Posted on by PJ Walsh

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

Daytona Speedweeks is officially upon us!

Cars are on track Tuesday (5:05 p.m. ET, FS1) for the NASCAR Cup Series’ first two practice sessions of the week and will be back again Wednesday night for Daytona 500 qualifying (8:05 p.m. ET, FS1).

Daytona 500 odds are widely available, including outrights, finish props and driver matchups, though numbers might adjust after the qualifying session that will set the front row for Sunday’s race.

With this in mind, let’s take a look at two Featured Driver Matchups offering value right now.

RELATED: 2022 Daytona 500 odds | NASCAR BetCenter for the latest from The Action Network 

Daytona 500 Picks

*Odds as of Tuesday morning

Michael McDowell (+150) over Justin Haley

DraftKings Sportsbook has four featured driver matchups posted for the Daytona 500, and this is my favorite of the bunch. And, it’s not just my preferred matchup, but two of The Action Network’s verified experts have also gotten down on this bet as well.

Simply put, there’s no way that an accomplished superspeedway racer and defending Daytona 500 winner should be a +150 underdog to Haley in a race as unpredictable as this one.

Sure, Haley is a strong superspeedway performer as well, but this matchup is much closer to a coin flip than the current odds imply, making McDowell’s +150 side a very enticing one.

Bubba Wallace +3.5 (-110) over Austin Dillon

The reasons to like the matchup are almost exactly the same as the one above. Wallace won the most recent Cup Series race at Talladega last fall, so he’s clearly a driver who knows how to contend at superspeedways.

Dillon is the 2018 Daytona 500 winner, so he’s not too shabby in the draft, either, but again, there’s no way Austin should be such a heavy favorite in the matchup, especially for a race that projects to be extremely random.

By taking Wallace here, we’re getting a three-position buffer AND an underdog price of -110 odds.

Yup, that works for me.

Take a minute to download The Action Network App, which now includes live NASCAR odds and pick tracking as well as the option to follow all of our verified experts.

Posted on by Marcus DiNitto

The odds for the 2022 Daytona 500 are typically balanced, and not much is expected to change as Speedweeks progresses in Florida. 

MORE: Full Daytona schedule | Odds for the 2022 Daytona 500 | Daytona 101

Denny Hamlin, the race favorite, is priced between +800 and +1000 around the betting market. In fact, one bettor likes Hamlin so much that they placed a $10,000 bet on him at +800 at BetMGM to win the 2022 Daytona 500 — meaning the bettor would win $80,000 if the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing driver scores his fourth Daytona 500 victory. At multiple sportsbooks, 19 other drivers are listed at 30-to-1 odds or shorter. 

For non-superspeedway races, which are far more predictable than those run at Daytona or Talladega, the favorite’s odds don’t come close to double digits. But the tight pack of pricing for the Daytona 500 mirrors what we’re likely to see on the track this Sunday. 

Driver SuperBook Barstool BetMGM
Denny Hamlin +1000 +850 +800
Ryan Blaney +1200 +1200 +1200
Chase Elliott +1200 +1100 +1000
Joey Logano +1200 +1300 +900
Kyle Larson +1400 +1100 +1000
William Byron +1400 +1400 +1400
Kurt Busch +1600 +1800 +1800
Bubba Wallace +1600 +1600 +1800
Brad Keselowski +1800 +2000 +1600
Alex Bowman +2000 +2000 +1800
Kevin Harvick +2000 +2000 +1600
Kyle Busch +2000 +1600 +1600
Aric Almirola +2000 +2500 +2500
Austin Dillon +2500 +2200 +2500
Austin Cindric +3000 +3000 +2500
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. +3000 +2800 +2500
Christopher Bell +3000 +3000 +2500
Chris Buescher +3000 +3500 +3300
Tyler Reddick +3000 +3000 +2500
Martin Truex Jr +3000 +2200 +2000

While the race itself is preceded by a week’s worth of competitive events, it’s unlikely bettors will see significant odds movement by the time the green flag drops on The Great American Race.   

