Next Gen car has NASCAR on ‘a great trajectory’

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.”

Posted on February 20, 2022January 22, 2025 by Reid Spencer

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — On the 85th birthday of his car owner, Roger Penske, 23-year-old NASCAR Cup Series rookie Austin Cindric beat Bubba Wallace to the finish line by .036 seconds in overtime to win Sunday’s 64th running of the Daytona 500.

In a thrilling run to the finish in NASCAR’s new Next Gen race car at Daytona International Speedway, Cindric held off Wallace and Chase Briscoe (.091 seconds behind) to notch his first Cup victory in his eighth start in the series.

Cindric got the win in chamber-of-commerce weather with a sold-out crowd jamming the grandstands.

“Oh, my God — do you know what makes this even better? A packed house,” Cindric exulted after climbing from his car. “A packed house at the Daytona 500.

“Oh, my God, I’ve got so many people to thank. First and foremost, Roger Penske. Happy Birthday!

“Everyone has worked so hard on this Next Gen car and through the whole process. I am so excited. This makes up for losing a championship in the last race I was in (2021 Xfinity Series season finale at Phoenix Raceway).

“I’m surrounded by great people, that’s all there is to it. I know there’s going to be highs and lows, being a rookie. I’m just grateful for the opportunity and excited to climb the mountain ahead of us on the No. 2 team. We’re in the playoffs — that’s one box checked. My gosh, what an awesome group of fans; what an awesome race car. I’m just really thankful.”

A three-car wreck in Turn 4 on Lap 195 of a scheduled 200 wiped out the No. 47 Chevrolet of Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who was leading for a restart on that same lap but was turned by a push from Brad Keselowski. The incident forced the race to overtime, requiring one extra lap for Cindric to claim victory.

An earlier six-car accident on Lap 190 had eliminated reigning series champion Kyle Larson, Kevin Harvick, Todd Gilliland, Erik Jones and Noah Gragson, who was making his first start in NASCAR’s top division.

Cindric was the leader when the race restarted on Lap 200, and at the end of a wild two-lap scramble — after blocking a strong run from Team Penske teammate Ryan Blaney — he arrived at the finish line roughly three feet ahead of Wallace, who was runner-up in the Great American Race for the second time.

“I thought our Toyota teammates did good work until they got picked off 1, 2, 3 throughout the race, so we just had to survive,” said Wallace, who finished .260 seconds behind race winner Austin Dillon in the 2018 Daytona 500.

“Great Speedweeks, though. We’ll come home second. I’m going to be pissed off about this one for a while. I was happy on the first second place we got a couple years ago. This one sucks when you’re that close, but all-in-all, happy for our team, happy for our partners, and on to California.”

Blaney came home fourth, followed by Aric Almirola, who will leave full-time racing at the end of the season. Kyle Busch, Michael McDowell, David Ragan, Keselowski and Chase Elliott completed the top 10.

Less than three laps from the end of the first stage, a push from Keselowski turned the No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford of Harrison Burton sideways at the head of the outside lane. Burton’s Mustang nosed down the track into the No. 24 Chevrolet of William Byron, whose car slammed nose-first into the inside wall on the backstretch.

Kyle Busch spun sideways during the ensuing eight-car wreck. Denny Hamlin’s Toyota sustained terminal suspension damage, eliminating the field’s only multiple winner of the Daytona 500. The No. 1 Chevrolet of Ross Chastain was also knocked out of the race.

After the impact with Byron’s car and a jolt from the Toyota of Christopher Bell, Burton’s Ford turned upside down and landed on top of the Chevrolet of Alex Bowman, who had started the race on the outside of the front row. The impact righted Burton’s car, which a wrecker towed to the garage. Bowman lost four laps as his crew tried to return the No. 48 Camaro to raceable condition.

