How Daytona 500 qualifying works; Bluegreen Vacations Duels procedure

Posted on February 13, 2023February 13, 2023 by Staff Report

NASCAR’s season kicks off in grand fashion with the biggest race of the year in the Daytona 500. Unique to the “Great American Race” is the qualifying format that includes single-car qualifying and the Bluegreen Vacations Duels that will set the 40-car starting lineup. Here’s a breakdown of how it all plays out.

What time is Daytona 500 single-car qualifying?

Speedweeks festivities begin with a random draw Tuesday afternoon that will determine how cars will roll off pit road for Daytona 500 qualifying. The top 20 in owners points from the previous season will hold the last 20 spots to go in the Wednesday evening session that is scheduled to begin at 8:15 p.m. ET (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Each entrant will get one timed lap around the 2.5-mile superspeedway. The two fastest qualifiers will be locked into the front row for Sunday’s Daytona 500 (2:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The rest of the race lineup will be determined by Thursday evening’s Duels.

Chevrolet has won the last 10 Daytona 500 pole awards with Hendrick Motorsports claiming seven in that span. The 2021 Cup Series champion Kyle Larson is the most recent pole winner.

How do the Duels set the Daytona 500 lineup?

The Bluegreen Vacations Duels will set the lineup from third to 40th for the season opener.

Both races will consist of 60 laps, 150 miles with lineups that were set by the previous night’s qualifying session. The finishers of the first duel will make up the inside rows for the Daytona 500 while the second duel will make up the outside rows.

The charter and open teams will be balanced out with 18 Charters in each duel race and three Open cars [currently] given the six open entrants.

The first Bluegreen Vacations Duel is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET on Thursday while Duel No. 2 is tentatively scheduled for 8:45 p.m. ET (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Can open teams qualify for the Daytona 500?

With a 40-car field and 36 guaranteed spots for chartered teams, the “Great American Race” will have four non-chartered teams make the show. If there are more than 40 entrants for the Daytona 500, there will be open teams that won’t qualify for the race.

The two fastest open teams in single-car qualifying will automatically lock into the Daytona 500 without needing to race their way through the Duels. The last two spots will be determined in the duel races.

The highest finishing Open team in each Duel race will earn a spot in the Daytona 500. If the highest finishing Open team already earned a spot in qualifying, then the next fastest Open car in qualifying will lock into the Daytona 500.

There are expected to be at least 42 entries in this year’s Daytona 500, which means two open teams will go home before Sunday. Drivers that will have to make the race in this matter are: seven-time Cup champ Jimmie Johnson, 2022 Truck Series champion Zane Smith, Austin Hill, Travis Pastrana, Chandler Smith and Conor Daly.

Are points awarded in the Duels?

The top-10 finishers in each duel will be rewarded points that count toward the regular season but no playoff points will be awarded to the winners of each duel race. The winners of the duels will receive 10 points, the second-place finishers get nine points and so on to the 10th-place finishers who will get one point.

What happens if there is a rainout?

If both duels are canceled due to inclement weather, NASCAR officials will determine the four open teams making the Daytona 500 based on Wednesday’s qualifying results.

In the event just the second duel gets canceled, then NASCAR officials will award the open Daytona 500 spots to the highest-finishing open car in the first duel and determine the other three spots based on qualifying results.

If all qualifying events leading up to the Daytona 500 are canceled and cannot be rescheduled, the starting lineup will be set per the NASCAR Rule Book.

Posted on February 13, 2023February 13, 2023 by Brandon White

The fifth night of on-track action in the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing at New Smyrna Speedway on Tuesday will see the ASA Southern Super Series begin its 11^th season with the Clyde Hart Memorial.

Named in honor of Clyde Hart, who purchased the land in 1964 that would become New Smyrna Speedway, this race has been a staple on the World Series of Asphalt calendar since 1999, attracting many of the best Super Late Model competitors from Florida and across the United States.

Wayne Anderson, whose accomplishments include two titles in the NASCAR Southeast Series, leads all drivers in Clyde Hart Memorial victories with five overall. Other notable names that have taken home at least one checkered flag in the event include David Rogers, Jeff Choquette, Steve Wallace, Stephen Nasse and current NASCAR Cup Series driver William Byron.