Two practice sessions Tuesday are followed by qualifying Wednesday, and then the Bluegreen Vacation Duels on Thursday. But Ed Salmons, vice president of risk management at SuperBook USA, doubts anything will transpire that will prompt major adjustments to his numbers. Salmons expects Hendrick Motorsports to be typically dominant in Daytona 500 qualifying — they’ve won six of the last seven poles for The Great American Race. And thanks to the nature of superspeedway racing, we’re not bound to learn much from the Duel races, either.

“It’s restrictor plates. It’s not like one of the guys or one of the teams is just going to drive away from the field,” Salmons said. “I just don’t see a lot that’s going to change things, but who knows, the Fords could look just dominant, and then yeah, they would all get lowered based on that.” 

Sharp Bettors’ Approach To Daytona 

Because of the randomness that comes with plate racing, it’s difficult even for sharp bettors to find an edge. Many sharps stay away from the outright market (betting on a driver to win the race) for Daytona and Talladega. 

“I don’t bet outrights on Daytona or Talladega,” bettor Blake Phillips said. “They’re challenging. Every once in a while, I might place a small bet, have a little bit of fun with it, but I don’t really have much of an expectation of having any sort of a plus-EV (positive expected value) portfolio on that.” 

Phillips will take a similar approach to Daytona he took for the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum, or any race for which past stats are of little handicapping value. (The Bristol Dirt Race is another example.)  

His approach: Try to spot betting market overreactions in the matchups (betting one driver to finish ahead of another). 

“I’m not betting outrights on (Daytona) because I’m not handicapping it really. I’m playing a very exploitative strategy at these type tracks and races,” Phillips said. “ … For Daytona, it’s just like, who can I get odds on that’s going to keep it clean long enough.” 

Treading Lightly Early In The Season  

As NASCAR rolls out the Next Gen car, bettors are taking a largely watch-and-learn approach this season, particularly when it comes to futures wagering (betting a driver to win the Cup championship). 

“It’s pretty quiet in that market,” Salmons said. ‘The best way I could sum it up is I think the public needs to see some of the new cars and the new teams first before they’re willing to bet it.  

“I’m sure once we get going, and let’s just say if all of a sudden the Penske cars are the best cars — it looked like they had a really good test in Phoenix — so if they come out and have a good showing, their odds will get lowered and people will probably bet them because it’s what they’re seeing. But I think there’s a lot of people just waiting and seeing what’s going to happen.” 

As he’s wont to do, pro bettor Zack White has made a few early long shot futures plays — Chase Briscoe at 750-to-1 odds and Alex Bowman at 30- and 25-to-1 (yes, again) — but he’ll watch how Next Gen racing unfolds and be ready to fire again.

RELATED: Title odds for the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season | Learn all about the Next Gen car

“Ignoring Daytona for the most part. Will re-assess championship odds after we see some data from Fontana,” White said in a text message.  

“I don’t think we can draw any major conclusions about where the teams are with the new car based on anything we saw at The Clash or anything that we will see at Daytona,” he added. “But who knows, maybe there will be strong market reactions that create opportunity. I’m keeping an eye on it.” 

For Phillips, who doesn’t get too involved in futures, the wait-and-see mentality applies to wagering on races, too, especially this season.  

“The beginning of the season is always kind of weird because with all the changes that happen from season to season, it’s always good to kind of start out light at the beginning,” Phillips said. “I weigh recency a lot heavier than previous results. And now that we’re switching over the Next Gen, we’ve got new team alliances, stuff like that, I’m going to be very, very conservative for the next month or two before I really get comfortable digging in as usual.” 

Marcus DiNitto is Senior News Editor at Gaming Today. He’s been covering sports business for 24 years and sports betting for 11. NASCAR is among the many sports Marcus enjoys betting but often loses on. Follow him on Twitter; do not bet his picks. 

Posted on by Official NASCAR Release

DAYTONA BEACH, FL — College students nationwide will have the chance to compete at Daytona International Speedway — virtually that is. National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR®) and NACE Starleague, the largest collegiate esports league in North America, announced today the launch of the eNASCAR College iRacing Series, bringing competitive sim racing to more than 500 colleges and universities nationwide.

The new series will be presented by NASCAR Official Partners Coca-Cola, Logitech, Playseat and Southern Computer Warehouse.