“I’m fine — I’ve hit a lot harder before, that’s for sure,” Burton said after a trip to the infield care center. “It’s just unfortunate. I hate it for the Wood Brothers group. They brought a really fast Ford Mustang down here and ended up on our lid, so that’s never good …

“I don’t know, I just got pushed and didn’t take it the right way — the car didn’t take it the right way or got pushed in the wrong spot. I’m not sure. I couldn’t really tell. I was looking out front to see what I had to do next to side draft the next guy that was on me, so just a bummer. I don’t really know what we could have done different, but we’ll move on and get better from it.”

From Hamlin’s standpoint, it was clear what happened.

“The 6 (Keselowski) was pushing the 21 (Burton) and you could see the 21 was kind of getting out of control there,” said Hamlin, who failed to finish a Daytona 500 for the first time in 17 starts and lost his chance for a fourth visit to Victory Lane. “So you know the mindset was that you’ve got to back off, but I think the 6 was just insistent on pushing him at all costs and eventually turned the 21 around.

“Tough, you know, considering it was just for the stage. We were kind of boxed in there where I noticed that something was going to happen, but I was boxed in, I was behind a teammate (Kyle Busch), and I wanted to try to help. Again, just too aggressive pushing right there when they weren’t lined up and in control.”

Truex won the first stage under caution and then claimed victory in the second stage, which ran under green-flag conditions from the restart on Lap 72 to the conclusion on Lap 130. Truex came from third to first on the final lap to grab the stage win.

Keselowski, however, was first off pit road under caution for the stage break and led the field to green for a restart on Lap 138. Keselowski held the top spot until Tyler Reddick’s Chevrolet broke loose in Turn 4 on Lap 151 and started a wreck that damaged the contending cars of Truex, Joey Logano and Kurt Busch.

The NASCAR Cup Series returns to the track next week at Auto Club Speedway for the Wise Power 400 on Feb. 27.

Note: Post-race inspection in the NASCAR Cup Series garage revealed no issues. The No. 2 Team Penske Ford of Austin Cindric was confirmed as the official race winner.

Posted on February 20, 2022February 24, 2022 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. 21
3 a.m., Refuse to Lose: Jeff Gordon and the 1997 Daytona 500 (re-air), FS1
4 a.m., 100,000 Cameras; Clash at the Coliseum (re-air), FS1
4:30 a.m., NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 (re-air), FS1
Noon, NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 (re-air), FS2
6 p.m. NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
9 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 (re-air), FS2

Tuesday, Feb. 22
12:30 a.m., NASCAR Auto Racing Classics: Daytona 500, FS1
3:30 a.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner. 300. (re-air), FS1
5:30 a.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, NextEra Energy 250 (re-air), FS1
9:30 a.m., ARCA Menards Series Lucas Oil 200 (re-air), FS2
11:30 a.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, NextEra Energy 250 (re-air), FS2
1:30 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner. 300. (re-air), FS2
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

Wednesday, Feb. 23
1:30 p.m., NASCAR Race Classic: The 1997 Daytona 500, FS2
2 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub Best of Radioactive: Daytona, FS2
3 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 (re-air), FS2
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

Thursday, Feb. 24
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

Friday, Feb. 25
10 a.m., IMSA Auto Racing: Michelin Pilot Challenge (tape delay), USA/NBC Sports App
Noon, NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour at New Smyrna Speedway (tape delay), USA/NBC Sports App
1 p.m., ARCA Menards Series East at New Smyrna Speedway (tape delay), USA/NBC Sports App
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

Saturday, Feb. 26
10 a.m., NASCAR Presents Beyond the Wheel, FS1
Noon, NASCAR Xfinity Series practice/qualifying, FS1
1:30 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub Weekend Edition, FS1
2 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series practice/qualifying, FS1 (Canada: TSN2)
4 p.m. NASCAR Raceday: Xfinity Series Fontana, FS1
5 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series Production Alliance 300, FS1 (Canada: TSN2)

On MRN
2 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series practice/qualifying
4:30 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series Production Alliance 300