The most recent edition of the Clyde Hart Memorial saw Byron engage in an intense battle with Gabe Sommers to earn his first win in the race. Sommers led a race-high 36 laps before getting passed by Byron with 25 laps remaining.

Byron and Sommers have both returned to New Smyrna to continue their battle from last year, headlining a talented entry list that currently features 27 cars.

Short-track veteran Bubba Pollard has visited Victory Lane at New Smyrna in both the Red Eye 100 and Florida Governor’s Cup but has yet to win the Clyde Hart Memorial. He will try to check this race off his resume on Tuesday evening.

2016 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion Johnny Sauter is also on the preliminary entry list alongside William Sawalich, who is contesting the entire ARCA Menards Series East season with Joe Gibbs Racing.

Nasse, Casey Roderick, Derek Griffith, Tommy Catalano, Conner Jones and Connor Mosack have also filed entries for the Clyde Hart Memorial.

A busy day for Southern Super Series competitors begins with rotating practice at 1 p.m. ET on Tuesday. Racing begins at 7:30 p.m. ET and concludes with the Clyde Hart Memorial, where one of over two dozen drivers will etch their name as a victor in one of New Smyrna’s most historic events.

2023 Clyde Hart Memorial entry list

Posted on February 13, 2023 by Holly Cain

Editor’s Note: Today’s Trackhouse Racing preview continues NASCAR.com’s countdown of team previews for the 2023 Cup Series season, ranked in reverse order of best finish in last year’s owner standings.

TRACKHOUSE RACING

Manufacturer: Chevrolet
Engine: ECR Engines
Driver-crew chief pairings: Ross Chastain-Phil Surgen (No. 1), Daniel Suárez-Travis Mack (No. 99)

Team outlook: The outlook for this team in 2023 is undoubtedly only one direction: up. After a tremendous breakout season where both Trackhouse Racing drivers qualified for the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs and one (Ross Chastain) nearly won the title, primary team owner Justin Marks has the enviable task of balancing pride in the past with increased expectation for the future.

Trackhouse earned its first-ever victories in NASCAR’s premier series – Chastain winning at Circuit of the Americas and again at Talladega Superspeedway and Suárez hoisting the hardware at Sonoma Raceway. The two drivers combined for 21 top-five efforts, both qualified for the playoffs and both ultimately finished among the top 10 in the final championship standings.

As strong as the two-car debut season was for the team, it boasts legitimate “championship favorite” status in 2023 with the benefit of the same driver-crew chief pairings, a huge confidence boost for both teams and drivers. With those first wins in the bucket and increased expectations, the stakes are raised, and that’s exactly what Trackhouse is seizing upon.

“We have to go out there and just continue to work because, in my opinion, if we do exactly the same thing we did last year, it won’t be enough,’’ Suárez said. “Everyone is always evolving, so we have to continue to work and show up every weekend with the best that we can do.’’

ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 CHEVROLET

Experience: Four full-time seasons in the NASCAR Cup Series.
2022 stats: Championship runner-up; 2 wins, 15 top fives, 21 top 10s
2023 championship odds (BetMGM): 12-1

Outlook: Unquestionably, 2022 was Ross Chastain’s career breakout year in NASCAR. The 30-year-old Floridian’s statistics were exponentially his best ever – and he scored his first two career NASCAR Cup Series wins. He quintupled any previous top-five single-season output, more than doubled his best-ever top-10 work and finished runner-up to champion Joey Logano for the title – all in his first season driving the No. 1 for Trackhouse.

But if expectations were uncertain with the relatively new team and its new driver in 2022, Chastain’s efforts raised the bar going forward. Expectations are up – way up – for 2023, and there’s every reason to believe good things are ahead with a second year under his belt with the team and the confidence he gained personally last season. Can he translate those statistics and his well-documented internal drive into a championship? He has to be seen as a favorite.

Not only did he win twice in 2022, but Chastain had five other runner-up race finishes. His 692 laps led was substantially the most he’s ever been out front in his career (his previous single-season total was 62 laps led in 2021), yet Chastain proved he didn’t have to dominate a race to win it; instead to simply be there at the end and prepared to race hard for that trophy. He scored top-five finishes at superspeedways, road courses, 1.5-milers and short tracks – every type of venue that hosts a NASCAR Cup Series race.

