CONCORD, N.C. – The Coca-Cola Company has joined 14-time NASCAR Cup Series champions Hendrick Motorsports as the Official Beverage Partner of driver Chase Elliott and his No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 team.
Throughout the 2023 season, Atlanta-based Coca-Cola will appear as an associate sponsor of Elliott’s race cars beginning with Sunday’s 65th running of the Daytona 500 (2:30 p.m. ET, FOX). The iconic beverage brand will also adorn the No. 9 team’s uniforms and equipment.
Coca-Cola has an extensive history in motorsports, including title sponsorship of NASCAR’s longest race, the Coca-Cola 600, since 1985. Its storied partnerships include race car drivers such as Elliott’s father, 1988 Cup Series champion Bill Elliott.
“Coca-Cola is proud to welcome Chase to its Coca-Cola Racing Family and launch its partnership with Hendrick Motorsports,” said Chris Bigda, director of sports marketing, The Coca-Cola Company, North America. “Continuing to partner with the Elliott family is an honor and thrilling legacy, as Chase joins our Coca-Cola Racing Family 25 years after his father Bill Elliott was a founding member back in 1998. We’re excited for our future together and refreshing this championship team on and off the track.”
Elliott is the third-youngest driver to win a Cup championship, a feat he accomplished in 2020. The 27-year-old Dawsonville, Georgia, native has 18 points-paying wins across seven full-time seasons in NASCAR’s premier series and has been voted by fans as the sport’s Most Popular Driver for five consecutive years (2018-2022). In 2022, he captured a series-leading five victories, earned the regular-season title and made his seventh playoff appearance, advancing to the Championship 4 for the third straight year.
“I’m excited to partner with an iconic brand like Coca-Cola that has Georgia roots just like me,” Elliott said. “Coke has a deep history in the sport, and I’m proud to represent a company that has backed some of NASCAR’s greatest drivers throughout the years, including my dad. I look forward to seeing what we will accomplish together this season and hopefully for years to come.”
With 14 championships and 291 points-paying race wins, Hendrick Motorsports is the most successful team in the history of the NASCAR Cup Series. On Sunday, the organization will seek its record-tying ninth victory in the season-opening Daytona 500.
“Chase and Coca-Cola are a perfect match on so many levels,” said Jeff Gordon, vice chairman of Hendrick Motorsports. “Pairing one of the world’s most recognized brands with the sport’s Most Popular Driver will present a lot of opportunities. The No. 9 team is poised for another great year, so we plan to keep plenty of Coke on ice and celebrate those big moments together.”
Matt Crafton and Menards will celebrate their 20-year relationship this season as a driver and primary sponsorship on the truck – the longest active driver and primary sponsorship a NASCAR national series.
Menards and Crafton began working together in 2002 and together they have made 496 consecutive starts posting three championships, 15 wins and 132 top-five finishes.
Crafton has made 22 series starts at Daytona posting two top fives and eight top 10s.
Menards, a Midwest home-improvement store chain, has a long history in racing that includes four championships with ThorSport: one in the ARCA Menards Series with driver Frank Kimmel (2013), and three NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver’championships with Crafton (2013, 2014 and 2019).
“We’ve had an outstanding partnership with ThorSport through the years,” Menards President John Menard said. “The success we’ve had both off and on the track with Matt Crafton and ThorSport has proven to be legendary.”
Crafton has scored all 15 of his career Truck Series wins and three championships piloting the iconic Menards yellow color. The Tulare, California native, who owns the series’ record for consecutive starts (521) going into the 2023 season, will drive the No. 88 Menards Ford F-150 for what will be his 24th overall year with ThorSport Racing.
“Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would still get to be doing what I love so many years after my career started,” Crafton said. “I especially could not have imagined being lucky enough to have a sponsor stand by my side through all of it. Between ThorSport and Menards I have truly found a family that I am so grateful to have been a part of. Looking forward to a strong season together.”
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Jimmie Johnson and Travis Pastrana clinched two of the four non-chartered “open” spots in Daytona 500 qualifying Wednesday night, locking their respective ways into the 65th running of the “Great American Race” as the two fastest open entries.
