The Action Network: Why Ryan Blaney is a bet to make right now for Auto Club

Posted on February 23, 2022February 23, 2022 by Nick Giffen

The Action Network specializes in providing sports betting insights/analytics and is a content partner with NASCAR. Check out more NASCAR betting analysis here.

The Daytona 500 came down to an exciting overtime finish, with rookie Austin Cindric taking home his first career Cup Series victory.

Unfortunately, the 40-1 prop bet I recommended barely missed cashing as Chase Elliott beat Ty Dillon to the line Sunday for top Chevrolet by a foot.

Nevertheless, we press on.

RELATED: NASCAR BetCenter | Odds for Auto Club

With the pomp and circumstance of Daytona now in the rearview mirror, the season-long grind begins this weekend at Auto Club Speedway. The track is a 2-mile stretch known for high tire wear. Drivers that can best manage their tires often do well. The most comparable track to Auto Club is Atlanta before its repave this past offseason.

Others might like to include Homestead and Darlington as well. While they are useful comparisons, they can be a bit misleading because certain drivers perform quite differently at Homestead and Darlington than they do at Atlanta and Auto Club.

Books will often lump these high tire wear tracks all together, leaving value on the table to bet certain drivers.

That’s exactly where I’m looking for in my best outright bet of the week.

NASCAR at Auto Club Betting Picks

*Odds as of Wednesday afternoon

Ryan Blaney (+1200) to win

Blaney opened at 14-1 odds to win Sunday, but there’s still value in this line.

Just looking at average green flag speed, here are Blaney’s ranks at Auto Club compared to his full-year rank:

2017: 10 vs. 13
2018: 8 vs. 11
2019: 4 vs. 10
2020: 2 vs. 5

In other words, Blaney is consistently better at Auto Club than he is at an average track. Additionally, he’s improved every year the series has run at Auto Club. Blaney is also driving a Ford, which won the Busch Light Clash, both Duels at Daytona and the Daytona 500.

My statistical model gives Blaney a 9.0% chance to win on Sunday. The 12-1 line translates to a 7.7% implied win probability.

DraftKings has the most generous line right now with this 12-1 offering, but I don’t mind grabbing this at 11-1 on FanDuel as well.

Christopher Bell (+500) for a top-five finish

Bell didn’t exactly shine at the high-wear tracks last year, but there are some good signs for him.

First, his best finish last year at the high tire wear tracks came at the second Atlanta race. He also won at Atlanta in both the Camping World Truck and Xfinity series. Bell also grabbed a third-place result at Auto Club in his final Xfinity season.

Perhaps most impressively, he scored two top-11 finishes, one each at Homestead and Darlington in his rookie season with the now-defunct Leavine Family Racing.

That said, my model gives Bell a 27.8% chance of hitting a top five. While that might be a bit too generous, he needs to achieve a top five only 16.7% of the time to be profitable.

So, even if my model is overestimating his chances, it would have to be doing so by quite a wide margin to be wrong.

I would bet Bell to finish in the top five as low as +400 odds.

Posted on February 23, 2022 by Press Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — NASCAR and NBC Sports announced today broadcast coverage for the 2022 slate of grassroots races on USA Network, including events in the ARCA Menards Series East and West, and NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.

USA Network will air tape-delayed coverage of every race from the three series – except those that are combined ARCA Menards Series events – for a total of 30 race broadcasts. All televised coverage on USA Network will stream on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app.

All races from the ARCA Menards Series East and West (when not combined with ARCA Menards Series events), and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will air live on FloRacing.

NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour

The season kicked off with the New Smyrna Visitors Bureau 200 at New Smyrna Speedway on Feb. 12. USA Network begins its grassroots coverage with a tape-delayed broadcast of the event on Friday, Feb. 25 at 12 p.m. ET.

ARCA Menards Series East

The 2022 campaign started with the Race to Stop Suicide 200 at New Smyrna Speedway on Tuesday, Feb. 15. USA Network will provide tape-delayed coverage of the event on Friday, Feb. 25 at 1 p.m. ET.