Chastain’s success story is one of the most compelling in modern-day NASCAR, and this year, he’d like to add the celebratory ending: a series championship.

DANIEL SUÁREZ, NO. 99 CHEVROLET

Experience: Six full-time seasons in the NASCAR Cup Series.
2022 stats: 10th in final standings; 1 win, 6 top fives, 13 top 10s
2023 championship odds (BetMGM): 40-1

Outlook: As with his Trackhouse Racing teammate, Suárez is coming off a career-best 2022 season. The 31-year-old Mexico native earned his first career NASCAR Cup Series trophy with a traditional sip of wine at Sonoma last summer. His top-five and top-10 efforts were also career highs for the 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion. Most encouraging was Suárez finishing 10th in the final NASCAR Cup Series championship standings – his first playoff appearance and most successful final ranking.

The confidence Suárez showed in himself and his Trackhouse Racing team was unmistakable and a big reason for turning it into career statistics. The 2023 season will mark the first time Suárez has had the same crew chief for two consecutive years, and he promises the familiarity will make a big difference in raising his game even more this season.

He led a career-best 280 laps last year, and 2023 will work on building consistency he showed last year with four consecutive top-10 efforts in the summer stretch (July 3-24) – five of six races counting his Sonoma victory in June.

“The expectations are definitely higher than last year,’’ Suárez said. “Last year, our team was working very hard. We didn’t know where that would take us, but we were hoping it would take us somewhere good. I feel like now, it’s a little bit different because we know what we’re capable of doing. We know that we’re capable of winning and we know that we’re capable of racing with some of the teams that have been doing this for a long time.’’

NASCAR.com 2023 team previews schedule

Jan. 23: Non-chartered and teams outside the top 30
Jan. 24: Spire Motorsports
Jan. 25: Wood Brothers Racing
Jan. 26: JTG Daugherty Racing
Jan. 27: Front Row Motorsports
Jan. 30: Kaulig Racing
Jan. 31: RFK Racing
Feb. 1: Legacy Motor Club
Feb. 2: Richard Childress Racing
Feb. 7: 23XI Racing
Feb. 8: Stewart-Haas Racing
Feb. 9: Joe Gibbs Racing
Feb. 10: Hendrick Motorsports
Feb. 13: Trackhouse Racing
Feb. 14: Team Penske

Posted on February 13, 2023February 13, 2023 by Adam Fenwick

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. — Mother Nature finally smiled on New Smyrna Speedway on Sunday night. A full card of racing was completed during the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing after two consecutive early cancellations caused by rain.

The night opened with the first Super Late Model race of the 2023 edition of the World Series, which ended with Joe Gibbs Racing ARCA Menards Series competitor William Sawalich taking the checkered flag. He passed polesitter Jake Finch on Lap 21 and led the remainder of the 35-lap feature.

Casey Roderick, who set fast time in qualifying, made a late pass to finish second. Gio Ruggiero, Finch and Conner Jones finished third through fifth, respectively.

The closest finish of the night took place in the 602 Modified class, which saw Trevor Catalano narrowly edge Evan Rygielski by 0.001 seconds. Rygielski was leading the race before a late caution, which set up a two-lap dash to the checkered flag. Catalano restarted alongside him and had just enough momentum coming out of Turn 4 on the last lap to secure the victory.

In the Pro Late Model division, Carson Brown overcame multiple challenges from Katie Hettinger to score his first World Series of Asphalt victory. Driving for Rackley W.A.R., Brown was making just his second start in a Pro Late Model. Conner Jones, Hunter Wright and Ryan Luza completed the top-five finishers.

Cody Stickler was triumphant in the Florida Modified class, Jeffrey White collected the checkered flag in the E-Mod division and Charles Zukowski topped the Bomber A class on the third night of racing at New Smyrna Speedway.

The World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing continues Monday and will be headlined by a 50-lap feature for the Modified class. Super Late Models, Pro Late Models, 602 Modifieds and Florida Modifieds will also be in action.

Fans unable to attend the race in person will be able to watch live on FloRacing.