While their elation was palpable, so too was the stress of the four drivers still vying for the other two available positions.
Zane Smith, Austin Hill, Chandler Smith and Conor Daly will have to race their way into the Daytona 500 via the Bluegreen Vacation Duel qualifying races on Thursday night (7 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Each duel will feature 21 of the 42 drivers aiming to make the Daytona 500, with three open cars in each 60-lap qualifying race.
Zane Smith, the defending NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion, posted the 29th-fastest lap overall but fell four positions short of besting Pastrana for a guaranteed position.
The tension ran rampant for his No. 36 Front Row Motorsports team, which made it to the qualifying grid not long before he was scheduled to hit the track after facing holdups in pre-qualifying inspection.
“It was hectic there getting through tech and hustling to get in our Ford Mustang,” Smith told NASCAR.com. “Fortunately, I was at least able to get a lap and somewhat prepare for the (Duel races) tomorrow. Unfortunately, I think just missed those couple of spots, but we’ll fight hard [Thursday] and hopefully transfer in with our Wellcare Ford Mustang.”
Set to roll off from 15th place in Thursday night’s first Duel, Smith was pleased just to turn a lap without issue in qualifying. The same couldn’t be said for two other competitors Wednesday night.
Conor Daly and his No. 50 The Money Team Racing Chevrolet were sidelined by a mechanical issue before the car could even hit pit road.
“Basically, the oil heater, I guess, shorted out and made the oil line explode,” Daly explained. “I guess that never happens. It’s just really random, bad-luck type stuff. I don’t think we had a spare because, obviously, we don’t have a spare car. And then everyone else on the Chevy teams, they need them.
“We just couldn’t find one in time to get it on the car.”
The failure occurred “a couple hours” before qualifying began, with enough time that the team believed they could fix the issue without major delay. But without the proper part in sight, there was no quick fix available.
Daly, a full-time driver in the IndyCar Series, drove the No. 50 Chevrolet at the Charlotte Roval in October 2022 but has never turned a lap around the 2.5-mile superspeedway in a stock car. Team owner Willy Auchmoody confirmed via text to NASCAR.com the oil line was repaired before leaving the garage Wednesday night, meaning Daly should be set for his first circuits in a NASCAR Next Gen vehicle — pace laps before taking the green flag.
“Any lap is important, right?” said Daly, who’s set to start 21st in the second Duel. “So it’s just so hard to know what these cars do in general because it’s different. But yeah, it’s gonna be hard. It was already gonna be hard; now, it’s gonna be harder.
“But you know what, we’re still here. We’re not gonna give up, and we’ll give it a shot.”
Also running into a proverbial speed bump was Chandler Smith, who is attempting to make his NASCAR Cup Series debut this weekend in the No. 13 Chevrolet for Kaulig Racing.
Smith, a full-time rookie in the Xfinity Series this season, was the first car due out for qualifying on Wednesday night. The car fired off the grid, but only barely before coming to a stall. The 20-year-old Georgian got the engine re-fired, but not before stalling again at the entrance of Turn 1.
The vehicle was pushed back to pit lane, where the team feverishly worked to eliminate any issues. Still, the car struggled to stay on for half a lap before Smith finally was able to turn a lap of substance. He placed 41st overall and will start 21st in the night’s opening Duel.
“It’s something electrical,” Kaulig team president Chris Rice told NASCAR.com. “When it takes off, it wants to cut off, and he ran about half speed right there. We’ve been at Daytona with cars before and missed the race. We’ve got another chance [Thursday] night to race into it, and we’ll figure it out.
“We’ve got a bunch of good guys. … Just sad because Kaulig Racing, all the guys and girls build a bunch of fast race cars. So a gremlin’s inside of it somewhere, but the Quick Tie car, it’ll put on a show [Thursday] night, I promise.”
Austin Hill, the defending winner of the Xfinity season opener at Daytona, is also attempting to make his first Daytona 500 in the No. 62 Chevrolet for Beard Motorsports. The 28-year-old made his Cup debut last year at Michigan International Speedway.