“Gaming and Esports are an important component of NASCAR, allowing us to reach new fans who are often engaging with the sport for the first time,” Nick Rend, managing director of gaming and Esports, NASCAR, said. “Our various eNASCAR initiatives have seen exponential growth. We felt this was the right time to extend our reach to a younger audience and launch the eNASCAR College iRacing Series to show students the opportunities that sim racing and our sport hold for them.”

More than 10,000 students will have the option to compete in the eNASCAR College iRacing Series through NACE Starleague, which was established in 2021 as a strategic partnership between the National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE) and CSL Esports, a Playfly Sports Company.

“It is paramount for CSL Esports and Playfly Sports to continue growing and expanding within NACE Starleague,” Rob Johnson, CEO, CSL Esports said. “Integrating sim racing as part of the league not only provides greater opportunity for students with varied gaming interests, but furthers our long-term mission of linking education, in this case engineering-focused knowledge, with Esports competition.”

The 2022 season opens on Thursday, Feb. 24 with the Playfly Sports 30 race at Daytona International Speedway. Qualifying takes place now through Monday, Feb. 21. The top 40 students who post the fastest qualifying times will advance to the race with the eNASCAR Scholarship Fund awarding the highest finishers a combined $50,000 in scholarships throughout the calendar year.

Students will compete with NASCAR Camping World Truck Series vehicles emblazoned with their school branding. Competition will be led via iRacing.com, the official simulation partner of NASCAR, which provides one of the top online racing simulation portals and features officially-sanctioned, laser-scanned replicas of race tracks around the world.

For more information or to register, visit https://www.enascar.com or https://www.cslesports.com.

Posted on by RJ Kraft

NASCAR Fantasy Live is back in action for the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season. Players can sign up right now to jump in on the action.

Accessing the game to set your roster can be done by logging into your account and going to the Fantasy page (NASCAR.com/Fantasy). You also can access the game by opening the NASCAR Mobile App, logging into your account and clicking the Fantasy icon on the bottom of the app. Mobile users can also opt in to receive fantasy alerts to help stay on top of their roster each week.

What is the roster composition?
The roster will consist of five starting drivers as well as a garage driver in reserve (more below on that). Picks will open approximately Tuesday of each race week, and driver and garage selections lock five minutes before the race start time.

How does the garage driver work?
Players can substitute their one garage driver for any starting driver up until the start of the Final Stage. Once the Final Stage starts, no more switches are allowed.

So which drivers end up scoring points?
The drivers ending the race in your main roster will comprise the drivers who make up your total score. These are also the drivers who will be counted as being used for that particular race. A driver who ends the race in the garage would not count as being used nor would his or her results count toward your score.

Are there any limits to how much a driver can be used?
Yes, players can only use a particular driver up to 10 times over the 26 regular-season races. A usage tracker will be displayed on your roster screen, showing the number of remaining driver uses you have during the season.

For the playoffs, driver uses will reset, and you can only use a particular driver up to five times over the 10 postseason races. Playoff rosters will consist of five starters and one garage driver. There will be no restrictions on how many playoff or non-playoff drivers you can or can’t use, but you will only be able to use drivers five times during the scheduled playoff portion of the season (slated to be Darlington Raceway on Sept. 4 to Phoenix Raceway on Nov. 6).

What is the scoring system?
The scoring will reflect NASCAR’s scoring system. For example, if Chase Elliott wins Stage 1 and Stage 2 and wins the race, he will earn players 60 fantasy points for that particular race, just as he would earn 60 points for himself in the season standings.

Drivers running in the top 10 at the end of Stage 1 and Stage 2 receive points, starting with 10 points for first, nine for second, etc. The race winner receives 40 points, while second place receives 35 points, third receives 34 points and all the way down to 1 point for drivers who finish 36th-40th.

Will the at-track post-race inspection model have an impact on scoring?
The results won’t be official until the at-track post-race inspection is complete — that should be about 90-120 minutes after the race. Since scoring mirrors that of the drivers in real life, it means if a driver in your lineup fails post-race inspection, your lineup would be subject to the same impact as the driver — last-place points. On the positive side, if you didn’t have a penalized driver in your lineup, the rest of the finishing order moves up, meaning you could potentially pick up points.