Posted on February 12, 2023February 12, 2023 by Sean Montgomery

TIMMONSVILLE, S.C. — Early Saturday morning, Dale Earnhardt Jr. rolled into Florence Motor Speedway with high hopes. High hopes that the rainy forecast would subside for the annual Icebreaker event and also hopes of a strong finish for his JR Motorsports No. 3 Chevrolet — and when it was all said and done, only the former happened.

Earnhardt wheeled his car to near perfection in the morning’s lone practice session, ranking atop the leaderboards that featured a stacked lineup of some of the best Late Model racers in the region. Racing alongside teammate Carson Kvapil in the No. 8 Bass Pro Shops entry, the outlook was bright for the pairing to have a solid result.

But when qualifying came around, Earnhardt qualified mid-pack and was struggling through the early parts of the race in a tense battle for every position on the race track. In the end, it cost him.

PHOTOS: Best scenes from Florence

“The weather turned out to work out for us; what did not work out was how the race car drove,” Earnhardt Jr. said on Twitter after the race. “I didn’t do a good job. … Just burned the rear tires off of it. Thought I was riding, thought I was saving what I needed but when it came time to go at the end, we didn’t have anything left.”

After a relatively clean race from the field, the closing laps saw a flurry of cautions that resulted in severe hood damage to Earnhardt’s Mom ‘N’ Pops Chevrolet. He went on to cross the finish line in 17th, though he was awarded another position after post-race inspection was complete.

“You’re gonna show up and get your butt kicked some days and be humbled, and this is one of those days,” said Earnhardt. “We’ll try to get it going and next time we get behind the wheel, do a better job.”

MORE: Dale Jr. competing in Xfinity Series race at Bristol | Now co-owner of the CARS Tour

Former Late Model ace and current Xfinity Series driver for JR Motorsports, Josh Berry, has continued to be supportive of Earnhardt racing in the grassroots series and knows how hard the transition is for him.

“I know he’s enjoyed coming back and racing these cars,” said Berry in an interview with NASCAR.com after the race. “It’s a big step from him, coming back to do this after racing Cup (Series) cars for so long. But it’s been fun. He’s had fun and I’ve enjoyed being a part of it and we’ll keep doing it, keep getting better and hopefully one of these days we can win one of these things.”

Berry won the 2022 Icebreaker at Florence and serves as a crew chief for Earnhardt whenever he decides to race Late Models. His experience and passion for this level of racing are evident, after spending so many years making his name at the local arenas.

“I just love this type of racing, love the grassroots, love all these tracks,” Berry said. “I mean, this is what I’ve done for the last decade. I enjoy coming out here every chance I get and it’s always fun. So, hopefully, we can keep doing it for years.”

Posted on February 12, 2023February 13, 2023 by Staff Report

Which channels have NASCAR programming this week? We answer that and give the weekly NASCAR television listings here in the NASCAR TV schedule.

Note: All times are ET.

Monday, Feb. 13
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

On MRN:
7 p.m., NASCAR 75th Anniversary Special

Tuesday, Feb. 14
6 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Best of Radioactive: Daytona (re-air), FS2
7 a.m., Greatest Races: NASCAR Cup Series 2022 Bluegreen Vacations Duels (re-air), FS2
10 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub: 75 Years of Racing (re-air), FS2
11 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Season Preview (re-air), FS2
Noon, NASCAR Race Hub: Best of Radioactive: Daytona (re-air), FS2
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
6 p.m., Dale Jr. Download, Peacock
10 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Best of Radioactive: Daytona (re-air), FS2
11 p.m., Untold Stories: Daytona (re-air), FS2

Wednesday, Feb. 15
Midnight, Greatest Races: NASCAR (re-air), FS1
3 a.m., Refuse to Lose: Jeff Gordon and the 1997 Daytona 500 (re-air), FS1
5 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Daytona 500 Media Day, FS1
6 p.m., Dale Jr. Download, Peacock
8 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 qualifying, FS1

On MRN:
8 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 qualifying

Thursday, Feb. 16
Midnight, NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 qualifying (re-air), FS1
2 a.m., Untold Stories: Daytona (re-air), FS1
3 a.m., NASCAR Race Classic: The 1993 Daytona 500 (re-air), FS1
3:30 a.m., NASCAR Race Classic: The 1997 Daytona 500 (re-air), FS1
4 a.m., NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 qualifying (re-air), FS1
5 p.m., NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series practice at Daytona International Speedway, FS1
6 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay: Daytona, FS1
6 p.m., Dale Jr. Download, Peacock
7 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series Bluegreen Vacations Duels at Daytona International Speedway, FS1

