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.
No matter what he races, Stewart Friesen finds a way to get the most out of his car.
From earning four consecutive big-block modified track championships at Fonda Speedway to claiming three victories in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Friesen has established himself as one of the most versatile drivers of the last two decades.
Crossing disciplines is exactly why Friesen was competing in the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing at New Smyrna Speedway this week after as he worked out a deal with his friend and long-time competitor Todd Stone to run his super late model last year while balancing out busy racing schedules at Volusia Speedway Park and All-Tech Raceway.
After finishing ninth out of 24 cars in his lone World Series of Asphalt race, Friesen knew he had to come back with Stone for another chance to compete in the nine-day event.
“[Todd and I] have been friends a long time,” Friesen said. “They have a nice shop down here [in Florida] and they offered that up to us to work on our modified stuff last year. We got to drinking some beers and [Todd] asked me if I wanted to drive his car [the following night]. We ran [the Clyde Hart Memorial] and put together the schedule to run [two nights] this week.”
Although super late models are outside of his area of expertise, Friesen is no stranger to how the cars drive.
The first venture for Friesen into super late model competition took place in 2018 and was a successful one. Across his first three starts, Friesen never finished outside the top 10 and tallied two second-place finishes at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway and Bristol Motor Speedway.
Friesen also successfully qualified for the Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway that year, but his aspirations of another strong performance ended when he was involved in a crash on Lap 58.
Several factors, including conflicts with his big-block modified and Truck Series commitments, have prevented Friesen from competing regularly in super late models since 2018, which is one reason why he enjoyed being a part of that environment during his two days at the World Series of Asphalt this week.
The race day schedules of a super late model show are much longer for Friesen compared to a big-block modified event, but the extra time allowed Friesen to work more diligently with Stone and his crew to improve their car.
“It’s two different worlds,” Friesen said. “In big blocks, you show up at the track at around 3 or 4 [p.m.] in the afternoon before racing at 9 at night. With [New Smyrna], you get here at 9 in the morning and work your butt off all day. It’s a different world, but it’s a lot of fun.”
A busy month for Stewart Friesen already includes a Big Block Modified victory at All-Tech Raceway on Feb. 8. (Photo: Adam Glanzman/NASCAR)
Friesen said Stone’s own experiences as a driver was crucial in helping him get more comfortable with the car ahead of Tuesday’s Clyde Hart Memorial.
Among the accomplishments Stone himself has accumulated are five victories in the ACT Late Model Tour and two consecutive track championships at Vermont’s Devil’s Bowl Speedway. He also won a World Series of Asphalt title in 2014 while competing in the Florida Modified division.
For Stone, the versatility Friesen has as a driver provides him with numerous benefits in a World Series of Asphalt environment that continues to see an influx of big-budget organizations with every passing year.
“Honestly, [Friesen] is a really great guy,” Stone said. “He can drive on both dirt and asphalt, plus he’s always competitive in both. Stewart coming from a dirt background is very important, especially when you’re jumping into asphalt. He’s a better wheelman than me.”
Stone split his own car with Friesen during the World Series of Asphalt. The duo spent their first day together battling a tight car in the middle of the corner, while their second outing opened with them repairing cosmetic damage after an incident in practice.
The efforts of Friesen and Stone yielded mixed results. Friesen managed to climb from 21st to 11th on Monday night, but a right front suspension failure relegated him to a 30th place showing in the Clyde Hart Memorial Tuesday.
Although Stone was hoping for a better performance with Friesen during the World Series of Asphalt, he considers himself fortunate to just have him behind the wheel of his car and hopes the two can team up once again when Stone drives back to Florida from the Northeast next February.
“This is probably going to be it [for the year],” Stone said. “I’m leaving the car down here in Florida since I only run it once a year. [Stewart] found out the same things I did, so it made me feel pretty good that he had the same feel for the car I did.”
Stewart Friesen ran the World Series of Asphalt with Todd Stone, who won a Florida Modified title in the event back in 2014. (Photo: Adam Glanzman/NASCAR)
The established commitments Friesen has during the month of February are going to prevent him from running an expanded New Smyrna schedule, but he did not rule out the possibility of climbing into a modified one year to test his talents against drivers like three-time World Series of Asphalt champion Matt Hirschman.