ARCA Menards Series West

The NAPA Auto Parts 150 at Irwindale Speedway marks the first USA Network race of the season for the ARCA Menards Series West. It will air live on FloRacing on Saturday, March 26 at 10:05 p.m. ET before USA Network provides tape-delayed coverage on Friday, April 1 at 1 p.m. ET.

“NBC Sports is a fantastic partner and supporter of grassroots racing,” said Brandon Igdalsky, NASCAR managing director, touring series. “Showcasing the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and ARCA Menards Series East and West on USA Network delivers grassroots racing to a potential new fanbase, spotlights the stars of tomorrow, and provides avid fans with another quality content option.”

Complete event/air dates and times for all three series on USA Network are below. All times eastern and schedule subject to change.

Series	Race date	Track	USA air date	USA air time
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour	Sat, Feb 12	New Smyrna Speedway	Fri, Feb 25	Noon
ARCA Menards Series East	Tue, Feb 15	New Smyrna Speedway	Fri, Feb 25	1 p.m.
ARCA Menards Series East	Sat, Mar 19	Five Flags Speedway	Mon, Mar 28	1 p.m.
ARCA Menards Series West	Sat, Mar 26	Irwindale Speedway	Fri, Apr 01	1 p.m.
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour	Fri, Apr 01	Richmond Raceway	Sat, Apr 09	4 p.m.
ARCA Menards Series West	Sat, Apr 23	Kern County Raceway Park	Fri, Apr 29	1 p.m.
ARCA Menards Series East	Fri, Apr 29	Dover International Speedway	Fri, May 06	1 p.m.
ARCA Menards Series East	Sat, May 07	Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway	Fri, May 13	Noon
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour	Sat, May 14	Riverhead Raceway	Fri, May 20	Noon
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour	Sat, May 21	Lee USA Speedway	Fri, May 27	Noon
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour	Sat, May 28	Jennerstown Speedway	Thu, Jun 02	2 p.m.
ARCA Menards Series West	Sat, Jun 04	Portland International Raceway	Fri, Jun 10	Noon
ARCA Menards Series West	Sat, Jun 11	Sonoma Raceway	Thu, Jun 16	2 p.m.
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour	Sat, Jun 18	Monadnock Speedway	Sat, Jun 25	11:30 a.m.
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour	Sat, Jun 25	Riverhead Raceway	Sun, Jul 03	1 p.m.
ARCA Menards Series West	Sat, Jul 02	Irwindale Speedway	Fri, Jul 08	Noon
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour	Sat, Jul 09	Wall Stadium	Fri, Jul 15	6:30 p.m.
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour	Sat, Jul 16	New Hampshire Motor Speedway	Fri, Jul 22	Noon
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour	Fri, Jul 29	Claremont Motorsports Park	Fri, Aug 05	1 p.m.
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour	Wed, Aug 17	Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park	Sun, Aug 21	1 p.m.
ARCA Menards Series West	Sat, Aug 20	Evergreen Speedway	Fri, Aug 26	2 p.m.
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour	Sat, Aug 27	Langley Speedway	Fri, Sep 02	Noon
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour	Sat, Sep 03	Oswego Speedway	Sun, Sep 11	Noon
ARCA Menards Series West	Sat, Sep 03	Portland International Raceway	Sun, Sep 11	1 p.m.
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour	Sat, Sep 17	Riverhead Raceway	Sun, Sep 25	1:30 p.m.
ARCA Menards Series West	Sat, Oct 01	All American Speedway	Fri, Oct 07	3 p.m.
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour	Sat, Oct 08	Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park	Sat, Oct 15	2 p.m.
ARCA Menards Series West	Fri, Oct 14	The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway	Fri, Oct 21	Noon
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour	Thu, Oct 27	Martinsville Speedway	Fri, Nov 04	1 p.m.
ARCA Menards Series West	Sat, Nov 05	Phoenix Raceway	Fri, Nov 11	1 p.m.