On MRN:
6 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series Bluegreen Vacations Duels at Daytona International Speedway

Friday, Feb. 17
12:30 a.m., NASCAR Cup Series Bluegreen Vacations Duels at Daytona International Speedway (re-air), FS1
3:30 a.m., NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series practice at Daytona International Speedway (re-air), FS1
4:30 a.m., Refuse to Lose: Jeff Gordon and the 1997 Daytona 500 (re-air), FS1
7 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub: 75 Years of Racing (re-air), FS2
8 a.m., NASCAR Cup Series Bluegreen Vacations Duels at Daytona International Speedway (re-air), FS2
Noon, NASCAR Pace Lap, MAVTV
3 p.m., NASCAR Pace Lap (re-air), MAVTV
3 p.m., NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series qualifying at Daytona International Speedway, FS1
4:30 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series practice at Daytona International Speedway, FS1
5:30 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series practice at Daytona International Speedway, FS1
6:30 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay: NCTS at Daytona, FS1
7:30 p.m., NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: NextEra Energy 250 at Daytona, FS1

On MRN:
5:30 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series practice at Daytona International Speedway
7:30 p.m., NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: NextEra Energy 250 at Daytona

Saturday, Feb. 18
Midnight, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: NextEra Energy 250 at Daytona (re-air), FS1
2 a.m., NASCAR Cup Series practice at Daytona International Speedway (re-air), FS1
3 a.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series practice at Daytona International Speedway, FS1
6 a.m., NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: NextEra Energy 250 at Daytona (re-air), FS1
8:30 a.m., NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: NextEra Energy 250 at Daytona (re-air), FS2
10:30 a.m., NASCAR Cup Series final practice at Daytona International Speedway, FS2
11 a.m., NASCAR Cup Series final practice at Daytona International Speedway, FS1
11:30 a.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series qualifying at Daytona International Speedway, FS1
1 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub Weekend Edition, FS1
1:30 p.m., ARCA Menards Series: Brandt 200 at Daytona International Speedway, FS1
4 p.m., NASCAR Raceday: NXS Daytona, FS1
5 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series: Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner. 300 at Daytona, FS1
11:30 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series: Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner. 300 at Daytona (re-air), FS1

On MRN:
10:30 a.m., NASCAR Cup Series final practice at Daytona International Speedway
1:30 p.m., ARCA Menards Series: Brandt 200 at Daytona International Speedway
4:30 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series: Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner. 300 at Daytona

Sunday, Feb. 19
1:30 a.m., ARCA Menards Series race at Daytona International Speedway (re-air), FS1
3:30 a.m., NASCAR Cup Series final practice at Daytona International Speedway (re-air), FS1
4:30 a.m., NASCAR Race Classic: 1998 Daytona 500 (re-air), FS1
5 a.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series: Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner. 300 at Daytona (re-air), FS1
8 a.m., ARCA Menards Series race at Daytona International Speedway (re-air), FS2
10 a.m., NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour at New Smyrna Speedway (re-air), CNBC
11 a.m., NASCAR RaceDay: Daytona 500, FS1
1 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay: Daytona 500, FOX
2:30 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: 2023 Daytona 500, FOX, FOX Deportes
11 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: 2023 Daytona 500 (re-air), FS1

On MRN:
1:30 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: 2023 Daytona 500

Posted on February 12, 2023 by Brandon White

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. — As was the case with opening night of the 2023 World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing at New Smyrna Speedway, Mother Nature got the last laugh.

The only feature to run its complete distance Saturday outside of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour was the 35-lap Pro Late Model race. Only 12 laps were completed in the Sportsman feature before inclement weather once again brought the night to a premature end.

Ryan Luza earned the pole in the Pro Late Model event, but Conner Jones took home the checkered flag for his first World Series of Asphalt win of the week. Jones controlled most of the race but had to fend off the pack during a two-lap shootout.

