Posted on by Zack Albert

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Joey Logano accepted the blame for his involvement in a last-lap crash in Thursday’s second Bluegreen Vacations Duel qualifying race, an incident that left his No. 22 Team Penske Ford severely damaged at Daytona International Speedway.

Logano led a race-high 33 of the 60 laps in the 150-miler, but his attempt to block the advancement of fellow Ford driver Chris Buescher went awry at the exit of Turn 2. Logano’s car slid and nosed into the outside retaining wall, and the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing entry driven by rookie Harrison Burton caught some of the contact in the multi-car tangle.

RELATED: Duel 2 results | At-track photos: Daytona

“I mean, I knew as a leader, I was a bit of a sitting duck,” Logano said after he was released unhurt from the infield care center, “but at worst I was gonna finish fourth and was gonna try to let it kind of play out and didn’t think the 17 (Buescher) was gonna get a run that quick. He didn’t fall back that far, and it came to me so fast. I reacted to try to block it and I should have just let it happen and tried to race from there. I just messed up.

“The worst part is I put our team in a bad spot trying to fix this thing or get another car. I got the 21 too in it, so it’s a dumb mistake. That’s all there is to it. I’m not perfect.”

Buescher was declared the winner after the field’s running positions were frozen for the only caution flag of the night. The victory sealed a sweep of the qualifying races for RFK Racing.

RELATED: RFK Racing sweeps Bluegreen Vacation Duel races

Logano finished ninth, the first driver scored one lap down. He walked back to his garage stall after his care center visit to debrief and apologize to his crew for the incident. The team worked to unload and prepare a reserve No. 22 Ford not long after the checkered flag.

“It doesn’t help, but we’ll try to make it as best we can,” Logano said about the team’s outlook before Sunday’s Daytona 500 (2:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM). “We’ve got a couple days of practice to work on it and get it good and we’ll move on. There’s nothing I can do now. I wish I could reverse time, but I can’t. Like I said, it was just a mistake. We’ve got to move forward.”

The incident marked the first superspeedway crash for the Next Gen car design that makes its competition debut this season. Logano said he was encouraged by how his car performed in the high-speed wreck.

“I feel OK. I feel fine. I got out and I feel fine. That’s a good sign,” Logano said. “I hit the wall fairly hard and got out no problem. That part is good if there’s a positive to it. I don’t want to be the crash test dummy, but definitely was today.”

Posted on by Reid Spencer

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Roush Fenway Keselowski teammates Brad Keselowski and Chris Buescher swept Thursday night’s Bluegreen Vacation Duels, but a last-lap collision in the second race wiped out then-frontrunner Joey Logano and spoiled a perfect night for the Ford Performance entries.

Running second to Logano, Buescher made a move to the inside on the backstretch on Lap 60. Logano moved down to block, and contact between the cars sent Logano’s No. 22 Team Penske Ford into the outside wall, crippling the car.

RELATED: Daytona 500 lineup | Duel 1 results | Duel 2 results

The accident caused the only caution of the night, with Buescher in the lead when the field was frozen at the moment of the yellow flag. Defending Daytona 500 winner Michael McDowell was second and Harrison Burton was credited with third after nosing into Logano’s Ford.

In contrast, the first Duel — the first points-paying event with the NASCAR Cup Series’ new Next Gen race car — ran without incident, and Keselowski led a 1-2-3-4 Ford sweep with a pass of Ryan Blaney with four laps left. Austin Cindric was second, followed by Blaney and Chase Briscoe.

In that race, Kaz Grala rallied from a pit road speeding penalty and advanced to the Daytona 500 with a pass of JJ Yeley on the final lap. In the second Duel, Greg Biffle claimed the final spot in Sunday’s race with a 13th-place finish, eliminating Timmy Hill, who ran 20th.

Biffle, 52, was competing in his first Cup event since 2016.

But the excitement was reserved for the final lap of the final race, with Logano acknowledging the mistake that broke up another 1-2-3-4 Ford finish.

RELATED: Logano after wreck: ‘I just made a mistake’

The beneficiary was Buescher, who finished off the first sweep of the Duels by one organization since Hendrick Motorsports accomplished the feat in 2015 with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson.