Hill was 32nd overall in Wednesday night’s qualifying session and will start 16th in the second Duel.
The highest-finishing open cars in each Duel will advance to the Daytona 500.
Finishing positions in their respective races will determine the starting lineup for Sunday’s “Great American Race” (2:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
There’s no putting it lightly. The Daytona 500 is the biggest race annually on the NASCAR calendar.
What the Super Bowl is to the NFL and what the World Cup is to soccer, that’s what the “Great American Race” is to NASCAR and stock-car racing.
Outside of winning the Cup Series championship, there’s no other hardware a driver wants to win more than the Harley J. Earl Trophy when they enter Victory Lane after 500 thrilling miles. Before the green flag drops for 200 laps around the 2.5-mile superspeedway, here’s some important info, trends to follow and some history tidbits to get prepared for Sunday (2:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
From the historic Streamline Hotel where NASCAR was born to the iconic bridge that dawns the words “Welcome to Daytona Beach,” there is an array of landmarks that lets the racing community know they are somewhere special. The warm sands of the beaches where NASCAR once ran gave way to the current behemoth frontstretch grandstands that will seat more than 100,000 people for the Daytona 500, where a single pack of 40 cars will roar by at speeds topping 190 miles per hour 200 times.
The track was built in 1959 and has hosted the “Great American Race” since, creating the majestic aura that engulfs the area from the steep-banked corners to W International Speedway Blvd.
A DAYTONA-SIZED UPSET
NASCAR’s biggest names, such as Richard Petty, David Pearson, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon, have won the Daytona 500, but throughout the 65 years of the event, there have been drivers that have shocked the world with their surprise wins in stock-car racing’s biggest event. Here are some of the biggest upsets in the history of the Daytona 500.
1963 — Tiny Lund: Won Daytona 500 after replacing ’61 winner Marvin Panch on 10 days’ notice in the Wood Brothers’ No. 21
1990 — Derrike Cope: Scored his first career NASCAR national series win after Dale Earnhardt cut a tire on the final lap
2001 — Michael Waltrip: Scored his first career Cup Series win in his 463rd start, the longest wait for a first win in series history
2011 — Trevor Bayne: Won Daytona 500 in just his second-career Cup start; the youngest Daytona 500 winner ever at just 20 years and 1 day old
2021 — Michael McDowell: Scored his first career Cup Series win in his 358th start
2022 — Austin Cindric: Won Daytona 500 in his first full-time Cup season
— Ford has won three of the last six Daytona 500s, with Chevrolet only winning one after 2014
— Dale Jarrett was the last polesitter to win the Daytona 500 in 2000
— Since 2010, eight Daytona 500s have gone beyond the scheduled 500-mile distance
— Since 2000, the driver to lead the most laps has only won the Daytona 500 five times
— The winner of the Daytona 500 has gone on to win the Cup Series title in the same year only eight times: Lee Petty (1959), Richard Petty (1964, 1971, 1974, 1979), Cale Yarborough (1977), Jeff Gordon (1997), Jimmie Johnson (2013)
MEMORABLE DAYTONA 500 MOMENTS
1959: Inaugural Daytona 500 ends in photo finish | WATCH
1976: Pearson, Petty crash on final lap of Daytona 500 | WATCH
1979: Donnie Allison, Cale Yarborough crash, fight on final lap | WATCH
1998: Dale Earnhardt wins first Daytona 500 | WATCH
2007: Kevin Harvick wins Daytona 500 by inches over Mark Martin | WATCH
2016: Denny Hamlin beats Martin Truex Jr. in closest Daytona 500 finish ever | WATCH
Cup teams will run the same tire setup as last year’s races at Daytona and Talladega. Each team will have seven sets for qualifying, the Duels and the two practice sessions and will receive eight sets for the Daytona 500.
Entering the 2023 season, competition officials have revised the penalty structure for detached wheels, shifting away from the four-race crew chief suspension that had been in place since 2015.
In the event of a lost wheel that is contained to pit road, the offending team will be subject to a pass-through penalty under green-flag conditions. If the infraction occurs during a caution period, the offending team will restart at the tail end of the field.