Brent Crews ended his first World Series of Asphalt race second behind Jones. Nicholas Naugle came home in third with Carson Brown and Hunter Wright rounding out the top five.

The Sportsman finale was declared complete with Adam Briggs scoring the win. Kody Brusso, Derek Griffith, Tim Sozio and Chris Huntoon were the rest of the top-five finishers.

With a promising forecast expected the rest of the week, the World Series of Asphalt rolls on with a Sunday schedule that includes features for Super Late Models, Florida Modifieds, Pro Late Models, 602 Modifieds and E-Mods.

Posted on February 12, 2023February 12, 2023 by Brandon White

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. — Veteran Ron Silk endured the entire 2022 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season without visiting Victory Lane.

It took Silk just one race in 2023 to end his dry spell, as he held off Justin Bonsignore in an enthralling late-race battle to claim the New Smyrna Beach Area Visitors Bureau 200 at New Smyrna Speedway on Saturday night.

Silk knew the cars prepared by Haydt Yannone Racing were always capable of taking home checkered flags, which is why he felt a strong sense of catharsis to finally earn his first victory with the organization.

“It’s always good to win,” Silk said. “I had a great car last season and a lot of chances to win but couldn’t get over the hump. To get it over with in the first race feels good. That’s a lot of pressure off of us.”

🏁 Ron Silk comes out on top at New Smyrna after a late-race duel! @NASCARroots | @newsmyrnaspdwy

📺 https://t.co/66CLIJoqcc pic.twitter.com/Xt9UGWyufS

— FloRacing (@FloRacing) February 12, 2023

The last time Silk visited Victory Lane came at Oswego Speedway in 2021. Nobody could touch Silk in Kevin Stuart’s Modified that evening, as he led a race-high 111 laps before defeating Matt Hirschman by more than two seconds.

Saturday’s triumph would not come as easy for Silk, who needed a late caution to fight his way into the top spot ahead of Bonsignore, Hirschman and the dominant car of the evening in six-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Doug Coby.

Bonsignore pressured Silk during the closing laps before making an aggressive dive into Turn 1 that gave him his first lead of the night. Silk ultimately returned the favor a couple laps later with a similar move, which gave him enough of a cushion to hold off Bonsignore.

Despite being disappointed over his second-place run, Bonsignore was satisfied with a strong performance after a mechanical failure sidelined him at New Smyrna last season after just 31 laps. He also commended Silk for racing him aggressive but clean to settle the season opener.

“We wanted to win, but this was a good start to the year compared to what happened last year,” Bonsignore said. “We made a good adjustment on that last pit stop and freed the car up just a little bit. If we got the lead, I felt like we could have held [Silk] off, but I couldn’t get enough of a gap to prevent him from making that same banzai move on me.

“As soon as you lay the bumper to somebody else, it opens the door for them to do it back to you, and that’s just good, hard racing.”

Bonsignore nearly suffered a similar fate to his recent outing at New Smyrna. With 32 laps remaining, a bad entry into Turn 1 by Bonsignore while battling Silk caused him to get turned by Coby, triggering a multi-car pileup that left Bonsignore mostly unscathed and with solid track position.

Now that New Smyrna is behind him, Bonsignore is eager to defend his victory from Richmond Raceway last year as he looks to carry the momentum from Saturday into his fourth NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour title.

“We were pretty frustrated to leave [New Smyrna] last year dead last,” Bonsignore said. “It’s so much easier to kick the season off on a good foot. This was a solid second place run and it makes things easier as we chase points this year. We’ll take this break before Richmond [Raceway] and try to get better.”

Silk also hopes he can add a second NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship to his resume at the end of the year, but he intends to cherish the prestigious 1948 Cup for the time being.

Presenting The 1948 Cup to race winner Ron Silk, the one and only @BenKennedy33.#NWMT | @newsmyrnaspdwy pic.twitter.com/ZqWwRSLnLs

— NASCAR Roots (@NASCARRoots) February 12, 2023

Inspired by the trophy Red Byron received when he won the very first NASCAR race at Daytona Beach, The 1948 Cup was a tremendous reward for Silk, whose own career in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour dates back to 2003.

Silk has always possessed a fond appreciation for Modified racing that includes New Smyrna’s prestigious World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing. He is confident his own history in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will include plenty more celebrations long after New Smyrna on Saturday.