“Yeah, what a way to start Speedweeks out here, to put both RFK Ford Mustangs in Victory Lane, give Fastenal their first win on a Cup car,” Buescher said. “It’s not the big show, but we’ve got a really good hotrod here.

“Just hats off to everybody back at the shop. I know it’s been a hectic off season for everybody in our sport, but we’ve had a lot of changes going on, and it’s cool to see it play out.”

A rueful Logano gave a succinct post-mortem of the wreck that will force him to a backup car for the Daytona 500.

“Driver screwed up,” Logano said. “That’s really all there is to it. “I thought I was still clear, and the run (from Buescher) came a lot quicker than I thought it would.

“I tried to block it a little bit and just got a tag in the left rear, and off it went. It’s my fault. It stinks because it tore up our car and kind of puts us in a spot as a race team. It’s just a dumb mistake.

In the first Duel, new team co-owner Brad Keselowski passed his former teammate Ryan Blaney to notch his first victory as a principle at Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing. NASCAR Hall of Fame owner Jack Roush joined Keselowski in Victory Lane after the race with smiles all around at the newly-reorganized Ford team’s first points-paying outing.

RELATED: Keselowski takes checkered flag in first Duel race

Cindric, Blaney and Stewart-Haas Racing’s Briscoe crossed the line three-wide .264-seconds behind Keselowski, giving Ford the four-car sweep.

“It sure is (a great start),” said Keselowski, who will now start third in the Daytona 500. “I felt pretty good about our car in practice on Tuesday.

“I’ve got to give credit to the other Fords. We worked really well together, Ryan Blaney, Chase Briscoe. We had great strategy… Austin Cindric… and we stuck together and drove away and got ourselves in position where we could control the finish of this race, and I’m happy to see all those Fords up front.

“Good job to all those guys’’ said Keselowski, whose No. 6 Ford carried a sticker honoring his father Bob, a former NASCAR competitor who passed away Dec. 2, 2021.

“This is special,” Keselowski said.

Daytona 500 polesitter and reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson led a race-best 34 of the 60 laps in Duel No. 1 but lost the lead when he and his Chevrolet teammates took four tires on the race’s only pit stop. The Ford teams took only two tires.

The first Duel set the inside line of the 40-car Daytona 500 — with cars lining up on the inside of the grid behind pole winner Larson according to their finish in the qualifying race. Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott, Erik Jones, Larson, Tyler Reddick, Kurt Busch and Ross Chastain rounded out the top 10 from the opening Duel.

RELATED: Buescher: ‘We’re in a good spot here’ | Keselowski reacts to win

The second Duel determined the order of the outside row, with drivers lining up according to finishing order behind Alex Bowman, who secured the second starting spot in Wednesday night’s qualifying session. Kyle Busch finished fourth behind the three Fords, with Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Christopher Bell and Martin Truex Jr. behind him.

Bubba Wallace ran seventh and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. eighth. Logano was credited with a lead-lap finish in ninth but will start from the rear on Sunday in his backup car.

Grala earned the transfer position from Duel 1 with a stunning last-lap pass of J.J. Yeley to put the No. 50 TMT Racing Chevrolet in the big show—much to the delight of Grala and his new The Money Team Racing team owner, boxer Floyd Mayweather.

“It’s a relief I can tell you that,” Grala said. “I thought we weren’t going to make it for a bit.

“But got the hiccups out the way, and hopefully will have a smooth Sunday,” he added, thanking Kurt Busch for allowing him to re-join the field’s established racing line after receiving a pit road speeding penalty with 24 laps to go.

RELATED: Denny Hamlin spins in second Duel race

After the penalty, Grala ran behind Yeley but said he never gave up hope and never got off the gas. He was able to make the pass coming out of Turn 2 on the final lap.

“Right down to that last lap, there was no relief,” Grala said. “The key was our line staying formed up and being able to roll by him and him not having a chance to hop down in front of anybody.

“Definitely took years off my life.”

Biffle had a much easier time than Grala, given that Hill fell off the lead lap early.

“It feels really good,” said Biffle, who returned to the Cup Series to drive for the NY Racing Team headed by John Cohen. “I’ll tell you, I have not slept much in the last couple days just trying to keep a cool composure.