Posted on February 22, 2022February 23, 2022 by Staff Report

NASCAR Senior Vice President of Competition Scott Miller addressed several topics on Tuesday’s Morning Drive on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio after the season-opening national series events at Daytona International Speedway. Among them were the wheels NASCAR confiscated from Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing and Team Penske, the loose wheel for the No. 50 Cup car and the No. 21 of Harrison Burton getting airborne during a wreck in the Daytona 500.

For all three of these items, Miller said investigations were ongoing and that news was expected to be forthcoming after those examinations were completed, in addition to discussions between NASCAR and the teams and drivers involved.

On Friday at Daytona, NASCAR confiscated wheels from RFK Racing and Team Penske and took them back to the NASCAR R&D Center in Concord, North Carolina, for further investigation.

“We have some meetings with vendors and other team folks and analyzing deeper what we saw there,” Miller said to SiriusXM on Tuesday. “You’ll be hearing some more about that later in the week I’m sure. And honestly, it’s just one of those things that is really another one of the learning processes of what needs to be. Some people thought something needed to be one way, and others another. It’s the newness of it all, and we’re continuing to dig in.”

Notably, the Next Gen car uses larger 18-inch aluminum wheels manufactured by German wheel-maker BBS. Those wheels use a single, center-locking lug nut instead of the five-lug pattern of the former 15-inch wheels.

As for the No. 50 Chevrolet driven by Kaz Grala that lost a wheel during Stage 1 of the Daytona 500, Miller said wheels coming off is a serious matter and the news about what happens with The Money Team Racing will be included with the other wheel revelations later. But a four-race suspension for crew chief Tony Eury Jr. is possible based on NASCAR’s new deterrence policy.

Finally, Burton’s car, the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford, got airborne and went upside down during a wreck late in Stage 1 when Brad Keselowski’s No. 6 RFK Racing Ford made contact from behind and turned Burton’s car, which took additional contact from other cars before turning upside down and then landing on its wheels. Burton was checked and released from the infield care center and walked away from the wreck under his own power.

“We have to look at what led up to creating that,” Miller said. “Every one of those situations when a car gets hit, the angle it gets hit, the angle it is going backwards when it gets hit, contributes a lot to the learnings for us. … We had a lot of other cars spin around at speed with no contact that did the job exactly as designed. When there’s contact involved that’s a big variable so it’s something we study with the safety team and learn from.”

Posted on February 22, 2022February 22, 2022 by Staff Report

Get an inside look at rising NASCAR Cup Series driver Bubba Wallace in the Netflix docuseries “Race,” launched worldwide on Tuesday. The six-part program chronicles Wallace’s life both on and off the track, providing exclusive access to him during the 2020 and 2021 seasons — including his first season with 23XI Racing, co-owned by NBA legend Michael Jordan and NASCAR superstar Denny Hamlin.

The series traces Wallace’s rise to the elite ranks of NASCAR as the only current full-time Black driver in the Cup Series and his decision to speak out on racial justice issues. Over the course of the six episodes, Wallace reckons with who he is on and off the track and as both a driver and an activist.

“This is unlike any project I’ve ever participated in; it’s a raw, emotional and completely transparent account of the events that took place throughout the 2020 and 2021 NASCAR seasons,” Wallace said in a statement. “With me, what you see is what you get. You’ll witness the peaks and valleys of the sport and see how one’s actions off the race track are just as important as the ones on it.”

The series features appearances by Wallace’s family members, his team behind-the-scenes, Hamlin, Kyle Busch and Richard Petty, as well as commentators Michael Strahan, Jemele Hill and W. Kamau Bell.

The series was directed and executive produced by Erik Parker with fellow executive producers Kevin Liles, Nolan Baynes, and Kelly G. Griffin for 300 Studios; Andrew Fried, Dane Lillegard, Jordan Wynn, and Sarina Roma for Boardwalk Pictures; Matt Summers, Tim Clark and Tally Hair for NASCAR.

