chad there, really share those emotions, experience those emotions, was key.”

The post-race media tour, Johnson said, reminded him of similar experiences following championship campaigns. Now the focus turns to Phoenix International Raceway, where Johnson will open his weekend piloting JR Motorsports’ No. 5 car in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, and where he’ll try to win for a fifth time at the Sprint Cup level. It’s all a stark contrast from this time last season, when he went to Arizona after crashing out of the Daytona 500, and with a cloud hanging over his race team because of a penalty that was eventually amended upon appeal.

That issue, which stemmed from a technical violation, “impacted the first quarter of the year for us,” Johnson said. “… It (was) such a distraction, I can’t even tell you.”

This year, there are no such diversions — only momentum and confidence. After all, the driver known as “Five-Time” last won the Daytona 500 before he had earned that nickname. And everyone knows what happened next.

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Posted on by NASCAR Official Release

NASCAR’s invitational will use law of averages for all-out finale

Reinforcing the need for speed and going all out for the win, NASCAR announced on Tuesday the format for the 2013 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race that will put added emphasis on finishing well in each of the five segments. The sport’s annual classic is set for Saturday, May 18 at 7:30 p.m. ET (live on SPEED) at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

The new wrinkle that should have the fans and the competitors excited: the running order at the completion of the fourth segment (Lap 80) will be repositioned based on the average finish for the first four segments directly behind the caution car prior to the opening of pit road for the mandatory four-tire pit stop. The order of the cars returning to the track will determine the starting order of the fifth segment. Running order ties will be broken by the finish of the fourth segment. This revision puts a premium on making all of the laps count leading up to the final 10-lap shootout with the race winner earning a $1 million payday from Sprint.

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“Having the average finish through the race’s first four segments determine how the cars come down pit road for the last mandatory four-tire pit stop takes the competition to an even higher level,” said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR Vice President of Competition. “The NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race is truly a showcase event for our sport and this format should bring out the best in our drivers and our teams.”

The race will continue to be run in four, 20-lap segments and one 10-lap final segment. All laps will count in segments one through four. In the fifth and final segment, only green flag laps will be counted. There will be optional pit stops during the break following each of the first three segments, with the field set by the pit stop/stay out positioning during the five caution laps.

“The NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race is the highlight of our season,” said Tim Considine, director of sponsorship marketing for Sprint. “These added elements help continue the tradition of this being one of the most unique and compelling races on the NASCAR Sprint Cup calendar.”

The eligibility criteria for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race remain the same:

  • Drivers who have won NASCAR Sprint Cup races in the current and preceding year. If a driver leaves a team with which he has won a race, he or she remains eligible (through the last race before the all-star race), however, the team does not

  • Drivers who are past NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race winners in the past 10 years

  • Drivers who are past NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champions in the last 10 years

  • The top two finishers in the Sprint Showdown, the 40-lap race that precedes the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race

  • The top Sprint Fan Vote driver who finishes on the lead lap of the Showdown and whose car is in “raceable” condition as determined by the series director.

    • The 2013 Sprint Fan Vote runs from March 20-May 18. Fans may vote by using the NASCAR Mobile ’13 application or online at NASCAR.COM. Votes cast from the NASCAR Mobile ’13 application count double.

    This will be the 29th running of the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. Five-time series champion and reigning Daytona 500 champion Jimmie Johnson won last year’s race.

    NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race weekend ticket packages including all Friday and Saturday activities start at just $99 including scanner rental. Fans should call 1-800-455-FANS or visit CharlotteMotorSpeedway.com for details.

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    Posted on by Holly Cain

    The newest full-time Nationwide series driver announces he’ll be a father 

    DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Even for a guy who’s jumped out of an airplane without a parachute, Travis Pastrana says last Saturday’s season-opening Nationwide Series race at Daytona International Speedway was a thrill ride of its own.

    In the moments after climbing out of his dinged-up brightly-colored No. 60 Ford Mustang, the X Games superstar-turned-NASCAR driver was wide-eyed and still jacked up.

    He obligingly signed autographs in the garage area for the large group of fans who immediately descended upon this generation’s great action hero, but judging by the look on Pastrana’s face, he was still living the 120 high-adrenalin laps he’d just completed.

    "I’m not going to be happy until we win."

    — Travis Pastrana

    Pastrana and wife announced they’ll be having a baby via Twitter and Facebook on Tuesday.

    “Our goal was definitely to get a top-10 and don’t crash the car. We’re 10th and have a half-crashed car so we’ll take it,’’ said a grinning Pastrana, who announced Tuesday via Twitter and Facebook that he and his wife, professional skateboarder Lyn-Z Hawkins Pastrana were expecting a baby this fall.

    The parents-to-be also posted a photo of a miniature Pastrana jersey numbered 199 1/2, but it probably wouldn’t surprise many people if their child grows up to compete and entertain.

    As an 18-year old, Pastrana did a backflip on his motorcycle into the Grand Canyon. Now, 29, he insists his first race on the 200-mph Daytona high banks ranked right up there with most other full sensory experience he’s had.