Friesen admitted there are very few environments in racing that compare to seeing drivers from numerous diverse backgrounds descend onto New Smyrna for the World Series of Asphalt and he intends to make another appearance in the event next year.
“The center of pavement racing right now is right here in New Smyrna,” Friesen said. “With this deal, you get the best guys from all over the country, so it’s a cool opportunity to race with them and see guys from the modified world that I don’t typically see that often. It’s just a fun, couple of days here.”
A personal goal for Friesen within the next few years is to win a big-block modified feature, a World Series of Asphalt race, and the NextEra Energy 250 at Daytona International Speedway all in the same month.
Friesen knows winning in three different cars at three different tracks is a monumental task, but he’s confident his success across all forms of motorsports puts him in a unique position to pull it off.
One of the most enduring moments in NASCAR history was 20 years in the making.
In a spontaneous show of celebration, the frontstretch of Daytona International Speedway was lined with members of practically all 43 teams that started the 1998 Daytona 500, crowding pit lane to such a degree that the winner was forced to put his right-side tires on the edge of the infield grass.
Entering 1998, Dale Earnhardt had 70 wins in 574 starts, but one race was glaringly missing: the Daytona 500. Finally, in his 20th Daytona 500, Earnhardt won the race that eluded him for so many years.
“The lasting image for me of that day is (Earnhardt) coming down pit road and getting all the congratulations from all the teams,” son Dale Earnhardt Jr. recalled ahead of the 25th anniversary of this iconic win. “Every time I think about it, it makes me emotional because there are so many amazing people in this sport, but nobody’s ever received that type of pat on the back or whatever you want to call that moment. No competitor has ever had … pretty much the entire industry, drop that competitive guard and just go over and go, ‘Man, I’m happy for you. And boy, you’ve earned this handshake from me.’ ”
Earnhardt led 69 of the final 70 laps in 1998. Looking at the box score alone, one might be tempted to believe there was not a lot of drama associated with the race, but the drama was preloaded.
Just the previous season, Earnhardt was involved in a rollover crash while battling for the lead. In that race, his car was on the hook and he was walking to the ambulance for a ride to the infield care center when he noticed all four tires on his No. 3 Goodwrench Chevrolet were inflated.
He demanded the wrecker driver lower his car and hand it back over. With a smashed-in roof, Earnhardt drove back to the pits, the crew repaired the car and it was running at the end of the race. He finished 31st, a tough-as-nails performance that made the next year’s win all the sweeter.
“I think the whole industry breathed the sigh of relief,” NASCAR Vice Chairman Mike Helton said about Earnhardt’s 1998 win. “He had gotten so close so many times, won so many different races in Daytona, but finally had gotten the Daytona 500. And all the championships and every accomplishment that Dale Sr. had, the only piece missing in his puzzle was Daytona 500.
“Everybody was wondering on the last couple of laps what was going to go wrong? And nothing did.”
Moments before they lined pit road, the crews and drivers not only wondered what might happen, they actively plotted a way to be the catalyst for Earnhardt’s 20th Daytona 500 loss.
Then, after the checkered flag waved on the 200th lap, they put their competitive differences aside to pay tribute to the seven-time champion who finally crossed a major entry off his bucket list.
“How incredible was the spontaneity of everybody up and down pit road recognizing the fact that Dale Sr. had just won the Daytona 500?” Helton continued. “You couldn’t have scripted it. You couldn’t have told them and said, ‘All right, everybody. Go down pit road.’ No. It was organically just done. Maybe two or three teams did it, and everybody said, ‘Well, let’s go join them.’ That line created itself in time for Dale Sr. to come down through there.”
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The ones that got away
In the years leading up to the 1998 Daytona 500, Earnhardt won every stock car race the speedway offered. He had 30 previous wins there, having won his qualification race 11 times, the Clash six times, seven Busch Series races, a pair of Pepsi 400s over the summer and the International Race of Champions four times.
He had at least one race win in Daytona in nine previous seasons.
Before crashing in 1997, Earnhardt had a 10-race top-10 streak. In those races, he finished second three times (1993, 1995 and 1996; he also finished second in the 1984 Daytona 500).
Earnhardt may have well sensed he was running out of time. It wasn’t just the losses, but it was the how and when he lost them that made 1998 so dramatic. In 19 previous starts, Earnhardt lost the Daytona 500 in every way imaginable.