“I’ve been nervous about this race because there’s so many things that can happen and so many ways it can go.”

Cup Series teams will have two more chances to tweak their race cars with Friday’s third practice session at 6 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, followed by Saturday’s final practice session at 10:30 a.m. ET on FS2 (coverage moves to FS1 at 11 a.m. ET).

Notes: Already locked into the Daytona 500 on speed, the Open car of Jacques Villeneuve had an issue with its throttle cable and was late to the pace laps for the second Duel. Villeneuve quickly lost the draft and fell behind, then retired from the race in 21st place on Lap 39.

RELATED: Grala reacts to making the Daytona 500

Post-race inspection in the NASCAR Cup Series garage was completed with no issues. All cars cleared inspection and results are official. The No. 6 RFK Racing Ford of Brad Keselowski and the No. 17 RFK Racing Ford of Chris Buescher are officially the winners of both Duels.

Posted on by Chase Wilhelm

As NASCAR ushers in a new era for the sport, Cup Series race director Jusan Hamilton is preparing to make history of his own in Sunday’s Daytona 500 (2:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

When drivers take the green flag for The Great American Race, Hamilton will be the first Black race director in Daytona 500 history. He’ll also be just the third different Daytona 500 race director since 1988, joining David Hoots and Tim Bermann in that span.

“A very proud accomplishment for me, personally,” Hamilton told NASCAR.com. “I’ve always said as I’ve set out on this journey to work in NASCAR and contribute to the sport that I’ve had a passion for since I was a kid, that I’ve wanted to contribute in a positive way. Both in helping lead the sport forward so we’re prepared for the future and reaching new audiences as we move toward that goal of growing the sport.”

RELATED: Daytona 101: TV schedule, qualifying format, entry list and more

Hamilton’s 10-year career in NASCAR racing operations has been a series of breaking down diversity barriers. In July 2018 at Pocono Raceway, he became the first Black race director in the Cup Series. In March 2017, Hamilton took the reins of race control booth for an Xfinity Series race at Auto Club Speedway.

Surely, making history in the Daytona 500 would come with pressure, but he’s focused on using previous knowledge from other Daytona races covered in years past, communicating with his team and studying notes to ensure he’s as prepared as possible.

“As long as I feel like I’ve put in the proper work leading into it, it’s more about executing and that’s what I’m focused on right now,” Hamilton said.

When he takes to the race director’s chair at the famed 2.5-mile superspeedway in NASCAR’s most prestigious race, he hopes it showcases that a career in the sport is within reach and paths are more available for those who feel it’s not a possibility.

“For me, it’s an accomplishment that I’ve put a lot of work into and a lot of effort into growing and building as a race director,” Hamilton said. “I hope, externally, it just sets a positive example for others that have an interest in motorsports that come from a diverse background or a background that you traditionally wouldn’t necessarily lead to being in motorsports or have a passion for motorsports like I do.”

Hamilton’s passion for racing started at a young age. At 10 years old, he dreamed of competing in the Daytona 500 and having a high level of success at the premier level. He grew up racing go-karts and mini sprints and eventually graduated to weekly Sportsman Modified cars around upstate New York, winning races and competing for track championships in the process.

While the lifelong vision to compete in the NASCAR national series realm wasn’t feasible at the time, Hamilton elected to end his driving career, earning a marketing communications and sociology degree at Ithaca College. After college, Hamilton earned a public relations internship at Watkins Glen International. He later accepted a position in the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Internship Program with a focus on racing operations.

“You don’t really realize how all that experience can contribute at this level, but I’m proud to say that it has and the degrees that racing led me to in college I still feel like I use those every day,” Hamilton said. “Whether it’s managing the Drive for Diversity program, managing relationships with our broadcast partners, race tracks and competition when it comes to the event schedules and all the operations that go into that. If it wasn’t for racing, I wouldn’t be on that path. While I’m glad I found the goal and direction that I did, very thankful for the time that I had driving growing up. It really gives me the foundation that allows me to be doing what I’m doing today.”

RELATED: The man behind digital content at 23XI Racing

Now, Hamilton manages the Drive for Diversity program and has served as race director for a number of Cup, Xfinity and Camping World Truck Series events since early 2017. He credits opportunities to witness the sport from competition, business and fan angles as a large part in setting himself up for success to this day.