What are the bonus picks?
NEW THIS YEAR!!! The bonus picks are changing for the 2022 season and will revolve around four head-to-head matchups each race weekend. Players will receive a 10-point bonus for each correct pick of the driver with the higher finishing position in each of the four head-to-head matchups. Bonus picks lock five minutes before the race start time and DO NOT count against driver usage.

Will my leagues and teams from last year be available?
Yes, any team or league that was active at the end of last season will be available once you log in.

Can I copy my roster for multiple leagues?
Yes, you can copy your picks from one entry to another by using the copy icon located next to your entry name. Remember that rosters carry over each week so be sure to update and set your rosters each week to avoid going through all your uses in the first 10 races. 

What are the prizes I can win in Fantasy Live?
Ah, yes, let’s wrap up with the winnings breakdown. The top scorer for the season-opening Daytona 500 will win $10,000. The overall season winner (that’s the regular season plus playoffs) will win $25,000, while second place will receive $10,000 and third will get $5,000. The top scorer from the 10-race playoffs will win $10,000. The overall playoff winner (the team with the most points over the 10-race playoff period from Darlington to Phoenix) will win $10,000.

Posted on by Steve Luvender

The 2022 season marks a year of firsts — you know, new cars, new teams, new ways to totally botch your Fantasy Live lineups. While we can’t really predict what this year holds, our handy generator will give you some unsolicited predictions for the season ahead. If it comes true, it’s because the generator predicted it. If it never comes to fruition, well, it was fun to imagine.

 

Posted on by Tadd Haislop

William Byron’s first words in his Victory Lane interview Monday night at Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway quickly and perfectly explained why he spent the first day of 2022 Daytona 500 week competing in the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing.

“It’s just so much fun,” the 24-year-old NASCAR Cup Series driver told FloRacing.” The racing is so hard.”

Byron won Monday night’s Clyde Hart Memorial Super Late Model 100 on Night 4 of the World Series of Asphalt as he prepares to start his fifth season racing for Hendrick Motorsports in the Cup Series. He did so thanks to a clutch final restart with just four laps to go on the half-mile paved oval located just 12 miles south of Daytona International Speedway.

RELATED: Watch World Series of Asphalt live on FloRacing

Byron got a solid jump on the restart, but Gabe Sommers battled back to make the battle for the lead a two-wide endeavor heading into the penultimate lap. Contact between the two allowed Byron to pull ahead for good.

“(Sommers) raced me great,” Byron said. “I felt like he was a little quicker and doing a better job throughout that middle portion of the race. I didn’t have enough turn, and I kept trying to search. Ultimately just got a good restart to race side-by-side I felt like forever. He gave me a little shot into Turn 1, but overall it was really fun.

Byron, a native of Charlotte, North Carolina, became the first non-Floridian to win the Clyde Hart Memorial 100 since Steve Wallace took the checkered flag in the event in 2014.

Sommers, Sammy Smith, Derek Griffith and Justin Mondeik rounded out the top five.

Byron said he hopes to run at least seven more Super Late Model races in 2022 on top of his Cup Series schedule.

Below are more highlights from Monday’s Night 4 of World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing action:

  • Carsten DiGiantomasso won Monday night’s 602 Modifieds feature after accomplishing the same feat Sunday night. The 20-year-old from Jackson, New Jersey, made a crucial save again Monday after making what could be the save of the World Series on Sunday night. He will look to go three-for-three in 602 Modifieds on Tuesday evening. Paul Hartwig Jr., Evan Rygielski, Blake Barney and Jaden Brown completed the top five.
  • Craig Lutz held off Jimmy Blewett on the last lap of Monday night’s Tour Type Modified feature at New Smyrna. It marked Lutz’s third World Series of Asphalt victory in Tour Type Modified action. Jimmy Blewett, Patrick Emerling, Ron Silk and Teddy Hodgdon rounded out the top five.
  • Michael Hinde won Monday night’s Pro Late Model feature in his No. 69 machine. It marked his third World Series of Asphalt win in four nights at New Smyrna. He has a chance for a fourth win Tuesday night. Conner Jones, William Sawalich, Jean-Philipe Bergeron and Bryan Kruczek completed the top five.
  • Terry Fisher won the Florida Modified feature Monday for the second night in a row after finishing second in each of the first two nights this year at New Smyrna. Jerry Symons, Wayne Parker, Alan Bruns and David LeBeau rounded out the top five.
  • Tyler Catalano won the Tour-type Modifieds B-Main event Monday night ahead of Chris Ridsdale in second, Jonathan Laurigh in third, Chris Dewalt in fourth and Bud McIntyre in fifth.