In 1986, Earnhardt blew an engine with three laps remaining in the race. In 1990, he could almost see the checkered flag before he ran over a piece of debris entering Turn 3 of the final lap. Earnhardt even hit a seagull in 1991 while leading, which damaged the aerodynamics of his Chevrolet.
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With 10 laps remaining in 1998, CBS Sports’ Mike Joy pointed out that only 17 drivers who led with 10 to go in the 39 prior Daytona 500s had failed to win. Earnhardt accounted for four of those.
“For us to win that race, it was like for Dale taking that load off of his shoulders,” team owner Richard Childress said. “Because he wanted to win it. He had won everything at Daytona in the past, 125s, 150s, the Busch Clash and all of the different races.
“But to win the Daytona 500, it was so special for him. And just for us to be a part of it was special because I knew what it meant to have the Daytona 500 on his resume.”
If the memory of all those losses were not enough, Earnhardt and crew had more immediate concerns. They were competing with a backup engine that had been installed just that morning.
“It was almost a perfect week down there,” Earnhardt’s crew chief Larry McReynolds said. “It’s almost like we could … do no wrong, fastest in every practice, won the (qualification) race, just every day the car got better. And then here in the last practice on Saturday, we have an engine issue, and we put a brand-new engine in there race morning.”
A caution on Lap 174 set up the finish. Earnhardt bolted to the lead and paced the field for all but one lap when his teammate Mike Skinner edged him at the finish line for a brief moment.
Even Bill France Jr., the CEO of NASCAR in 1998, was an Earnhardt fan that day.
When Childress hired McReynolds in 1997, he told him that France and Earnhardt were friends. France even had one of the RCR radios. Affectionately known as “Captain Jack,” France would occasionally check in under caution. Since the 1997 season had not gone particularly well, with Earnhardt failing to win a race for the first time since 1981, France had not checked in often during McReynolds’ tenure.
“All of a sudden,” McReynolds said, “we are getting ready to get the one to go, and somebody keys the radio and says, ‘Hey, Sunday Money, this is Captain Jack.’ And I’m like, ‘Who in the hell is Captain Jack, and what is he doing on our radio?’
“And I’m about to give Captain Jack the cussing of Captain Jack’s life. Richard sees me, and he about tackles me and he is like, ‘No.’ ‘Oh, that’s Captain Jack.’ And all he said was, ‘Hey, Sunday Money, what do you think about going out there and snagging that big one today?’ And Dale came back and said, ‘Captain Jack, I am going to do all I can.’ ”
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — NASCAR announced Wednesday that Powerball, the game that has inspired the country with the chance to become a millionaire all while raising billions of dollars for good causes, has become an Official Partner of NASCAR and the “Official Lottery Game of NASCAR.”
“NASCAR and Powerball have shared in the goal of providing exhilarating excitement for decades while also giving back to the communities in which we are a part of,” said Daryl Wolfe, NASCAR executive vice president and chief revenue officer. “Powerball creates millionaires every year, and we can’t wait to see the different winning opportunities this partnership will bring to our loyal fans throughout the country.”
To kick off the new partnership and the 2023 season, NASCAR and Powerball will create a season-long promotion that will culminate with one lottery player winning a $1 million prize in a special drawing broadcast live from the Phoenix Raceway during NASCAR Championship Weekend, Nov. 3-5. Further information and details of the promotion, as well as how to enter, will be announced at a later date.
“Powerball and NASCAR both have the extraordinary ability to create memorable moments that bring everyone together, to dream and cheer for something big,” said Drew Svitko, Powerball Product Group Chair and Pennsylvania Lottery Executive Director. “That’s why Powerball is proud to partner with NASCAR to bring extra excitement throughout the season, which includes awarding a $1 million prize to a player in Phoenix!”
Powerball tickets are two dollars per play. Tickets are sold in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. More than half of all proceeds from the sale of a Powerball ticket remain in the jurisdiction where the ticket was sold. Drawings are broadcast live every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. ET from the Florida Lottery draw studio in Tallahassee. Drawings are also live-streamed on Powerball.com.
The 2023 NASCAR regular season begins on Sunday, Feb. 19, at 2:30 p.m. ET with The Great American Race, the 65th Annual Daytona 500. The race will air live on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
For more information on Powerball, please visit Powerball.com.