“There’s a lot of great people in this sport that I have the pleasure to work with and to learn from and then be able to take that experience and apply that at this level as a race director,” Hamilton said. “Making sure the product that we put out there on Sunday is a product that has the highest integrity, is well organized like we did for the Clash and the way all that was managed. That’s the important part for me, just really being able to apply all those years of experience, even before working at NASCAR, at this level.”

While executing a flawless race is high on the priority list for his first Daytona 500 as race director, Hamilton’s goal is to be a role model, thinking back to days growing up when people wondered why a kid from New York would have a desire to take this route.

“For me, my family always instilled in me that it’s not about the color of your skin, it’s not about your ethnicity or your race, it’s just about what you do and the work that you put in and the goals that you achieve,” Hamilton said. “Having said that, I understand it can be hard.

“I hope that by the example I’m setting, young girls and boys have more of a freedom to pursue their goals and have that support system around them that can look at what I’m doing, or what others are doing and say, yes, it is possible.”

Posted on by RJ Kraft

Two of NASCAR’s finest superspeedway racers today are Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano. Between them, they have four Daytona 500 wins and nine wins on superspeedways.

Sunday’s 64th-running of the Daytona 500 (2:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) sees the two veterans as the top two favorites on the board via BetMGM’s odds with Hamlin at 8-1 and Logano at 9-1.

RELATED: Daytona 500 schedule | Odds for the 2022 Daytona 500 | Latest Daytona 500 news

How does each driver stack up for a head-to-head matchup for Sunday’s race? We’re breaking down key stats before the race to help inform potential bets as well as your Fantasy Live bonus picks. Remember, the Daytona 500 is the first full points race to utilize the Next Gen car.

Denny Hamlin Category Joey Logano
3 Daytona 500 wins 1
5 Superspeedway wins 4
15.9 Daytona avg. finish (all time) 18.1
8.3 Superspeedway avg. finish (last 8) 21.6
8 Better finish in last 10 races at Daytona 2

Verdict: The numbers favor Hamlin by quite a bit and that is largely skewed by the results of the last three years — which saw Hamlin win two of his three Daytona 500s. In that same span, Logano has had four finishes of 23rd-or-worse at Daytona, while Hamlin has had just one such finish in that stretch. I’d go Hamlin in this matchup but would also note to keep a close eye on the Bluegreen Vacations Duel races on Thursday night to see how the Fords and Toyotas perform in the draft.

Additional Cup featured matchups this week:

Chase Elliott vs. Kevin Harvick: This unexpected rivalry from last postseason pits the driver with the second-most points over the last six races at Daytona (Elliott) vs. a driver with back-to-back top fives in the Daytona 500 (Harvick). I like Elliott slightly in this one.

Michael McDowell vs. Justin Haley. McDowell is the defending race winner. Haley won the Daytona summer race in 2019. This is an intriguing matchup as both have a knack for strong superspeedway results. In a small surprise, I’m going with Haley.

Austin Dillon vs. Bubba Wallace. Both of these drivers have a superspeedway win — Dillon in the 2018 Daytona 500 and Wallace in last fall’s Talladega race. Daytona is where Dillon has his most top 10s at one track, while Wallace has three top fives here. This is a really close call as both will likely be in my fantasy lineup, but I’m leaning toward Wallace.

Don’t forget about the Xfinity Series featured matchups this week. Those involve Noah Gragson vs. Daniel Hemric, Sam Mayer vs. Landon Cassill and Myatt Snider vs. Anthony Alfredo. Gragson-Hemric is an especially intriguing one between a title contender and the 2021 champion. Gragson won this race in 2020 while Hemric posted top 10s in both Daytona races last year. I’d lean Hemric with Kaulig Racing’s superspeedway prowess being the decider for me.

Posted on by Terrin Waack

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The champ has spoken. Keep an eye on Tyler Reddick in 2022.

During Wednesday’s preseason Media Day at Daytona International Speedway, 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson predicted a career year for his junior competitor. Reddick drives the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet — just as a reminder of which car to follow once the season begins Sunday with the Daytona 500 (2:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM).