If the wheel breaks free outside of pit road, the new rules guidelines mandate a two-lap penalty plus a two-race suspension for two crew members. Each penalty is series-specific: Violations in one series will not impact those crew members’ eligibility to participate in other series.
Fans can get in on the action all season long with NASCAR Fan Rewards, a free program that rewards fans for participating in the action when they watch races and play NASCAR Fantasy.
There’s no cost to join. Fans must be 18 years or older to participate in the program.
Earn points by checking into a race from home or at the track, setting their Fantasy Live lineup, making purchases on the NASCAR.com shop and more. Points can be redeemed for race tickets, merchandise and VIP experiences at the track, including pace car rides and waiving the green flag at qualifying.
Want to manage a team and race your way to the top of the leaderboards? Check out NASCAR Fantasy Live, which is open now. The free-to-play game lets you choose your drivers each week and show off your crew-chief instincts by garaging a driver by the end of Stage 3, and there is a $25,000 prize for the winner.
Get additional camera views by logging on to NASCAR Drive, where each week, a select number of in-car cameras will be available — as well as a battle cam and an overhead look.
NASCAR has partnered with LiveLike to add fan engagement to the NASCAR Mobile App. Log in to the mobile app during the race for polls, quizzes, the cheer meter and more — and see instant results from NASCAR fans like you.
GRIDRIVAL
GridRival is a motorsports app that has adopted a new season-long NASCAR-featured matchup game. Compete for $100,000 in cash by picking five head-to-head matchups each week. The contest begins ahead of Sunday’s Daytona 500. Space is limited, so download the app and sign up today!
Winning the Daytona 500 is a life-changing experience because the victorious driver will always be part of a special club in motorsports history. And as Sunday’s race nears, thoughts turn to who could take the checkered flag this time, in the 65th annual running of the “Great American Race.”
Most fans have a favorite driver they’d like to see cross the finish line first, but what if we thought with our heads instead of our hearts?
That’s exactly what we’ll do in a new weekly feature called Advance to Victory Lane, presented by Advance Auto Parts. Our partner Racing Insights will predict both the winner and the entire finishing order of the next race in the NASCAR Cup Series. Racing Insights utilizes an advanced statistical formula that weighs factors such as current track, current track type, recent performance, team data and pit-crew data to arrive at a winner and full race results.
Starting positions and practice data will also come into play, so come back Sunday after qualifying and final practice are over to see an updated version of the projected finishing order — although for Daytona, this race is such a wild-card that our projection didn’t change.
Without further ado, here is the Racing Insights projection for how the Daytona 500 will turn out Sunday at Daytona International Speedway (2:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
BREAKING THROUGH?: Projected winner Ryan Blaney has finished in the top 10 in four of the last six Daytona 500s, a stretch that also includes two runner-up finishes.
CATCH MY DRAFT: Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott won at two drafting tracks last year, and was runner-up in the “Great American Race.” The model likes his performance on big tracks.
HAPPY RETURNS: It’s important to keep in mind that this is Jimmie Johnson’s first NASCAR Cup Series race since 2020, and his first ever in the Next Gen car.
The same old song and dance played out in the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing’s John Blewett Memorial on Wednesday evening.
After getting shuffled in the running order following the post-qualifying invert, three-time World Series of Asphalt Modified champion Matt Hirschman once again methodically worked his way toward the front before making the race-winning pass on pole-sitter Jimmy Blewett shortly before the halfway point.
Hirschman’s third win in the 2023 World Series of Asphalt carried extra significance knowing he won the event named in Blewett’s honor.
“This hits home, because I was on the track when John passed away at Thompson,” Hirschman said. “I can appreciate John as a racer, because he could do it all. I set up my own cars and call my own races. He did the same thing. John was a great racer and it’s nice we get to honor guys like him.”
The only challenge Hirschman faced during the evening came in the form of Patrick Emerling, who muscled Hirschman out of the groove on a Lap 55 restart to take the lead. A caution negated the restart and put Hirschman back in front, where he easily fended off Emerling and pulled away with the win.