Sunday, Feb. 27
12:30 a.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series Production Alliance 300 (re-air), FS1
2:30 a.m., NASCAR Cup Series qualifying (re-air), FS1
5:30 a.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series Production Alliance 300 (re-air), FS2
7:30 a.m., NASCAR Presents This Racing Life, FS1
8 a.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series Production Alliance 300 (re-air), FS1
2 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay: Fontana, FS1
3 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay: Fontana, FOX
3:30 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series Wise Power 400, FOX (Canada: TSN)

On MRN
2:30 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series Wise Power 400

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

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — With fewer than five laps remaining in Stage 1 of Sunday’s Daytona 500, an eight-car crash broke out at the front of the pack coming out of Turn 2 at Daytona International Speedway.

Rookie Harrison Burton was leading the outside lane with fellow Ford driver Brad Keselowski behind him. Keselowski put a little more oomph into his pushing in order to gain ground on leader Martin Truex Jr. Instead of pulling out front, Burton was turned to the left and into the inside line, specifically William Byron. The two collected multiple cars in the aftermath.

“I don’t know if it was too much,” Burton said. “I just think it might have been in the wrong spot. It’s hard. These bumpers don’t line up as good as the old ones did. Through the testing, I always found that the center was the best. So, when I was pushing Joey (Logano) or whatever, you’ll want to push in the center of the bumper.

“I mean, I haven’t watched a good video of it yet, so don’t take what I say to the bank. Obviously I’m not questioning Brad’s ability. But I think he just got a little wide on my right side and kind of shot me on the inside there.”

Damage ended the days of Burton, Byron, Denny Hamlin and Ross Chastain. All were evaluated and released from the infield care center after exiting their cars on their own.

Keselowski stayed on track and finished ninth. Kyle Busch, Erik Jones and Alex Bowman were also involved in the incident and continued to finish the stage. Truex, who is winless in 67 superspeedway starts (most among active drivers), ultimately won Stage 1 on Lap 65, which ended still under caution.

Busch finished sixth, Bowman 24th, while another crash with 10 laps remaining sealed Jones’ fate for a 29th-place result.

“At that point, I mean, obviously, it’s over-aggressive if it causes a wreck,” said Hamlin, a three-time Daytona 500 winner. “But I saw it coming. And that’s the tough part, like you could see the 21 (Burton) was kind of sideways and out of control and Brad just wouldn’t let him go. Like eventually, you got a let him go and get his reins back.”

Keselowski ended up finishing second in the stage, earning nine points.

RELATED: At-track photos

Jones was the only wreck driver who managed to stay in the top 10 come stage end. He was eighth, getting three points. Byron, Burton, Busch and Hamlin were 11th through 14th in order. Chastain and Bowman were 16th and 17th, respectively.

“All the guys on the inside seemed to be able to take the push pretty well,” Byron said. “My car definitely accepted the push really well, so I thought we were gonna have a really good day. Sucks that it ends before we get any points.”

Byron’s car sustained severe damage, as it was sent nose-first into the interior retaining wall.

Though Burton didn’t feel a hard hit, he found himself upside down at one point during his tumble through the field.

“The roofline itself is lower, but they’ve got us lower in the car as well, so I’d say my head is about in the same spot as it was in my Xfinity car,” Burton said. “I didn’t notice like any intrusion or anything. I thought it maintained its shape pretty well. … I think it was so far a good testament to the car being safe.”

This is Next Gen’s regular-season debut.

The four contenders removed from the competition filled in the bottom four spots on the leaderboard. Hamlin, Byron, Burton and Chastain claimed 37th through 40th. Burton recorded three laps led, holding the front spot twice.

“Stage points really matter, and as a rookie year, it’s big to get them,” Burton said. “I wanted to push for those but obviously I’d love to be out there racing still. I don’t know what I could have done different. It’s hard to be in a lead and say, ‘Oh, I don’t want to be up here.’ You feel like that’s the safest spot.”