Tuesday’s Night 5 action at the World Series of Asphalt features the ARCA Menards Series East’s season-opener, the Race to Stop Suicide 200 presented by Place of Hope.

Racing is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. ET and can be viewed live on FloRacing.

Posted on by FloRacing

People forget that sometimes sports are supposed to be fun. But nobody needed to remind William Byron of that Monday night. He was all smiles after he scored the victory in the Clyde Hart Memorial 100 for the Super Late Models at New Smyrna Speedway.

Byron, who races full-time for Hendrick Motorsports in the NASCAR Cup Series, decided to enter just two Super Late Model races at New Smyrna’s World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing, the second of which was Monday night’s event.

RELATED: Watch the World Series of Asphalt live on FloRacing

After starting fifth, Byron took his time to get to the front of the field. He moved into second four laps past halfway, and finally engaged leader Gabe Sommers with 30 laps to go.

When fourth-place runner Jackson Boone crashed on Lap 71, Byron lined up to the outside of Sommers on the restart leading to the best duel for position the division has seen this week.

Byron got a strong run on the restart, but Sommers refused to relinquish the position. Byron would inch ahead on the exit of the corners, but Sommers drove deep into turn one for four straight laps, making contact with the left-side door of Byron’s No. 24 each time. Finally, Byron was able to clear Sommers with 25 laps remaining.

Sommers didn’t quit, however. He stayed right with Byron and appeared to be faster than him as the final 10 laps wound down. Then the caution came out for a crash by Austin Thom with three laps to go.

Byron once again took the outside, putting Sommers on the inside. Both drivers spun their tires hard on the restart, but Byron was able to clear Sommers off turn two and hold on to take the victory.

“(Sommers) raced me great,” Byron said in Victory Lane. “I felt like he was a little quicker and doing a better job throughout that middle portion of the race. He gave me a little shot into one, but overall it was really fun.”

Now Byron turns his attention to the big track up the road the rest of the week as Daytona 500 activities kick off Tuesday night, but he said he expects to be back in a Super Late Model at least seven more times in 2022.

Race fans who missed Monday’s Clyde Hart Memorial 100 can watch the feature replay here.

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR reinstated Caesar Bacarella on Monday, and he is eligible to return to all NASCAR activity. Bacarella was suspended on Nov. 22 for violation of the league’s substance abuse policy.

Bacarella competed in five Xfinity races in 2021 behind the wheel of the No. 90 Chevrolet with a best finish of 12th in the season-opener at Daytona. He also co-owns Alpha Prime Racing and will attempt to qualify for the Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner. 300 in the team’s No. 45 Chevrolet to open the Xfinity Series season on Saturday, Feb. 19.

Posted on by Zach Sturniolo

The most storied event in NASCAR finally sits on our doorstep. The Daytona 500 is here to officially kick off the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season and the Next Gen era. Everything you need — from the event schedule to the qualifying format — is right here.

The 64th annual Daytona 500 (Sunday, Feb. 20, 2:30 p.m. ET) carries rich history as one of the most coveted triumphs in all of racing. Legends such as Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon, Richard Petty and Mario Andretti have all tasted victory within the high banks of the mammoth, 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway.

On Feb. 20, 40 drivers will compete in the Great American Race. Let’s dive into how the field will take shape over the course of six days in Daytona Beach:

SETTING THE GRID

Qualifying for the Daytona 500 is unlike any other points race on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule.

Single-car qualifying on Feb. 16 (8:05 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) will now have two rounds, with the top 10 speeds in Round 1 moving on to second round. The fastest two cars in Round 2 will lock in as the front-row starters for Sunday’s Great American Race.

The rest of the starting grid, however, follows a unique formula.