With his victory, Hirschman remains undefeated in Modified competition at New Smyrna during the World Series of Asphalt, save for Saturday’s NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season-opener, which does not count toward the point standings. He is seeking to become the first driver in World Series of Asphalt to sweep all five Modified events.
A fourth Modified title is not currently on Hirschman’s mind, as he wants to make sure he can make his way back to Victory Lane on Thursday with another stellar car.
“We’re taking things one night at a time,” Hirschman said. “If we can do this again tomorrow night, then I think [we can sweep]. We’ve got two more ahead of us, so we’re not getting too far ahead of ourselves. We have to maintain focus.
The John Blewett Memorial was one of four races to take place Wednesday. Below are the key takeaways from the sixth night of racing in the World Series of Asphalt.
After setting the fastest lap in qualifying, Casey Roderick charged up from third following an invert and ended up taking the win in the Super Late Model feature. William Sawalich rebounded from a blown engine in Tuesday’s Clyde Hart Memorial to finish second, where he was followed by Jake Finch, Giovanni Ruggiero and Connor Mosack.
2017 eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series champion Ryan Luza survived a chaotic Pro Late Model feature to claim his first victory in the World Series of Asphalt, which he accomplished after passing Carson Brown on a Lap 18 restart. Brown held off Conner Jones to finish second, with Brent Crews and seven-time ARCA Menards Series East winner Eddie MacDonald rounding out the top five.
Jason Lester took home the checkered flag in the Florida Modified feature, his first in the 2023 edition of the World Series of Asphalt. The rest of the top five consisted of Bill Burba, Jerry Symons, Wayne Parker and Stain Held.
On Thursday, the seventh night of the World Series of Asphalt consists of five divisions that include a 50-lap Tour Modified race, along with Pro Late Models, 602 Modifieds, Florida Modifieds and Super Late Models.
FloRacing has the coverage starting at 7:30 p.m. ET.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Jimmie Johnson and Travis Pastrana — two drivers with wildly different experience levels in NASCAR’s major leagues — embraced Wednesday evening after both reached a common goal in qualifying for the Daytona 500 field.
Johnson — the seven-time Cup Series champion with 83 wins and 686 career starts — posted the 23rd-fastest lap in the No. 84 Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet that he’ll drive in a partial schedule this season. Pastrana — a rookie who drove a Cup Series car for the first time Wednesday — was 25th-fastest to seal up his debut in the No. 67 23XI Racing Toyota.
Johnson and Pastrana were the two fastest drivers among the six non-chartered, “open” entrants during the qualifying session. Reigning Truck Series champ Zane Smith was 29th, tops among those who have yet to firm up their Daytona 500 fate. He will join Austin Hill (32nd), Chandler Smith (41st) and Conor Daly (42nd — did not start) in trying to grab the remaining two open berths for the “Great American Race” through Thursday night’s Bluegreen Vacations Duel qualifying races (7 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM).
Pastrana followed Johnson in the qualifying order. When the official word came that they had both locked in, Pastrana dismounted on pit road and went straight to Johnson to touch off the celebration.
“I am so very fortunate to be here,” said Pastrana, a versatile action sports star with a rich background in motocross and rally racing. “This is something that’s not about the money. It’s not about anything. It’s just about trying to be a part of the “Great American Race” and to have an opportunity to qualify with such a great team and to be brought on with so many people around me that are helping me to do the best that I absolutely possibly can. At the end of the day, we’re in it to do the best that we can. Damage or no damage, my goal is to obviously not be the cause of any of it and try to do the best we can. But hey, I’m going for it. So we’ll see what happens.”
Both drivers are making returns to NASCAR this year. Pastrana’s only full season was an Xfinity Series campaign with team owner Jack Roush in 2013, and he’s been an occasional competitor in Craftsman Truck Series races in recent years. Johnson is back for a limited schedule after two years away racing IndyCars and sports cars, all since his retirement from full-time Cup Series driving after 2020.
Johnson tested last month at Phoenix Raceway to get familiar with the Next Gen car, but he said Wednesday night’s experience on the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway wasn’t exactly heartening as he got up to full song for the first time with the current superspeedway package.