Posted on February 21, 2022February 21, 2022 by Terrin Waack

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota of Kyle Busch went for a spin on Lap 63 during Sunday’s largest wreck, and it later managed to cross the finish line at Daytona International Speedway on Lap 201 in sixth place.

Busch was one of the eight drivers involved in the Stage 1 conclusion crash that took half out of contention for the Daytona 500 victory. His car was clipped by those of William Byron, Harrison Burton and Denny Hamlin — all of whom ultimately exited prematurely because of their contact. Ross Chastain was the fourth DNF.

“It definitely slowed us down a little bit,” Busch said. “Any time you get damage, it’s not optimum, but otherwise, we were able to hang in the draft well and race around some of the other guys that were fast. But there were definitely guys that were faster than us and they were noticeable.”

DAYTONA 500: Race results | Austin Cindric wins as a rookie

Alejandro Alvarez | NASCAR Digital Media

Most notably would have to be Austin Cindric, who won as a rookie. Bubba Wallace came in second. Chase Briscoe, Ryan Blaney and Aric Almirola completed the top five before Busch slid into the results.

Busch was 13th in Stage 1 and 14th in Stage 2. He averaged an 11.38 running position.

The two-time champion did lead four times for a total of 28 circuits. He now boasts 324 laps led in 17 career Daytona 500 starts, which marks the all-time most by drivers who have never won the crown-jewel event. His best result is second (2019), and he has three top-five and five top-10 runs overall.

Busch lined up ninth on the final restart that set up the two-lap dash to the checkered flag in overtime. He wasn’t close enough to help fellow Toyota driver Wallace, who was third. Had Busch been, Wallace and Co. think the No. 23 would have had a better chance to pass Cindric for the win.

“Certainly,” said Wallace’s crew chief, Bootie Barker. “I mean, if you were to have one of our teammates with us, for sure you would have more of a shot. It just went against us this race. All of them got wrecked.”

PHOTOS: Sights, scenes from Daytona 500

Of the other Toyota pilots, Martin Truex Jr. wound up 13th and Kurt Busch was 19th. Both Hamlin (37th) and Christopher Bell (34th) crashed out.

James Gilbert | Getty Images

Wallace and Busch had drafted together earlier, too, and it worked. Busch propelled Wallace, who led 12 laps.

“At the beginning, I was like this ain’t bad, and then we had some moments and I was like all right, let’s not let our guard down here,” Wallace said. “But Kyle is one of the best at pushing, so I appreciate that. We were trying to move the line and maybe we should have stayed top there and keep that line rolling, but it’s always interesting being pushed by him.”

The next superspeedway race isn’t until April 24 at Talladega Superspeedway, where Busch owns one win (2008) in 33 starts. Busch and the entire garage have Auto Club Speedway in a week instead (Feb. 27 at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

NASCAR does return to Daytona, though — Aug. 27 for the regular-season finale.

“Overall, a good day and a good effort,” Busch said. “I’m pleased with how far we came from behind to get a decent finish there. We were tore up a lot most of the race, so that was a good finish.”

Posted on February 21, 2022February 21, 2022 by Zack Albert

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Three-plus years later, it remains a really tough watch.

Austin Cindric was nearing the end of a split Xfinity Series campaign, dividing time between Roger Penske’s and Jack Roush’s cars. Four of his nine starts in Roush’s No. 60 Ford had ended in race-ending crashes. The last of those came on Labor Day weekend, 2018.

Cindric’s No. 60 had nosed into the inside retaining wall at Darlington Raceway before the engine had hardly warmed – last place, just two laps completed. “Come ONNNN!” he screamed over the team radio. The interview that followed at the infield care center was no easier, and the cringe meter had been pegged. Cindric choked up, saying he knew he’d get teary-eyed because his team had worked so hard to try to further his racing efforts.

So the question came Sunday on what exactly Cindric would’ve told his previous self, the one that struggled to a 17th-place average finish that star-crossed year. Could he have said that one day he’d be a Daytona 500 champion and that everything would be OK?