First, the single-car qualifying results will set the lineups for the Bluegreen Vacation Duels races on Thursday evening. Cars finishing first, third, fifth, seventh, etc. in single-car runs will comprise the field for Duel 1. The cars in even-numbered finishing positions in single-car qualifying will comprise the field for Duel 2. However, NASCAR will ensure there are an equal number of Open, or non-Charter teams, in each Duel race.

Then the results from the Bluegreen Vacation Duels will set the starting lineup for the Daytona 500. The finishers from Duel 1 will line up on the inside row in order of their Duel finish. Meanwhile, the finishers from Duel 2 will line up on the outside row in order of their Duel finish.

The fastest open team in each Duel race will qualify into the Daytona 500 field, while the two open teams with the fastest times from single-car qualifying that didn’t qualify through the duels will fill the last two spots in the 40-car field.

Additionally, the top-10 finishers in each Duel will receive points toward the regular-season championship. The winner will receive 10 points, the runner-up nine, and so on until the 10th-place finisher receives one point. No playoff points will be awarded through the Duel.

If rain washes out the Duel races, NASCAR will set the grid for the Daytona 500 by qualifying speeds, taking the four fastest Open cars to complete the 40-car field. If only the second duel is canceled, then the highest-finishing open team from the first duel and the three remaining fastest open teams from qualifying will advance.

WHAT CHANNEL IS THE DAYTONA 500 ON?

FOX Sports will have the full slate of NASCAR action in Daytona, including practice, qualifying and the Bluegreen Vacations Duels. Practice begins Tuesday, Feb. 15 at 5:05 p.m. ET, followed by the second practice at 6:35 p.m.

Wednesday features Daytona 500 pole qualifying presented by Busch Light at 8:05 p.m. ET, setting the front row for the marquee event as well as the starting lineups for Thursday’s two qualifying races, the first of which goes green at 7 p.m. ET on Feb. 17.

Friday (6 p.m. ET) and Saturday (10:30 a.m.) will feature one practice session each day for the Cup Series stars. Then, all that’s left is Sunday’s 64th running of the Great American Race.

See the full rundown of TV and national radio coverage below:

Date Time (E.T.) Event TV/Radio/Stream
Tuesday, Feb. 15 5:05 p.m. Daytona 500 practice FS1/MRN/FOX Sports App
Tuesday, Feb. 15 6:35 p.m. Daytona 500 practice FS1/MRN/FOX Sports App
Wednesday, Feb. 16 8:05 p.m. Daytona 500 qualifying FS1/MRN/FOX Sports App
Thursday, Feb. 17 7 p.m. Bluegreen Vacations Duel 1 FS1/MRN/FOX Sports App
Thursday, Feb. 17 8:45 p.m. (approx.) Bluegreen Vacations Duel 2 FS1/MRN/FOX Sports App
Friday, Feb. 18 6 p.m. Daytona 500 practice FS1/MRN/FOX Sports App
Saturday, Feb. 19 10:30 a.m. (FS1 at 11 a.m.) Daytona 500 practice FS2/MRN/FOX Sports App
Sunday, Feb. 20 2:30 p.m. Daytona 500 FOX/MRN/FOX Sports App