Posted on February 20, 2022February 20, 2022 by Staff Report

The cars of Chase Briscoe and Daniel Hemric have failed pre-race inspection multiple times on Sunday at Daytona International Speedway, forcing both drivers to start from the rear of the 2022 Daytona 500 (2:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, Sirius XM NASCAR Radio).

The No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford of Briscoe and No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet of the reigning Xfinity Series champion Hemric will drop to the rear before green flag for the 64th running of The Great American Race. Briscoe was slated to roll off ninth; Hemric 33rd.

Hemric’s No. 16 failed three times and will also be subject to a pass-through penalty at the first opportunity after taking the green. Both teams will also see a crew member ejected, engineer George Spencer for Briscoe and car chief JD Frey for Hemric.

Others car moving to the rear are the No. 22 of Joey Logano (backup car) and the No. 27 of Jacques Villeneuve (engine change).

MORE: Set Fantasy Live lineup

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

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Hendrick Motorsports announced Sunday that the organization has signed Chase Elliott to a five-year contract extension.

The deal will keep the 26-year-old driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet with the team through the 2027 season. Hendrick officials indicated that the agreement was finalized and signed Saturday afternoon at Daytona International Speedway, on the eve of Sunday’s season-opening Daytona 500 (2:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

“I feel so fortunate to be in this position,” Elliott said in a team release. “I have a great team with leadership from Alan (Gustafson, crew chief) and the support of the best car owner and racing organization in the world. For me, there’s a lot of pride in driving for Hendrick Motorsports and having the opportunity to win races and compete for championships. We are capable of accomplishing a lot more and it starts today.”

Team owner Rick Hendrick first signed Elliott to a developmental contract in February 2011 as a 15-year-old prospect. Elliott reached the NASCAR Cup Series full time in 2016, winning Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors. He won the Cup Series championship in 2020.

Elliott has 13 wins in NASCAR’s top division, and he has made the Cup Series Playoffs in each of his six seasons at the sport’s highest level. He also scored the NASCAR Xfinity Series title with JR Motorsports in 2014.

Elliott is the son of NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott. He has won the Cup Series’ Most Popular Driver Award in each of the last four seasons.

“Chase is a champion on and off the track,” Hendrick said. “His talent inside the race car is undeniable, and he’s just scratching the surface of what he can do. This is a young man who is mature beyond his years, comes from an incredible family, and is humble, hard-working and never takes anything for granted. As long as Chase is driving, we want him right here with Hendrick Motorsports. This is an exciting way to start the season, and we look forward to many, many more together.”

Hendrick had indicated during a Thursday media availability that new contracts were coming soon for Elliott and also William Byron, who drives the team’s No. 24 Chevrolet. “Probably any time pretty soon,” Hendrick said then. “I want those guys to be with us forever, and they’ve told me they want to be here, so I’d say you should hear something on that pretty soon.”

Byron signed a two-year contract extension in September 2020 that is set to end after this season. Hendrick Motorsports’ other two drivers are signed through the 2023 season — defending Cup Series champion Kyle Larson added one year to his deal in July 2021; Alex Bowman signed a two-year extension in June 2021.

Posted on February 20, 2022February 22, 2022 by FloRacing

On the eve of the Daytona 500, William Byron decided to have some fun.

Even though he was only supposed to do it twice, Byron decided to run a third Super Late Model race during New Smyrna’s World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing. He’d already won one of the races he’d entered, and on Saturday he won his second. Byron dominated the Orange Blossom 100 to close out the week for the Supers.

“This feels awesome,” said Byron. “(The Donnie Wilson Racing) guys do such a great job with the details and how much they know about Super Late Model racing. It was really fun to get to work with them on some of the things we struggled with on Monday and work on them and get a little bit better.”

Byron started Saturday’s race from the fourth position, and on the 24th lap, he wrestled the lead away from early pace-setter Ryan Preece. After that it was smooth sailing for Byron, who won the caution-free affair by 4.7 seconds over Preece, Sammy Smith, Daniel Dye and Jesse Love.