“Probably not. You probably couldn’t have picked me up from the care center and said, you’re going to win the Daytona 500 one day. I probably would have said, ‘bulls—.’ But we’ve come a long way since then,” Cindric said with a degree of understatement. “It’s a very big credit to a lot of the people around me that have believed in me.

James Gilbert | Getty Images

“I’ve driven a lot of different race cars in my career, a lot of different race cars at this track alone, and I’ve seen the highs and lows of it. I have a lot of perspective from friends, competitors, co-drivers, teammates. This race means so much to so many people, and just very humbled to be able to get it done.”

Cindric soaked it all in Sunday, further distancing himself from those turbulent days with a crowning victory in The Great American Race. Fending off a late challenge from teammate Ryan Blaney, Cindric opened his rookie NASCAR Cup Series season in the best possible way, in Victory Lane at Daytona International Speedway.

MORE: Closest finishes in Daytona 500 history

So yes, 2018-self Austin Cindric, it got better. In the years that followed, Cindric notched an Xfinity Series championship in 2020 and came a quarter of a lap away from another title last year. All the while, he was climbing toward a destination in the Cup Series, driving the famed No. 2 for Roger Penske while replacing former series champion Brad Keselowski.

Along the way, there was the backbiting that he tried to tune out. Tim Cindric, his father, is the president of Team Penske. Any whispers that his last name helped him more than his driving merit didn’t seem to faze him.

“For me, I guess I don’t have time for the noise,” Cindric said. “But if there’s anything I have left to prove, I’m not sure what it is.”

Sunday’s finish may have done more to sway those opinions and to bury the memory of his inauspicious start.

“I think Jeff Gordon tore up a lot of race cars, too, at one point, and he turned out to be pretty awesome,” said No. 2 Ford crew chief Jeremy Bullins. “… I think the years he’s been in the Xfinity car and the experience he gained there just made him better to get to the point where — I hope this gives him a sense of belonging over here, that I can do this and I do fit in and all those things because that confidence is very inspiring and leads you to do great things.

“Did it start off great? Maybe not. But I’m telling you the kid studies and he works hard, and he puts a lot of effort into it. If he’s not doing well, he will figure it out for sure.”

Cindric’s name gained some clout Sunday. Funny, since it was initially misspelled on the placard above his garage stall when his team arrived in Daytona early last week.

Any tears in interviews Sunday would have been joyful ones. As a measure of how far he’d distanced himself from that 2018 dismay in Darlington, no less than Mario Andretti applauded Cindric on Sunday evening for a “most brilliant drive” on social media.

From one Daytona 500 champ to another.

“If I’m able to come here and win this race again and put myself in position again, I think every race is different, every experience is different,” Cindric said. “At this moment of my life, I can’t think of anything more amazing and more gratifying than winning this race specifically. It’s a lot of hard work, like you said. It’s all I care about, it’s all I think about, and that’s what’s gotten me this far.”

Posted on February 20, 2022February 21, 2022 by Terrin Waack

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Bubba Wallace has been in this exact situation before, yet his emotions couldn’t be more different.

In 2018, Wallace finished second in the Daytona 500 by 0.206 seconds. Sunday night, he had the same result. This time, he crossed 0.036 seconds too late.

“I didn’t have a fighting chance the first time in 2018,” Wallace said. “This one, being that close, it’s just like a gut punch. Going from all the confidence in the world to literally having it ripped out from underneath you is a really s—– feeling.”

James Thomas | NASCAR Digital Media

Daytona 500: Race results | Austin Cindric wins as a rookie

Wallace isn’t referencing the margin of victory, though.

The 2018 run was not only his first career top five, but top 10. It also doubled as the first race of his rookie season in the No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet.

Now, Wallace is in his fifth full-time season and driving the No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota. He has a win under his belt — Talladega Superspeedway in October 2021, the last race on the track type before Sunday.

“I think Bubba has a lot of confidence in the speedways,” 23XI Racing director of competition Mike Wheeler said. “I think him and Freddie (Kraft, spotter) did a really good job, hearing them work and learn and improve and be a top-tier group. It really shows to be pretty good. So, proud of that effort and hopefully keep going with that.”