“It’s really cool for our team to get this win,” Silk said. “This is one of my favorite tracks, and I love Speedweeks. To have Ben Kennedy from NASCAR come out and present us [the 1948 Cup] with all the history and nostalgia that goes along with it is awesome.”

Hirschman, who was involved in an early collision with Tyler Rypkema, overcame the early adversity to salvage a third-place finish, with Anthony Sesely and Coby completing the top five.

Jake Johnson, Dave Sapienza, Austin Beers, Anthony Nocella and Tommy Catalano were the rest of the top-10 finishers.

A replay of the New Smyrna Beach Area Visitors Bureau 200 can be seen on CNBC on Saturday, Feb. 19 at 10 a.m. ET.

The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will be off for seven weeks before returning to action at Richmond Raceway on March 31 at 6:30 p.m. ET. The race will be streamed live on FloRacing.

Posted on February 12, 2023March 2, 2023 by Staff Report

New Smyrna Beach Area Visitors Bureau 200

New Smyrna Speedway

Race Results

Pos	No.	Name	Sponsor	Laps	Diff.
1	16	Ron Silk	Blue Mountain Machine & Future Homes	200	—
2	51	Justin Bonsignore	Phoenix Communications Inc.	200	0.542
3	60	Matt Hirschman	PeeDee Motorsports	200	0.713
4	19	Anthony Sesely	Wanick Construction, Inc.	200	2.216
5	7	Doug Coby	Mayhew Tools	200	3.246
6	3	Jake Johnson*	Propane Plus/Lin’s	200	3.543
7	36	Dave Sapienza	Sapienza Enterprises	200	3.894
8	64	Austin Beers	Dell Electric/Lumiere Electrical/Andrew James Interiors	200	4.017
9	92	Anthony Nocella	Nocella Paving/K and D Associates/Airgas	200	4.902
10	54	Tommy Catalano	FX Caprera	200	6.244
11	32	Tyler Rypkema	Northeast Driling/MUSCO Lighting	200	7.878
12	5	Kyle Ebersole	Ebersole Excavating Inc.	200	9.439
13	29	Spencer Davis	Cove Race Products	199	1 Lap
14	02	Joey Coulter IV	SRI Performance, Race Fan, Bilstein Shocks	198	2 Laps
15	46	Justin Brown*	Riverhead Building Supply	198	2 Laps
16	34	J.B. Fortin	CVA Screen Print/BoatBroke.com/John’s Fuel Oil	198	2 Laps
17	55	Jeremy Gerstner	Jerry Hunt Supercenter/T.B.E.S.	198	2 Laps
18	82	Craig Lutz	Horton Ave Materials	197	3 Laps
19	22	Kyle Bonsignore	Chalew Performance, MTT, Munn’s Auto	197	3 Laps
20	71	James Pritchard, Jr.	Freeway Auto & Tire Pros	195	5 Laps
21	18	Ken Heagy	Buoy One	195	5 Laps
22	26	Gary McDonald	Lakeland Ave Landscape Supply/L.I. Wood Heat	190	10 Laps
23	99	Ronnie Williams	E.F.A.	189	11 Laps
24	79	Jon McKennedy	Middlesex Industries	179	21 Laps
25	24	Andrew Krause	Supreme Manufacturing Company	174	26 Laps
26	25	Brian Robie*	Maurice Enterprises	174	26 Laps
27	58	Eric Goodale	GAF Roofing	169	31 Laps
28	76	Jimmy Blewett	John Blewett, Inc/FX Caprera	168	32 Laps
29	20	Edward McCarthy, Jr.	McCarthy’s Marine Sales	149	51 Laps
30	2	J.R. Bertuccio, Jr.	Gershow Recycling	145	55 Laps
31	12	Anthony Bello*	JB Management	114	86 Laps
32	43	Matthew Kimball*	J&M Towing/Poodlack Wealth Mgmt/Post & Beam	79	121 Laps
33	01	Melissa Fifield	Pine Knoll Auto Sales	62	138 Laps
34	07	Patrick Emerling	Captain Pips Marina & Hideway	26	174 Laps
35	09	Chris Hatton, Jr.*	General Racing Team	19	181 Laps