“I feel like when I watch him, I am watching myself just because we are both really aggressive,” Larson said. “And he seems to be even a little more aggressive and kind of keep things in control better than I could back when I was running really hard in Ganassi equipment trying to run up front.

“He’s the guy that I look at this year, that I feel like is going to have the breakout season and win a lot of races.”

DAYTONA 500: Weekend schedule | Betting odds | All-time winners

Larson, now with Hendrick Motorsports, spent his first six full-time seasons at Chip Ganassi Racing. It was in his third run that he broke through to Victory Lane. Reddick is about to begin his third year, too, trending in the same direction.

Image From Ios (4)
Alejandro Alvarez | NASCAR Digital Media

So far, in 74 career starts, Reddick has notched six top-five and 26 top-10 finishes. Those stats include three runner-up showings – 2020 at Texas Motor Speedway and 2021 at Homestead-Miami Speedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway’s Roval.

An already existing difference between the two drivers, though: Larson didn’t qualify for the playoffs until his third season. Reddick did in his second, by virtue of points. He was eliminated after the Round of 16 last year, ultimately finishing 13th in the standings.

“I don’t know,” Larson said. “I think Tyler Reddick is going to have an amazing season. I think he’s been the best car at all the tests. I think he showed last week at the Clash that he is really good.”

Reddick led a second-best 51 laps in the Busch Light Clash two weeks ago. His transaxle broke, however, with 97 laps remaining, leaving him 21st on the results sheet.

Before that, there were two Next Gen tests in January – one at Daytona, another at Phoenix Raceway. Reddick recorded the second-fastest speed Day 1 at Phoenix, falling short to Larson himself by 0.145 seconds. He was then 16th-fastest Day 2 at Daytona. His 50.218-second lap then can’t compare to his 48.788-second and 48.401-second runs Tuesday during the opening two Daytona 500 practices.

SPEEDWEEKS: Entry lists, qualifying procedure and more | Tuesday’s practice recap

“Well, unfortunately, I didn’t get to do any drafting while we were (testing) here,” Reddick said. “So, it’s really kind of opposite and I really want to learn what the car is capable of. I had Randall (Burnett, crew chief) all pissed off last night because I was dragging the brake and paying back into (Kevin) Harvick so he could push me around the race track. So, I am already being a little more aggressive than I should be, but what’s new?”

Nothing, if asking Larson.

Reddick did win back-to-back Xfinity Series championships between 2018-19 before he moved up to the Cup Series level. After he left, the Xfinity title went to Austin Cindric, who is once again a competitor as he joins the Cup ranks as a rookie this year. He, too, expects a checkered-flag breakthrough – and soon.

“Like, he’s been doing awesome, by the way,” Cindric said. “I say that because he’s my friend. But I’ve been waiting for the Tyler Reddick Cup win for a long time.”

Posted on by Steve Luvender

It’s fun to see who’s right and who’s wrong.

In what’s now become a NASCAR-Twitter tradition reaching its fifth season, we’ve again prompted you, the fans, to boldly and blindly tweet your Championship 4 picks before the season begins — only for us to file them away and unearth them during November’s Championship Weekend.

Last year, out of the whole darn internet, only one person, @RadiKyleOpinion, correctly guessed the 2021 Championship 4: Kyle Larson, Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin and Chase Elliott.

Hundreds of you have already tweeted your predictions for what the 2022 championship picture will look like — even before the green flag drops in the season-opening Daytona 500. Never mind the fact that this year the Cup Series races with the brand-new Next Gen car, there’s been no shortage of driver and team changes over the winter, and the 2022 schedule received a bit of a shakeup.

The NASCAR Cup Series in 2022 is, in a word, unpredictable. Yet, here you are, posting your predictions with nothing to gain and everything to lose.

https://twitter.com/ClutchandCoast/status/1493283297664905222

The theme from this year’s picks? A whole lot of defending champ Kyle Larson, and plenty of Kyle Busch, too. Fan faves Chase Elliott and Ryan Blaney were among your most popular picks as well, but several people seem to think Tyler Reddick might have something to say. And who knows?

And, as is tradition on Twitter, some of you wisecrackers and smart alecks chimed in and made a mockery of our totally serious game. Sigh.