Byron said that these three races this week is just the beginning of his return to Super Late Model racing as he has a few more events planned for later in the year. However, even though this week caused his confidence to rise, he said he’s still looking forward to racing door-to-door with the best Super Late Model racing has to offer.

“It feels awesome (to beat them),” Byron said. “I still haven’t battled wheel-to-wheel with those guys yet this year. Our car was great tonight and would kind of cruise, but it’s going to be fun this year. I’m sure I’m going to face some tough challenges with some of these races I’m doing. I’m excited to travel around and see what we can do.”

Now, Byron turns his attention to Sunday’s Daytona 500 a few miles north where he rolls off from the 23rd position.

“I’m excited for it,” he said. “You never know what to expect, but I’ve got a good guy on the box and I’m excited for the race. I feel like our car is really fast, so I’ve just got to go do it.”

Posted on February 19, 2022February 20, 2022 by Terrin Waack

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Myatt Snider was involved in what he described as a violent last-lap crash Saturday night during the NASCAR Xfinity Series season opener at Daytona International Speedway.

Once the No. 31 Jordan Anderson Racing Chevrolet came to a stop in the grass near Turn 3, Snider immediately put the driver net down, signaling he was OK. The American Medical Response safety team arrived quickly after to transport him to the infield care center. Snider walked under his own power into the van.

The 27-year-old was then treated and released from the care center. He addressed the media afterward while sitting in a golf cart.

“A little sore,” Snider said. “I mean, I got pretty banged up there, so I just want to make sure I’m being as careful as possible.”

RELATED: Official results | Watch last-lap wreck

Snider indicated his left foot was the area of concern. He might have it looked at again Sunday as a precaution.

“I think I should be fine to race,” Snider said. “It’s just a matter of getting the opinions of the experts. But yeah, I think I’ll be fine.”

The field was about two-thirds of the way down the backstretch during the final lap when the wreck began. Snider was pushed by the No. 23 Our Motorsports Chevrolet of Anthony Alfredo. Snider got turned in the draft, and the No. 48 Big Machine Racing Chevy of Jade Buford ran into the passenger’s side of Snider’s car, which then went airborne as it hit the wall.

Snider explained in better detail.

“Everybody’s trying their best to push as hard as possible, and I’m trying to keep as much momentum as I can get,” Snider said. “So, I felt the push and I started feeling the car go right. I’m like crap, I might be along for a ride here. And sure enough, I was. I got turned around to the side, and then I was facing backwards and started seeing the race track. I’m like hmm, this is getting better as it goes.

“I think what happened is that the left rear started yawing towards the fence, and then the fence caught it. … And then I got dragged into the grass, from what I could tell. But yeah, as I’ve said already, I’m extremely blessed to be as OK as I am and glad that Jordan Anderson Racing built us such a safe race car. And man, I really wanted to get the top-five finish. We were so close. I felt like we were in contention all day.”

Snider ended up 22nd on the results sheet. Buford was 23rd. Alfredo turned out seventh. Austin Hill won the race, which was called once the caution flag came out.

Nine cars were involved in the incident total. Every driver exited on their own and were cleared by the care center. A NASCAR spokesman said the damaged catchfence will be repaired overnight in preparation for the Daytona 500 on Sunday (2:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

The next Xfinity Series event on the schedule is a week away – Feb. 26 – at Auto Club Speedway (5 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

“I just saw sparks and crap flying everywhere, and it was quite the adventure,” Snider said. “I’m just so glad that I’m safe, I’m not any more torn up than I am. Just wish we could have gotten a better finish out of it.”

*** Update at 9:52 a.m. ET Sunday ***

Sunday morning NASCAR officials announced the fence that was damaged during Myatt Snider’s wreck was repaired by 1:30 a.m. ET. Two fence posts and 200 feet of fencing were replaced. To the right is a photo of the repaired fence.