“I didn’t know what to expect honestly,” Johnson said. “I mean I really didn’t. To be the fastest of the non-chartered cars or being the middle of the pack. In the situation we’re in and how late this program got off the ground, really happy with where we landed. And it was just about making the race. I’m so thankful we don’t have to race through the Duels, so we definitely hit our marks.”
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Wednesday was a banner day for Hendrick Motorsports driver Alex Bowman.
After announcing a contract extension that will keep him in the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet through 2026, Bowman sped to his third Daytona 500 pole position, dominating both rounds of times trials at 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway.
The numbers are staggering—and not just Bowman’s final-round qualifying speed of 181.686 mph, which eclipsed the pole-winning speed of teammate Kyle Larson (181.159 mph) in the 2022 debut season of NASCAR’s Next Gen Cup Series car.
On Wednesday, Bowman eclipsed Larson in a different way. Larson ran 181.057 mph to lock his No. 5 Hendrick Chevrolet into a front-row start for the “Great American Race” (Sun., 2:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Hendrick driver William Byron was third fastest in the final round at 180.727 mph.
Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, part owner of newly-christened Legacy Motor Club, celebrated his return to NASCAR after a two-year hiatus by locking into the Daytona 500 with a lap at 179.276 mph, fastest among the six drivers of unchartered cars and 23rd overall.
With four career Busch Light Pole Awards to his credit, Bowman will start on the front row in the Daytona 500 for a record sixth consecutive time. Hendrick drivers have won eight of the last nine Daytona 500 poles, and Chevrolet drivers have won the last 11.
“I’m just so proud of Hendrick Motorsports engine shop, all the guys,” Bowman said. This Ally 48 Camaro is obviously really fast. I don’t really have a lot to do with qualifying here, so just fortunate to qualify some really fast race cars.
“It’s really cool to see Hendrick Motorsports 1-2-3.”
Larson’s consolation for missing out on his second straight Daytona 500 pole was the guaranteed second-place starting position. Bowman and Larson will start first Thursday night in their respective Bluegreen Vacations Duels (7 p.m., FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) that will set the starting order for Sunday’s main event.
“Congratulations to Alex,” Larson said. “He’s got a lot longer legs than me, so I think he can push the gas pedal down further. But I’m proud of everybody on the 5 team as well… I’m really looking forward to the Duels, get some more laps, get comfortable and then get to race it on Sunday.”
Ford drivers Aric Almirola, Joey Logano (reigning Cup champion), Chase Briscoe, Ryan Blaney, Austin Cindric (defending race winner), and Harrison Burton were fourth through ninth fastest, respectively.
Kyle Busch’s final-round qualifying time was disallowed after he dipped below the yellow line between the racing surface and the apron in an attempt to draft off Cindric’s car, which had just completed its lap. Bubba Wallace narrowly missed the final round and was the quickest Toyota driver in the 11th position.
Johnson, a former Hendrick driver, was relieved to put his No. 84 Chevrolet into the show.
“It was stressful,” Johnson said. “It was hard to tell inside the car if it was a good lap or not. The RPM range was much different from the last time I was in a car. It just sounded flat and felt slow.
“But we’re sitting in a great spot as the fastest unchartered car, and I’m very thankful for that.”
Travis Pastrana also locked into the field for Sunday’s race with a lap at 179.254 mph—second among the open cars and 25th fastest overall—leaving Zane Smith (29th fastest), Austin Hill (32nd), Chandler Smith (41st) and Conor Daly to vie for the final two positions via Duels.
Daly had to forego his qualifying run because of a mechanical failure he described as “one in a million.” The oil heater in Daly’s No. 50 Chevrolet shorted out and burned an oil line. His TMT Racing team didn’t have a replacement oil heater, and the part proved scarce throughout the garage.
Pastrana was elated to secure a starting spot for his No. 67 23XI Racing Toyota.
“I just can’t say enough about this 23XI team,” Pastrana said. “I mean everyone from Kurt Busch to Denny Hamlin to Bubba [Wallace)]and Tyler [Reddick], they all just helped me get there.
“And this TRD motor and being able to get on the (simulator), that was everything. Can’t give them enough credit for this opportunity.”