RELATED:  Active drivers with a Daytona 500 win | See every Daytona 500 winner

ENTRY LISTS: Cup | Xfinity | Truck

Entry

Veh #

Driver

Organization

Crew Chief

Veh Mfg

Sponsor

1

1

Ross Chastain

TrackHouse Racing

Phil Surgen

Chevrolet

Advent Health

2

2

Austin Cindric

Team Penske

Jeremy Bullins

Ford

Discount Tire

3

3

Austin Dillon

Richard Childress Racing

Justin Alexander

Chevrolet

Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Off Road

4

4

Kevin Harvick

Stewart Haas Racing

Rodney Childers

Ford

Busch Light #BUSCHRACETEAM

5

5

Kyle Larson

Hendrick Motorsports

Cliff Daniels

Chevrolet

HendrickCars.com

6

6

Brad Keselowski

RFK Racing

Matt McCall

Ford

Kohler Generators

7

7

Corey Lajoie

Spire Motorsports

Ryan Sparks

Chevrolet

Built.com

8

8

Tyler Reddick

Richard Childress Racing

Randall Burnett

Chevrolet

3CHI

9

9

Chase Elliott

Hendrick Motorsports

Alan Gustafson

Chevrolet

NAPA Auto Parts

10

10

Aric Almirola

Stewart Haas Racing

Drew Blickensderfer

Ford

Smithifeld

11

11

Denny Hamlin

Joe Gibbs Racing

Chris Gabehart

Toyota

FedEx Express

12

12

Ryan Blaney

Team Penske

Jonathan Hassler

Ford

Menards\Blue DEF\PEAK

13

14

Chase Briscoe

Stewart Haas Racing

John Klausmeier

Ford

Mahindra Tractors

14

15

David Ragan

Rick Ware Racing

Michael Hillman

Ford

Select Blinds Ford

15

16

Daniel Hemric (i)

Kaulig Racing

Matt Swiderski

Chevrolet

Heritage Pool Supply Group

16

17

Chris Buescher

RFK Racing

Scott Graves

Ford

Fastenal

17

18

Kyle Busch

Joe Gibbs Racing

Ben Beshore

Toyota

M&M’s

18

19

Martin Truex Jr.

Joe Gibbs Racing

James Small

Toyota

Bass Pro Shops

19

20

Christopher Bell

Joe Gibbs Racing

Adam Stevens

Toyota

DeWalt

20

21

Harrison Burton

Wood Brothers Racing

Brian Wilson

Ford

Motorcraft \ Dex Imaging

21

22

Joey Logano

Team Penske

Paul Wolfe

Ford

Shell Pennzoil

22

23

Bubba Wallace

23XI Racing

Bootie Barker III

Toyota

McDonald’s

23

24

William Byron

Hendrick Motorsports

Ryan Fugle

Chevrolet

Axalta

24

27

Jacques Villeneuve

Team Hezeberg

Josh Reaume

Ford

 Hezeberg Engineering Systems

25

31

Justin Haley

Kaulig Racing

Trent Owens

Chevrolet

LeafFilter Gutter Protection

26

34

Michael McDowell

Front Row Motorsports

Blake Harris

Ford

Love’s Travel Stops

27

38

Todd Gilliland

Front Row Motorsports

Seth Barbour

Ford

First Phase Credit Card

28

41

Cole Custer

Stewart Haas Racing

Mike Shiplett

Ford

HaasTooling.com

29

42

Ty Dillon

Petty GMS Motorsports

Jerame Donley

Chevrolet

Black Rifle Coffee Company

30

43

Erik Jones

Petty GMS Motorsports

David Elenz

Chevrolet

FOCUSfactor

31

44

Greg Biffle

NY Racing Team

Jay Guy

Chevrolet

 Grambling State University

32

45

Kurt Busch

23XI Racing

Billy Scott

Toyota

Monster Energy

33

47

Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

JTG Daugherty Racing

Brian Pattie

Chevrolet

Kroger/ Irish Spring

34

48

Alex Bowman

Hendrick Motorsports

Greg Ives

Chevrolet

Ally

35

50

Kaz Grala

TMT Racing

TBA

Pit Viper Sunglasses

36

51

Cody Ware

Rick Ware Racing

Billy Plourde

Ford

Nurtec ODT Ford

37

55

JJ Yeley (i)

Motorsports Business Management

George Church

Toyota

Hex.com

38

62

Noah Gragson (i)

Beard Motorsports

Darren Shaw

Chevrolet

Beard Motorsports/Southpoint

39

66

Timmy Hill (i)

Motorsports Business Management

Jeff Weaver

Toyota

Bumper.com

40

77

Landon Cassill (i)

Spire Motorsports

Kevin Bellicourt

Chevrolet

Fox Nation

41

78

BJ Mcleod

Live Fast Motorsports

Lee Leslie

Ford

NASCAR Ignition

42

99

Daniel Suarez

TrackHouse Racing

Travis Mack

Chevrolet

Tootsies Orchid Lounge

(i) = Ineligible for driver championship points

LOOKING BACK AT THE LAST ONE

The 2021 Daytona 500 began with a bang when Christopher Bell and Aric Almirola collided on the backstretch on Lap 15, triggering a 16-car accident that took out contenders like Ryan Blaney, Alex Bowman and 2008 race winner Ryan Newman.