Wallace was in position to win in overtime, too.

PHOTOS: Sights, scenes from Daytona 500

With two laps to go, Wallace lined up behind Ryan Blaney on the inside lane for the restart. Blaney’s teammate, Austin Cindric, was up top in the lead, with Brad Keselowski behind him.

Alejandro Alvarez | NASCAR Digital Media

“He and Freddie talked about it,” No. 23 crew chief Bootie Barker said. “They knew we had to shove the 12, keep shoving the 12 so it kept us going forward, too, to have enough energy so at the end something could happen.”

Instead, Cindric pulled in front of Blaney. Keselowski remained outside. It stayed like that until the final sprint to the checkered flag when Blaney tried to make a move. Cindric blocked him, leaving a gap open for Wallace.

Wallace was half a car length short of Cindric at the finish line.

The repeat outcome puts Wallace on a short list with Blaney (twice), Charlie Glotzbach (twice) and Terry Labonte (three times) as drivers with multiple runner-up finishes in the Daytona 500. There’s disappointment, but there’s also momentum — and confidence.

“Higher than it ever has been,” Barker said. “But we know the work we got cut out for us at all the other tracks. And we’re OK with it. You just stay focused and work on the task at hand always.”

The next task is Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, next Sunday (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Wallace has three career starts on the 2-mile oval, with the best coming in 2018 (20th). NASCAR did not race at Auto Club in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so Wallace has never been there with his current team.

Wallace will enter the event sitting fourth in the points standings – the highest he has ever been ranked since that 2018 Daytona 500.

“You know, we succeeded,” Wallace said. “We succeeded on all levels, but we failed at the same time. So, going through that, trying to ride that, is super tough. Maybe two days, maybe three and probably a freaking week, I’ll get over this. But California is Sunday.

“That’s the one thing that people ask me about: What motivates you? Having another chance next week to go back to Victory Lane.”

Alejandro Alvarez | NASCAR Digital Media

Posted on February 20, 2022February 21, 2022 by Holly Cain

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series season-opening Daytona 500 was decided by a couple feet – rookie Austin Cindric’s No. 2 Team Penske Ford nudging ahead of Bubba Wallace’s No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota as they crossed the most famous finish line in stock car racing alongside one another in front of a sold-out crowd.

All afternoon long, the race featured close racing, strategic drafting and ultimately an overtime restart to settle the winner’s famed Harley J. Earl trophy.

There were 35 lead changes among 13 drivers in a decidedly competitive high-speed dance of skill and will. Today’s Daytona 500 also saw 104 green flag passes for the lead; the fifth-most since the creation of the Loop Data statistic in 2007.

And for all the emotion and drama of the race, the drivers had nothing but encouraging remarks about the premier series’ points racing debut of the NASCAR Next Gen cars – officially marking a new era of racing featuring the most innovative technical changes to the sport in decades, if not ever.

“At the end of the day, it’s a race car,” Wallace said, standing on pit road following the race. “I actually enjoyed being behind the wheel and learning a lot. The draft is a little bit different. Pushing is a little bit different, so some things that we need to work on and enhance our speed in some areas.

“So it’ll be a good debrief tomorrow. We’ll just talk about it and try to get better.”

Technically the car features a new horsepower package, aerodynamic changes, single-lug nut wheels, a composite body, even a new camera-rearview mirror. Aesthetically, the cars look different with numbers moved from the car doors further up toward the front fender area.

Teams spent much of the offseason testing them – their feedback resulting in tweaks here and there. And ultimately the car was declared ready for competition – Sunday’s race its important regular season debut.

As with Wallace, Aric Almirola, who finished fifth in his last full-time season start in the Daytona 500, was impressed with the new car. He started 38th on the 40-car grid and was able to methodically work his way forward – missing multiple multi-car incidents to get his Ford to the front draft and in position to at least compete for the win.