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — New teams. New fire suits. New paint schemes.
There are plenty of drivers in different rides entering the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season after myriad offseason moves.
“It’s like going to school and like seeing people in different outfits,” William Byron said Wednesday at Daytona 500 Media Day. “You’re like, ‘oh OK, let me make a mental note.'”
Atop the list, of course, sit Kyle Busch and Tyler Reddick. Busch, who parted ways with Joe Gibbs Racing after 15 years in the No. 18 Toyota, heads to Richard Childress Racing to pilot the No. 8 Chevrolet. That car’s former driver, Tyler Reddick, jumps ship to Toyota to drive the No. 45 Toyota this season.
Busch has been in the Chevy camp before, but not since 2007 — three generations of NASCAR vehicles ago. A two-time champion since his last venture outside of JGR, Busch is taking in the sights, sounds and relationships around the Welcome, North Carolina campus of RCR.
“It’s certainly early, but the way the companies are run is entirely different — which is good, fine, different,” Busch said. “Nothing wrong with that. It’s just a matter of trying to continue to figure out what the pluses and the minuses all are. Certainly, there are some pluses of the new team with RCR and the management and everything else that’s going on there. I enjoy working with the whole group, whether it’s the office or the competition side. It’s been really fun. And then, obviously, too, the JGR side had its pluses as well.
“So just trying to incorporate all the stuff that I’ve been accustomed to and been around for the last 15 years — and not all of the processes and procedures that I’m used to, but definitely trying to work my way into what RCR is and how they work first, and then just say, ‘but have you guys thought about doing something XYZ like this?'”
Busch is plugged into what was Reddick’s team with crew chief Randall Burnett and spotter Derek Kneeland. The combination showed early strength in the exhibition opener at the Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, where Busch snagged a third-place teammate behind current teammate Austin Dillon and race winner Martin Truex Jr., Busch’s ex-teammate.
“Yeah, I mean a lot of it is [a mental reset],” Busch said. “There has been a big reset in general obviously with joining forces with RCR and Austin. Thankful for the opportunity and looking forward to the many sponsors that we have and working with them. It’s just a fresh outlook and it’s nice to be in a place where you are wanted, and you are accepted. Having that chance to just go racing again is going to be fun.
“We have done a little bit of that already with the [Circuit of The Americas] race that we ran, the test that I had, and spending some time with Austin doing stuff off-track has been pretty cool. So, we will continue to evolve and get better and RCR will again become a powerhouse like it once was … and to win races and championships.”
Reddick, meanwhile, heads to new Toyota territory at 23XI Racing after spending the past six years with Chevrolet. The ride Reddick occupies previously belonged to Kurt Busch, the 2004 Cup Series champion and older brother of Kyle.
While it wasn’t exactly a one-for-one swap between JGR and RCR, the Reddick-Busch swap certainly had semblances of a blockbuster trade. 23XI Racing, co-owned by JGR driver Denny Hamlin (oh yeah, and basketball legend Michael Jordan), serves as a satellite team to Joe Gibbs Racing.
That wasn’t lost on Reddick, who revealed a conversation with Busch before the duo exchanged manufacturers.
“I just said, ‘Hey, you’ve got a great group of people, take care of them. They’re really passionate and they’ll do a lot of good for you,’” Reddick said. “That was pretty much the extent of it. We didn’t share notes or anything like that. So far it seems like he’s fitting in really good with those guys over there so I’m happy that a team that I’ve been with for so long and have done so much with, they’re getting that.
“I didn’t know when the end was going to be or if it was going to happen, looking years back, but for whatever reason, if I wasn’t going to be driving for those guys or that group, I wanted them to have the best driver out there and I feel like Kyle’s (Busch) one of those drivers.”
Reddick also inherits crew chief Billy Scott, who worked with Kurt Busch in addition to Ty Gibbs and Daniel Hemric a season ago.
“Billy’s definitely a very structured, on-time, methodical person and I feel like I’m the exact opposite,” Reddick said. “We balance each other out pretty good. I don’t think I’ve gotten under his skin too much yet. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not. Maybe this week I’ll be able to. I think it’s going pretty good so far. I think we have the potential to mesh really well together. We’re just going to keep learning and growing as we go.”