With a Daytona 500 victory on the line, chaos broke loose on the final lap.

Joey Logano led Brad Keselowski and Michael McDowell down the backstretch with eager drivers in tow. Keselowski got a run on his then-teammate at Team Penske and looked low, but Logano moved to defend. Those decisions resulted in calamity as Logano spun low, Keselowski went into the outside wall and then was T-boned by Kyle Busch, collecting numerous cars in the carnage.

RELATED: Scenes from the 2021 Daytona 500

Meanwhile, at the front of the field, McDowell edged ahead of Chase Elliott and Austin Dillon at the moment of caution and was declared the winner for the first time in his NASCAR Cup Series career.

Posted on by Chase Wilhelm

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Rajah Caruth accepted the 2021 Wendell Scott Trailblazer Award at the Wendell Scott Legacy Gala on Saturday night at the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Each year, the award honors a young minority or female driver in the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series who is breaking barriers and paving a unique way up the sport’s ladder.

After winning his first Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series race at Greenville Pickens Speedway in Easley, S.C. in 2020, Caruth spent the 2021 season racing a part-time ARCA Menards Series schedule.

“To have the support of the Scott family, it’s a lot of responsibility to receive it,” Caruth told NASCAR.com. “I mean, it’s only year four for me, so it means a lot. I’m excited to add to that legacy and do what I’m supposed to do on and off the race track.”

RELATED: Caruth spotlighted for Black History Month

This year, the 19-year-old from Washington, D.C. will run the full ARCA Menards Series schedule. He will also compete in select NASCAR Xfinity Series races driving for Alpha Prime Racing, with the first scheduled for April 2 at Richmond Raceway.

Caruth’s goals are lofty in the ARCA Menards Series where he hopes to compete for the overall drivers’ championship. As for his first efforts in the Xfinity Series, he’ll look to conserve equipment, gain experience and earn top-15 runs in the process. The nerves of a massive season for his career haven’t set in yet, but Caruth knows they will be unavoidable.

“I mean, race day, obviously you get nerves,” Caruth said. “If you don’t get them, it means you don’t care. None right now, but once we start getting closer to Richmond, it’s less than two months away now that I think about it, the nerves will get crazy once it gets closer. Just going to do what I’m supposed to do and have a good run.”

“We couldn’t be more proud of the success that Rajah’s had in his development,” Brandon Thompson, NASCAR’s Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion, told NASCAR.com. “Him winning the Wendell Scott Trailblazer Award was really just the next natural progression in his development as a driver. What he was able to do over the past couple of years in the weekly series, to be able to notch four wins coming right out of a racing simulator, essentially, is huge.”

As Driver for Diversity alumnus Bubba Wallace continues to ascend in the NASCAR Cup Series following his first career victory at Talladega Superspeedway last season, Caruth is making a name for himself in his own right.

“We talk about Bubba Wallace and what he’s done, but for someone to be a direct reflection of Bubba and start to make their ascent in the sport at the same time as Bubba is on the course of reaching his prime is really important for us,” Thompson said. “It adds depth to the system.”

RELATED: Learn more about Caruth

The Wendell Scott Foundation Legacy Gala focuses on raising public awareness and large corporate and individual donations to support students through the foundation. This year marked the fourth annual event, which was moved from Danville, Virginia to the NASCAR Hall of Fame for the first time.

Backed by a number of corporate sponsors, including NASCAR, the foundation raised money through a live auction, which included a number of NFTs featuring a digital edition of Scott’s Jacksonville 200 trophy commemorating his historic victory on Dec. 1, 1963 at Speedway Park in Jacksonville, Florida. The trophy was originally awarded to Scott’s family during pre-race ceremonies at the 2021 Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway.

“For NASCAR to be able to support the Wendall Scott Foundation and all they’re trying to do for the lives of youth in the community is exactly where NASCAR wants and needs to be,” Thompson said. “We couldn’t be more proud to support the Wendell Scott Foundation and their efforts and also honor the Hall of Famer, Wendell Scott, and all he did to move the sport forward.”