“I thought the car was resilient,” Almirola said. “I thought the car was dicey to bump draft aggressively, the cars move around a lot and the bumpers are rounded so they don’t make a perfect match, but nonetheless, it was Daytona and we put on a great race, a wild finish and it’s always exciting.”

Added race winner Cindric, “There’s so much different about this car but it’s still the same style of racing. … It was really interesting to see who picked up on different things in the race and even in practice.”

Cindric’s team owner Roger Penske agreed.

“I think we’re on a great trajectory,” Penske said. “All the new fans we had at the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum and certainly selling this place out, I think is terrific,” Penske said, adding “Everybody’s got the same hammer and it’s up to strategy, execution and the driver.”

“I think the cars we have today and the new rules are terrific,” he said.

Posted on February 20, 2022February 21, 2022 by Zack Albert

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The sour taste of last year’s Daytona 500 had gotten a refresher. Team Penske typically gives a loose rein in letting its team drivers duke it out for victories, but last year’s final-lap crash among teammates and an empty-handed departure left a lasting sting.

Bound not to repeat that outcome 371 days later, Ryan Blaney was reminded before the final restart to take extra care that one of Roger Penske’s cars won The Great American Race. One did, but it was rookie Austin Cindric hoisting the Harley J. Earl Trophy for the organization after Blaney’s last-gasp surge to the outside line was foiled with the checkered flag in sight.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos

Blaney’s No. 12 Ford swerved and scraped the wall in securing a fourth-place finish. He had waited for the bulk of the final two-lap overtime dash around Daytona International Speedway’s 2.5-mile oval, making his move in the short chute out of Turn 4.

Cindric blocked the high-lane advance, and Blaney wound up crashing across the start-finish line.

“It’s just one of those things. It didn’t work out,” said Blaney, who led 36 of the 201 laps. “We still ended up fourth, but I don’t know another perfect position we could have put ourselves in to win the race. It just didn’t work out.”

Last year at Daytona, Brad Keselowski’s attempted pass on Penske teammate Joey Logano infamously went south on the last lap, sparking a multi-car crash and allowing Michael McDowell to slide through for the victory. That was top of mind in Team Penske’s game plan in the days leading up to this year’s 500, and the subject cropped up again with the race on the line.

James Gilbert | Getty Images

“We had a little issue in the Duels (qualifying races) where, same thing — we had two cars in the top four in two races and weren’t able to win,” said No. 12 crew chief Jonathan Hassler. “So we had a lot of discussions this week about how to make sure one of our team cars won, and I talked to Ryan before the last restart and reminded him of everything we talked about and make sure one of our cars won and he did it. I’m proud of him for going after it, but still helping us.”

Blaney was in a similar position, running second on the final lap in the 2020 Daytona 500. Using a crossover move, he tangled with Ryan Newman to trigger a serious crash, one that allowed Denny Hamlin to sneak by for his third Daytona 500 crown.

This year with a teammate in front and a word of caution fresh in his mind, Blaney waited again.

“I wanted to try to win the race for Roger Penske, whether that was me or another car, that’s what I was doing,” Blaney said. “I didn’t want to make a move too early, because that throws a big chance out the window. So yeah, that’s about it.”

MORE: Next Gen Daytona debut earns praise from drivers

Blaney had entered the 500 as one of the favorites. He had won the previous Cup Series race at Daytona last August, and his record of two recent victories at the similar Talladega Superspeedway had backed up his cred as one of the more skillful drivers at this racing discipline.

There was heartache after Blaney was checked and cleared at the infield care center, but a note of commendation for the way the raced from the team’s leadership – from Roger Penske on down. He wound up just short, but Team Penske was not left wanting this year.

“I feel bad that it didn’t work out for him because man, he is such a fantastic teammate,” said Travis Geisler, Team Penske’s competition director. “He’s done such a great job for us. Every speedway race, he’s like the most selfless guy out there for us. I want to see him get this, too, but you know, that’s fair. I think our thing coming in is just absolutely make sure that one of us wins, and he made sure that he didn’t make the move too early, that everybody could pass us and made sure that one of us won.