Oh, and we’ve got some NASCAR.com team members participating. You’re encouraged to taunt them if they blow it; they’re the experts, after all. They’re supposed to know everything, including what happens in the future.

 

Fair warning: we’re not afraid to shame you if you’re wrong. Each year, we do a whole Hall of Shame and everything. It’s fun (for us, at least).

For those who put their necks — and egos — on the line by making public guesses with no points-paying races for the Next Gen race car yet in the books, we applaud you.

And if you don’t participate in our little game, well … you’re probably pretty smart. It’s going to be a season unlike any other. Making predictions nine months in advance is a dangerous game.

We’ll check in with everybody in November. Feel free to join in and hit that reply button with your 2022 Championship 4 picks before the Daytona 500, too.

Posted on by Reid Spencer

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — When it comes to racing in the Daytona 500, Denny Hamlin is in elite company.

He’s the only active NASCAR Cup Series driver with more than one victory in The Great American Race. In fact, in the last six years, Hamlin has triumphed three times in the season-opening points event.

Historically, only two drivers have more victories in the 500 than Hamlin — Richard Petty with an unassailable seven and Cale Yarborough with four. All three of the other drivers with three wins already have earned admission into the NASCAR Hall of Fame — Bobby Allison, Dale Jarrett and Jeff Gordon.

RELATED: Every Daytona 500 winner | Full schedule for Daytona events

Though Hamlin doesn’t consider the Daytona 500 a wild-card race per se, he does acknowledge that superspeedway racing increases the pool of possible winners.

So how has the driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota managed to win the race three times in his last six starts, and will his prowess carry over with the advent of NASCAR’s new Next Gen race car?

“In general, I just think I have a good understanding of the air here and how it moves around the walls,” Hamlin said Wednesday during Daytona 500 Media Day interviews. “Talladega is different. If you look at our results, we haven’t won as much at Talladega, but we’ve been pretty good. 

“Here, there is just something about, whatever it is, the banking or the width of the track, height of the walls or something that I just kind of know where those little pockets of air are, it seems like, that are a little bit better. 

“We have a new car now, and it’s going to move around a little bit different, and we will probably be learning just like everyone else will be this weekend. I don’t know that the advantage really will be as big as what it was in the past.”

Posted on by Tadd Haislop

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. — The annual John Blewett III Memorial 76 as part of the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing is special in part because of the silence that grips Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway prior to the race as competitors and fans alike pause to remember Blewett and other fallen heroes of modified racing.

But there was nothing quiet about the race itself once 38 Tour-Type Modifieds roared to life Wednesday night at the half-mile paved oval.

Matt Hirschman, who won Saturday night’s NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season-opener Saturday at New Smyrna, found himself in Victory Lane once again Wednesday after winning the John Blewett III Memorial 76 in convincing fashion.

FloRacing: Highlights from John Blewett III Memorial 76

The triumph marked Hirschman’s 200th career modified win. His mind after the race, though, was in the same place many were on an emotional night in central Florida.

“This race is special, because I raced with John,” Hirschman said of Blewett, who was killed at age 33 in a 2007 accident at Connecticut’s Thompson International Speedway. “I was in the race the night John was killed. It would be fitting for Jimmy (Blewett, John’s brother) to win this race, but we were the class of the field. We had a little more late and were able to pull away.

“The Blewett family — I’m thinking of them. I wouldn’t be at 200 wins if John would have raced longer. We were on paths to battle for a lot of wins. When I won my first North-South Shootout win, I’ll never forget him coming and congratulating me. I think he really appreciated a young driver like myself that owned their own car, set up their own car and did the stuff he did.

Jimmy Blewett finished second in the event, which runs 76 laps in honor of his late brother’s car number.

“Obviously wanted to win this one more than anything,” Blewett said. “Like I say every year, I finished second in one of my brother’s memorial races. We’ll keep coming back and trying.”

Jimmy Blewett was involved in the accident that killed his brother almost 15 years ago. At the time of his death, John Blewett III had been racing on the NASCAR circuit for 12 years. He won 10 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour races, including three in 11 starts in 2006. He finished third in series points in both 2001 and 2003.