The duo similarly got off to a solid start in Los Angeles, snagging a sixth-place finish at the temporary quarter-mile oval. Teammate Bubba Wallace led the second-most laps all night with 40 circuits out front, capping an impressive night for Toyota.
“I thought it went really well honestly, Reddick said. “Balance-wise, we didn’t hit it exactly perfect on the head, but Bubba did, and they were really strong and we were a little off on the balance, but we still had a really strong race car. Feel like it went really well. We had a few mistakes on the choose lap with just not choosing the right lane and lost a lot of spots there, but we were able to get some of them back by the end of the race.
“For the most part, I think we could have done a couple things better, but for the first real weekend and attempt out, a lot of things that me and Billy and my spotter could control, we did pretty good.”
The driver who actually led the most laps at The Clash was another new face — well, a returning face — in a new ride. Ryan Preece wheeled the No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford to the front of the field for 43 laps in the Feb. 5 exhibition, his first appearance in the vehicle previously driven by Cole Custer.
Chris Graythen | Getty Images
“What you can use from The Clash is chemistry – team building,” Preece said. “We unloaded fast, had a great car and we really didn’t make many adjustments. We thought about it overnight, and we made some small tweaks that made the car better. At the end of the day, when it comes to racing, it’s about relationships, people and fast race cars.
“I know that I have the team to turn the knobs in the right direction and tune us in. We’re going to go do that. We’re going to see where we are after qualifying, get through the Duels – contending for the win – and make the adjustments to have an even better [Daytona] 500.”
Preece spent last season as a simulation driver for SHR, working closely with all four drivers in 2022 and participating in weekly competition meetings. So while he’s new to the No. 41 car specifically, no introductions are necessary.
“I’ve already been there for a year, so outside of just my race team – whether it’s the fabrication shop, paint shop, the floor guys or parts room, they see me around,” Preece said. “I feel like I already earned their respect. I’m there pretty much every day, and they see it. I’m right there with them. I met [crew chief] Chad [Johnston] in 2021 when I won that [Truck Series] race in Nashville. So that was the start of that relationship, and I personally feel like we’re already a year and a half ahead of where we would’ve been if this all just came about and this was a new job.
“I already feel comfortable there, and the foundation – especially after LA – is solid. It’s just continuing to build the house and going through the steps.”
The most critical next steps will be taken Sunday in the 65th annual Daytona 500 (2:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Kevin Harvick, the 2014 NASCAR Cup Series champion, begins his final season of NASCAR competition with this week’s season-opening DAYTONA 500. The 47-year-old California native concedes he is balancing a naturally sentimental reaction to his retirement with his famous highly-competitive spirit.
Asked if he may show less patience racing in his farewell season, the 2007 Daytona 500 winner grinned and shared some advice retired driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. gave him.
“Dale Jr. summed it up for me by saying it was my NFG tour,” Harvick said. “If we have to settle scores, we will settle them immediately. We aren’t waiting until next week.”
Of the sentimental side of his farewell, Harvick said, “I don’t know how good I’ll be at soaking it in because I get too competitive.”
Harvick did remind, however, that he will be sharing stories of his 30 years of racing through his 2023 helmets and various special tribute paint schemes on the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford all season. He’s already got his next “job” settled. Recently, Harvick revealed he would move to the FOX Sports broadcast booth and call races alongside Mike Joy and fellow retired driver Clint Bowyer.
“For me, it is going to be a balance between taking all of that in and not being grumpy because you are in the competitive mindset,” Harvick said. “I explain that to people all the time. There is a difference between a meet-and-greet at the car or one away from the race track. They are two different people. We have put a lot of things in place to just try to make it simple. As simple as possible.
“But I also understand that it is important. I feel like your last year is important.”
In 43 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Daytona, Harvick has 16 top-10 and 11 top-five finishes with wins in the 2007 Daytona 500 and 2010 summer 400-miler. He’s finished top five in two of the last Daytona 500s.