“And I think that’s what we owe Roger. That’s what we owe our sponsors. That’s what we owe everybody back in the shop making all this happen. You know, at the track, we’ve got to be able to do that. Today, we were able to.”

The selflessness wasn’t lost on Cindric, either.

GEAR: Shop Cindric Daytona 500 champion gear

“I look at Ryan and he’s honestly been the glue to our speedway program if I look back, as far as having two polarizing figures that are both equally good at what they do in different ways,” Cindric said. “I think Ryan has kind of been the guy that’s honestly gotten the short end of the stick sometimes as far as being a great teammate.

“We talked about it as a team on Monday before we left for Daytona, as far as what the rules were going to be there and how to manage that, and I think that stays behind closed doors. But I think to that point, Ryan had a shot to win the race off of Turn 4, and that was his chance to do it, and I knew that’s the opportunity that he wanted to have, and I think the best chance for him to do that is to be second in line. He was in position to be able to do that, but otherwise great team effort and proud of that, and hopefully I can repay the favor.”

Posted on February 20, 2022 by Staff Report

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Brad Keselowski was everywhere this weekend in Florida. At the front of the field in the Bluegreen Vacations Duel race, running point for large portions of Sunday’s Daytona 500 and, to be sure, in the headlines by the end of Sunday night.

Keselowski powered his No. 6 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford to a ninth-place result in Sunday’s Great American Race, his first official start as a driver/owner. He led more laps than any other driver (67), but it was a pair of spins instigated by Keselowski’s pushing that had his peers talking.

The second, late-race incident drew a bit of a bristling response from Ricky Stenhouse Jr., whose race ended early and in agonizing fashion. Stenhouse led the field to green on a Lap 195 (of 200) restart and was running in the top five when he spun and smacked the wall following a hard push from Keselowski. That rejumbled the field and ultimately led to rookie Austin Cindric holding point on a green-white-checkered finish in NASCAR Overtime to win in the No. 2 Team Penske Ford.

“I had position all day really and felt like we were really pushing people at the right time,” Stenhouse Jr. told FOX Sports’ Bob Pockrass. “There were definitely spots on the race track you didn’t want to push or get pushed. The 6 (of Keselowski) I guess found that out a couple times today.”

The previous instance Stenhouse referenced occurred on Lap 41 and looked similar. Keselowski was giving Harrison Burton a healthy shove on the top line, which Burton led. The No. 6’s big push of the No. 21, though, ended with Burton spinning down into William Byron and collecting Byron’s No. 24, plus the cars of race favorite Denny Hamlin, Alex Bowman, Kyle Busch and others.

“I guess he (Keselowski) just tried to wreck everybody in the field until he won,” Stenhouse said. “I guess his other car won that he gave up. So kudos to him.”

“I thought we all pushed really good,” Stenhouse added, “you just can’t push on the exit of a corner. He did it off of Turn 2 to the 21 (of Burton) there and then off of (Turn) 4 for me. Just the wrong place.”

Keselowski restarted fourth on the green-white-checkered restart, lined up directly behind the No. 2 Ford he drove previously for 12 seasons. He helped shove Cindric to the lead and, when Cindric jumped down to the bottom lane, Keselowski was the leader up top and running second.

Ryan Blaney stayed tight on Cindric’s bumper, though, and the No. 2 stayed on the point until the checkered flag. Keselowski, meanwhile, dropped from third to ninth on the final push to the line when he was shuffled out of the top line and into the middle.

“Whenever somebody spins out obviously there’s somebody over-aggressive, but in the moment I didn’t,” Keselowski said when asked if he felt like he was overly aggressive. “… I was just pushing. We weren’t even all the way up to speed, so I feel like it was a crazy time to be pushing, but obviously, the results say different.

“I thought down the backstretch we were gonna win the race, and just the 12 (of Blaney) and the 2 got a really good push from (Bubba Wallace) and basically cleared our lane and then our lane kind of broke up there at the end. It was really close, just green-white-checkers.”