The annual Tour-Type Modified feature as part of the World Series of Asphalt at New Smyrna is named in his honor, and it’s among the biggest races during the event’s nine-night span.

Wednesday night’s action featured a loaded field in front of a packed grandstand, much to the satisfaction of the late modified driver’s brother.

“I’m very thankful — and I know I’m speaking on my family’s behalf and everybody back home — that they’re continuing to keep my brother’s legacy alive,” Jimmy Blewett said. “My brother lived a short life. He was only 33 years old when he lost his life.

“To see the turnout, the people and the car count that comes year in and year out, to show the support not only to my family, but to our motorsports family as well, I just want to thank everybody back home who tuned in to watch the race. We’ll never forget John.”

Hirschman’s win marked his third victory in the John Blewett III Memorial 76; he also won in 2018 and 2019. He is now the first three-time winner of the event.

Craig Lutz, Joey Coulter and Patrick Emerling rounded out the top five Wednesday night. Spencer Davis, Tyler Rypkema, Andrew Krause, Teddy Hodgdon and J.R. Bertuccio completed the top 10.

Posted on by Zack Albert

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Two drivers for non-chartered teams can breathe with a measure of relief after locking in their Daytona 500 berths with Wednesday’s Busch Light Pole Qualifying. And what a contrast for those two.

Give one starting spot to Noah Gragson, the plucky 23-year-old Xfinity Series regular who pushed the No. 62 Beard Motorsports Chevrolet into the field with the fastest lap – 33rd overall – among the open teams. The other guaranteed berth went to Team Hezeberg’s Jacques Villeneuve, the 50-year-old Canadian who has a Formula 1 title and Indianapolis 500 win in his trophy case.

RELATED: Qualifying results | Daytona weekend schedule

Both will race in Sunday’s season-opening Daytona 500 (2:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) for the first time. The other four non-chartered drivers – Kaz Grala, Greg Biffle, JJ Yeley and Timmy Hill – will await their fate after Thursday’s Bluegreen Vacations Duel qualifying races (7 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM).

Gragson’s effort will mark his Cup Series debut. His bid to make The Great American Race with the Beard Motorsports group last year ended in heartbreak after a crash in the second Duel.

“It’s really emotional to be able to make the race after last year coming so close and went through adversity during qualifying last year and not being able to take time,” said Gragson, who has more part-time Cup Series duty on his 2022 schedule with Kaulig Racing. “Before the Duel last year, Ms. Beard said to just go out there and drive the piss out of it. So she told me that tonight before qualifying, too. Last year, not being able to make the race, it’s almost that much sweeter and you appreciate it that much more. ”

This year, Gragson celebrated with the family-run team, sharing hugs with owner Linda Beard on pit road after his lap. Beard and her children have continued the team’s legacy after the death of founder Mark Beard Sr. just two weeks before last year’s 500.

“Well, just being right here is a thrill,” Linda Beard said. “Because being a small team, and having this happen to us, which has happened before, we’ve made this race before, but not being here last year and having the tragedy of losing my husband makes this just so much more emotional for all of us and so much bittersweet for all of us. So it’s a thrill, and we are extremely grateful.”

2022 Feb16 Jacques Villeneuve Main Image
Alejandro Alvarez | NASCAR Digital Media

Villeneuve is scheduled for just his fifth Cup Series start and his first since 2013. He failed to qualify in his only other Daytona 500 bid, also driving a No. 27 entry for team owner Bill Davis in 2008. He’ll give Team Hezeberg, a part-time team with European roots, its first Cup Series appearance on the sport’s grandest stage.

Villeneuve was also all smiles after time trials, saying Thursday’s feat stood out on the list of his career accomplishments.

“Obviously, it’s not a win. It’s not like winning the Indy 500 or the F1 championship. But at this point in my career, the last time I tried to qualify here was 14 years ago, just to make the show is incredible,” Villeneuve said. “Because we’re a small team, we didn’t link up with a big team to to get the car ready, and it’s highly unexpected to be able to make it on time. So it ranks right after these big wins.”

The rest of the 40-car field will be sorted after Thursday’s 60-lap, 150-mile Duel races. Grala and Biffle were the fastest among the four drivers not already clinched, and both could rely on qualifying speeds to make the main event.