    And that’s saying a lot.

    “It seems like when you’re driving that Daytona is going to be an easier track that it’s like, ‘Oh, it’s all just dumb luck, it’s whatever,’" Pastrana said. “But when you’re driving (in the race), it’s all about wind and that wake of air that you’re trying to position yourself in and the whole time you’re thinking and you can’t see anything coming into the corners.

    “So you’re going in 195-200 miles an hour and you’re three-wide and you’ve got people bumping you and a wall that’s right next to you. And when (your spotter) says three-wide top, you’ve got to be right on that wall, still pushing the guy in front of you and if the guy behind you hits you, you’re going to get loose. If the guy in front of you doesn’t, you’re going to get tight.

    “The whole time you’re just mentally going … and it’s like a sauna in that car.’’

    And Pastrana acknowledged, a completely different sensation than anything he’s done on two wheels.

    “It’s different because with the motorcycle the prerequisite to be in freestyle is to do a 150-foot jump, so most people are like, ‘wow, that’s scary,’" Pastrana explained.

    “The prerequisite here is to go 200 mph and most people go, ‘yeah, I’ll get in my car, I could probably do that.’  But when you put that on a tight course with all these people that are all so good just battling back and forth and pushing off of you. .. it’s the most intense experience I could ever explain.’’

    In-car audio from Pastrana confirms as much.

    “Wow! Did you see that? Wow!’’ Pastrana screamed into the team radio seconds after a 13-car pile-up with three laps to go that sent Michael Annett’s crashing car directly in front of — only inches away — from the front of Pastrana’s Roush-Fenway Racing Mustang.

    “I’ll tell you what. I’ve never seen a car do that, I mean that 43 of Annett went from my left to my right and was gone, I didn’t even see it, it was so fast,’’ Pastrana said after the race, still shaking his head.

    Another multi-car accident on the last lap nicked Pastrana’s car, but he carried on to earn his best finish (10th) in the 10 Nationwide starts he’s made over the last two seasons. And it gives him a nice starting point in the championship — he’s ranked eighth — entering Saturday’s race on Daytona’s antitheses, the fickle 1-mile Phoenix International Raceway oval.

    It will be Pastrana’s first time racing a car at Phoenix, but he said he left Daytona feeling more encouraged than anything.

    “Sum it all up, I accomplished 50 percent of my goal,’’ Pastrana said of the Daytona season-opener. “I’m not going to be happy until we win and I’m not going to be disappointed with that (10th place), especially here.’’

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    Posted on by

    Power Rankings ahead of Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceway.

    1. Jimmie Johnson (No. 48)

    Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet 

    Cup standings: 1st, 47 points
    Outlook: What is there to say? It’s tough to compete with a five-time champion that nearly won his sixth title last season and opened 2013 with a bang, picking up his second Daytona 500 victory.

    2. Brad Keselowski (No. 2)

    Penske Racing, Ford

    Cup standings: 4th, 41 points
    Outlook: The champ’s Ford Fusion limped to the finish line at Daytona — and he still finished fourth. Some ruled out a repeat for Keselowski. Apparently he didn’t get the memo.

    3. Matt Kenseth (No. 20)

    Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota

    Cup standings: 33rd, 9 points
    Outlook: With a new team in Joe Gibbs Racing and his last Sprint Cup championship a decade in the past, Kenseth is a popular pick to unseat Keselowski. His 2013 campaign started off with a bang, but unfortunately for him, that came in the form of a blown engine at Daytona.

    4. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88)

    Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet 

    Cup standings:  2nd, 42 points
    Outlook: Pulling in right behind his Hendrick Motorsports teammate for a second-place finish in the Great American Race, Junior looks poised to put last season’s 12th-place finish behind him.

    5. Tony Stewart (No. 14)

    Stewart-Haas Racing, Chevrolet

    Cup standings: 37th, 3 points

    Outlook: Give him some credit. We didn’t hear much of anything from Smoke during Speedweeks, as he allowed his teammate Danica Patrick to soak up the spotlight. He then wrecked in the 500. It’s a long season, though, and Stewart should be in the running for his fourth Sprint Cup title in 2013.


    6. Jeff Gordon (No. 24)

    Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet

    Cup standings: 19th, 25 points 
    Outlook: "Old Reliable" has four Sprint Cup titles under his belt, but the last one came in 2001. Gordon’s last three seasons have gotten progressively worse in terms of points finishes, but don’t count him out yet. The 41-year-old is as determined as ever.


    7. Denny Hamlin (No. 11)

    Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota

    Cup standings: 13th, 31 points 
    Outlook: One of NASCAR’s newest dads has a lot on his plate with baby Taylor, but expect Hamlin to be in top-10 contention, despite his 14th-place-finish at Daytona. The JGR driver has finished worse than ninth just once (12th, 2007) since joining the Sprint Cup Series full-time in 2006.