Posted on February 11, 2023 by Staff Report

New Smyrna Beach Area Visitors Bureau 200

New Smyrna Speedway

Practice Results

Pos	No.	Name	Sponsor	Best Tm	Best Speed	In Lap	Laps	Diff
1	60	Matt Hirschman	PeeDee Motorsports	17.611	102.209	4	26	—
2	64	Austin Beers	Dell Electric/Lumiere Electrical/Andrew James Interiors	17.723	101.563	3	26	0.112
3	54	Tommy Catalano	FX Caprera	17.756	101.374	4	11	0.145
4	99	Ronnie Williams	E.F.A.	17.77	101.294	11	12	0.159
5	32	Tyler Rypkema	Northeast Driling/MUSCO Lighting	17.789	101.186	2	31	0.178
6	51	Justin Bonsignore	Phoenix Communications Inc.	17.801	101.118	10	45	0.19
7	58	Eric Goodale	GAF Roofing	17.808	101.078	3	31	0.197
8	2	J.R. Bertuccio, Jr.	Gershow Recycling	17.81	101.067	11	16	0.199
9	7	Doug Coby	Mayhew Tools	17.812	101.055	2	36	0.201
10	76	Jimmy Blewett	John Blewett, Inc/FX Caprera	17.82	101.01	2	22	0.209
11	82	Craig Lutz	Horton Ave Materials	17.834	100.931	14	15	0.223
12	07	Patrick Emerling	Captain Pips Marina & Hideway	17.859	100.79	2	25	0.248
13	34	J.B. Fortin	CVA Screen Print/BoatBroke.com/John’s Fuel Oil	17.86	100.784	23	23	0.249
14	92	Anthony Nocella	Nocella Paving/K and D Associates/Airgas	17.863	100.767	16	19	0.252
15	79	Jon McKennedy	Middlesex Industries	17.865	100.756	26	27	0.254
16	36	Dave Sapienza	Sapienza Enterprises	17.888	100.626	3	42	0.277
17	16	Ron Silk	Blue Mountain Machine & Future Homes	17.901	100.553	33	33	0.29
18	3	Jake Johnson*	Propane Plus/Lin’s	17.903	100.542	4	55	0.292
19	25	Brian Robie*	Maurice Enterprises	17.941	100.329	31	33	0.33
20	29	Spencer Davis	Cove Race Products	17.961	100.217	4	16	0.35
21	5	Kyle Ebersole	Ebersole Excavating Inc.	17.961	100.217	2	33	0.35
22	22	Kyle Bonsignore	Chalew Performance, MTT, Munn’s Auto	17.979	100.117	12	18	0.368
23	24	Andrew Krause	Supreme Manufacturing Company	17.991	100.05	16	38	0.38
24	43	Matthew Kimball*	J&M Towing/Poodlack Wealth Mgmt/Post & Beam	17.997	100.017	4	65	0.386
25	46	Justin Brown*	Riverhead Building Supply	18.014	99.922	23	24	0.403
26	20	Edward McCarthy, Jr.	McCarthy’s Marine Sales	18.026	99.856	10	21	0.415
27	02	Joey Coulter IV	SRI Performance, Race Fan, Bilstein Shocks	18.039	99.784	4	20	0.428
28	12	Anthony Bello*	JB Management	18.053	99.706	21	34	0.442
29	18	Ken Heagy	Buoy One	18.059	99.673	19	21	0.448
30	71	James Pritchard, Jr.	Freeway Auto & Tire Pros	18.064	99.646	7	20	0.453
31	55	Jeremy Gerstner	Jerry Hunt Supercenter/T.B.E.S.	18.207	98.863	14	16	0.596
32	26	Gary McDonald	Lakeland Ave Landscape Supply/L.I. Wood Heat	18.211	98.841	10	37	0.6
33	19	Anthony Sesely	Wanick Construction, Inc.	18.358	98.05	3	3	0.747
34	41	Kevin Shea	Colonial Tire & Towing	18.689	96.313	6	8	1.078
35	01	Melissa Fifield	Pine Knoll Auto Sales	18.774	95.877	13	22	1.163
36	9	Chris Hatton, Jr.*	General Racing Team	18.792	95.785	10	22	1.181