    8. Clint Bowyer (No. 15)

    Michael Waltrip Racing, Toyota

    Cup standings: 10th, 34 points
    Outlook: Remember that time Clint Bowyer finished second in points standings last year? So does he. Don’t expect there to be too many more races where he finishes behind the likes of J.J. Yeley and Michael McDowell.

    9. Kasey Kahne (No. 5)

    Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet

    Cup standings: 34th, 8 points
    Outlook: Kahne, 33, isn’t the new kid on the block anymore. He showed what he’s capable of last season with his fourth-place finish, but we’ll have to wait to see what 2013 holds in store for the Hendrick driver who wrecked in the Daytona 500.

    10. Kevin Harvick (No. 10)

    Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet

    Cup standings: 38th, 2 points
    Outlook: After taking both The Sprint Unlimited and the first of last week’s Duels, many pegged Harvick as an odds-on favorite to place high in the 500. And then Kyle Busch and Kasey Kahne sparked a wreck that knocked Harvick out of the race after 47 laps.


    11. Greg Biffle (No. 16)

    Roush Fenway Racing, Ford

    Cup standings: 6th, 38 points
    Outlook: Biffle might not get the same recognition some of the bigger names get, but consider him an underappreciated pick for a top-5 finish in points in 2013. He’s seen five top-7 finishes in the past six seasons and was hot on Johnson’s tail as the cars hit the homestretch at Daytona.

    12. Kyle Busch (No. 18)

    Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota

    Cup standings: 31st, 10 points
    Outlook: Kyle Busch is all about racing. That being said, his passion for the sport and risky behavior has only led to two points finishes higher than 10th since he picked up a full-time Cup ride at age 20, and he was knocked out of the 500 five laps early on Sunday.


    13. Martin Truex Jr. (NO. 56)

    Michael Waltrip Racing, Toyota

    Cup standings: 23rd, 20 points
    Outlook: Here’s what we can expect from Truex Jr.: he’ll finish high in some races, low in some, and in the middle in most. 


    14. Ryan Newman (NO. 39)

    Stewart-Haas Racing, Chevrolet

    Cup standings: 5th, 40 points
    Outlook: After a hot start to his Sprint Cup career (four top-7 finishes in points standings from age 24-28, just one since), the 35-year-old certainly benefitted from nearly half the field not finishing the race, but could be primed for a stronger-than-usual 2013.


    15. Carl Edwards (NO. 99)

    Roush Fenway Racing, Ford


    Cup standings:     30th, 11 points
    Outlook: With a pair of top-2 points finishes in 2008 and 2011, it looked like Edwards was going to be a mainstay at the top of the class. However, with the amount of crashes he was involved in at Daytona, it doesn’t look like he’s destined to improve on his 15th-place finish in 2012.


    16. Joey Logano (NO. 22)

    Penske Racing, Ford

    Cup standings: 18th, 26 points
    Outlook: It’s hard to believe Logano is entering his fifth full-time Sprint Cup season. While he hasn’t finished higher than 16th, the 23-year-old should benefit tremendously from having teammate Brad Keselowski looking out for him.


    17. Danica Patrick (NO. 10)

    Stewart-Haas Racing, Chevrolet

    Cup standings: 7th, 37 points
    Outlook: Daytona’s darling turned nearly every head this past weekend with her finesse and skill. People should not only be impressed that she’s making history, but also because she’s a rookie.


    18. Aric Almirola (NO. 43)

    Richard Petty Motorsports, Ford

    Cup standings: 12th, 31 points
    Outlook: Almirola certainly had some bright spots, but it’s tough to see him breaking anywhere higher than 15th overall in the standings with such a talented class ahead of him.


    19. Mark Martin (NO. 55)

    Michael Waltrip Racing, Toyota

    Cup standings: 3rd, 41 points 
    Outlook: Martin won’t be running a full slate of races in 2013. That doesn’t mean he can’t get some credit for an inspiring third-place-finish in Sunday’s 500.


    20. Juan Pablo Montoya (NO. 42)

    Earnhardt Ganassi Racing, Chevrolet

    Cup standings: 36th, 5 points
    Outlook: Montoya finished in eighth place in 2009, but the rest of his Sprint Cup career has been mostly forgettable. Can he turn it around in 2013? We’ll see.

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    In the Rearview


    Marcos Ambrose (NO. 9)

    Richard Petty Motorsports, Ford

    Cup standings: 17th, 26 points


    Kurt Busch (NO. 78)

    Furniture Row Racing, Chevrolet

    Cup standings: 26th, 16 points

    Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (No. 17)

    Roush Fenway Racing, Ford

    Cup standings: 11th, 32 points

    Paul Menard (No. 27)

    Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet

    Cup standings: 20th, 24 points


    Jeff Burton (No. 31)

    Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet

    Cup standings: 28th, 14 points

    Note: These rankings have been determined by a poll that included writers Kenny Bruce, Holly Cain, David Caraviello and Zack Albert, and video host Alan Cavanna. Tell us what you think about the Power Rankings. Use the hashtag #NASCARPOWER.

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