Over the past three weeks, NASCAR.com has previewed the Cup Series teams for the 2021 season. Find out what’s new with each team, plus get a team outlook and analysis on the drivers before this year’s Daytona 500 on Feb. 14 at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX. See driver odds for the championship as well as fantasy rankings.
Team previews were rolled out with new teams first and then ranked in reverse order of best finish in last year’s owner standings. Here are all the team previews in one place:
The following article is brought to you by BetMGM.
Start your engines. It’s time to go racing at the legendary Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway once again.
It’s only been three months since Chase Elliott ended the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series with impressive back-to-back wins and his first championship, but as seems the norm these days, that feels like a lifetime ago. The short offseason gives way to NASCAR’s biggest and most exciting race of them all. And while every driver in the field will dream of lifting the Harley J. Earl Trophy, you can be winners too if you pay attention to our betting preview below.
If you enjoy staying in the conservative right lane with established veteran drivers, this year’s top two are Denny Hamlin (19 top-fives in 60 races at Daytona and Talladega) and Brad Keselowski (six wins, 10 top-fives in 47 attempts). Both are solid choices to add to your betting slip.
In fact, this year, we like the favorite, Denny Hamlin, to win The Great American Race.
Denny Hamlin +800
2021 feels like it could be a massive year for Hamlin. He has one of the fastest cars on the track and a great team behind him. He also has happy memories of the Daytona 500, having won the race for two consecutive years and three times overall.
No modern driver has had more success at the Daytona 500 than the defending race champ. In 30 career races at Daytona, Hamlin has 10 top-five finishes and three victories to his name. Hamlin won last year’s race in NASCAR Overtime, and his dominance was illustrated by his field-leading 79 laps led, a full 49 more than Brad Keselowski, who was next-best at 30 laps.
Hamlin was among the favorites last year and delivered at +1000, and we like him again this year at +800 with BetMGM. Despite being the favorite, +800 represents value that can’t be overlooked.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. +2000
Stenhouse Jr. is one of the most exciting and wild drivers in the sport, bringing Ricky Bobby’s famous line “if you ain’t first, you’re last” to life in an aggressive, thrill-a-minute driving style.
For bettors, Stenhouse’s approach can lead to some frustrating outings, like when he crashed on the first lap at Darlington in 2020, but his hit-and-miss nature bumps his odds skyward with the oddsmakers.
Stenhouse won at Daytona in 2017 (in the summer), and he’s been competitive seemingly every time he shows up at this race. Last year, Stenhouse won the Busch Pole Award and led the third-most laps of all drivers behind only eventual winner Hamlin and Brad Keselowski.
There are several reasons Ryan Preece is interesting. First, three of his five career top-10 finishes have come at Daytona (1) and Talladega (2). His lone career top-five finish was at Talladega, a superspeedway like Daytona. He also looked very strong during Thursday’s qualifying duel race, taking fifth ahead of two-time defending Daytona 500 champion Denny Hamlin and other talented veterans.
Preece actually clinched his spot in Sunday’s field when he qualified on speed Wednesday. He didn’t have to sweat through Thursday’s duels, wondering if there would be a token spot remaining. But he firmly locked up his place with Thursday’s showing. His car is fast, he raced well in his duel and he has a history of strength at superspeedway tracks. Keep an eye on Preece at 80-to-1.
NASCAR announced two more Daytona 500 entries will drop to the rear of the field for Sunday’s race after parts changes – and one of the teams, the No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet squad of Erik Jones, will also start from the rear the following week at the Daytona Road Course.
Jones (engine change; qualified: 31st) and Martin Truex Jr., who drives the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota (radiator/oil cooler change; qualified: 26th), join six additional cars moving to the rear.
The No. 43 team violated Rule 20.6.1.2.e (Single Engine Rule) of the NASCAR Rule Book, which states that if a team swaps engines in the primary car after the Duel races, the team is subject to moving to the rear of the field for both the Daytona 500 and the ensuing race. This rule is in place to prevent teams from having an engine only used for qualifying.
The remaining six cars previously announced incurred damage in Thursday night’s Bluegreen Vacation Duel races and will switch to a backup entry.
Hendrick Motorsports driver Alex Bowman is on the Busch Pole. His teammate, William Byron, will officially be credited with a second-place starting position, although he’s among those who will drop to the back after the Thursday night wreck in Duel 2.
New season, new beginning, right? Nobody really knows what’s in store for 2021 — I mean, we certainly didn’t foresee the rollercoaster that was 2020 — but that doesn’t mean we can’t try to predict. Our generator will tell you what’s up with your driver in the coming racing season. You know, just to put it out there in the universe.
William Byron will make a bid for a history-making third straight Daytona 500 victory in Sunday’s running of the “Great American Race” (1:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, HBO Max). Thirteen drivers have won the crown-jewel race more than once, but only five drivers have gone to the 500’s Victory Lane in back-to-back years.
Three consecutive? It’s a club so exclusive, no one has joined it yet.
Luck or not, the record books have smiled on a quartet of drivers — Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough, Sterling Marlin, Denny Hamlin and most recently Byron — for consecutive Daytona 500 wins. Here’s a look back at the race’s repeaters and what happened in their three-peat attempts.
Richard Petty
1973: Stock-car racing’s “King” scored the fourth of his seven Daytona 500 triumphs, benefiting from quick service that put his No. 43 Dodge out front after his last pit stop. Buddy Baker had dominated by leading 156 of the 200 laps and was gaining on Petty after his final stop, but the engine in his Nord Krauskopf-owned No. 71 entry failed with six laps remaining. That cleared the way for Petty to win by two laps over runner-up Bobby Isaac. “It’s just a thrill to win it one time,” Petty told reporters. “But to win it four times is really unbelievable.”
RacingOne | Getty Images
1974: Petty rallied after a blown tire with 50 miles remaining to post his fifth Daytona 500 triumph and the 155th Cup Series win of his career. The same tire fate fell on Donnie Allison, Petty’s prime challenger, but he was unable to recover as quickly and his No. 88 DiGard Racing Chevrolet wound up sixth, one lap down. The race was shortened by 20 laps because of the nation’s energy crisis. “Winning the first one was great. Winning the next three times was greater,” Petty said. “Five times is even greater.” Asked about what that left for the future, Petty quickly replied: “Coming back and winning the sixth one next year.”
1975: Petty led 51 of the 200 laps in his try at a triple play, but an overheating engine resulted in multiple pit stops and put him seventh at the finish, eight laps off the pace. That left the door open for Benny Parsons to drive from a 32nd starting position to his lone victory in the 500; he led the final three laps, pouncing after David Pearson’s spin from the lead. While Petty didn’t contend for the win, he played a role in the outcome. Parsons latched onto Petty’s car in an aerodynamic draft, allowing him to gain on Pearson in the closing laps. “Richard Petty was the answer to my prayers,” Parsons said.
Cale Yarborough
1983: Yarborough set a qualifying record (200.503 mph) in his first lap, but his No. 28 Chevrolet was totaled on Lap 2, forcing his Harry Ranier team to a reserve car. That back-up Pontiac proved to be a winner, as Yarborough zipped past Buddy Baker with a slingshot pass on the final lap, then held off Bill Elliott by five car lengths at the end. “That’s the way I had it planned,” said Yarborough, a three-time Cup Series champ. “This is just a game of checkers.”
RacingOne | Getty Images
1984: Yarborough’s Daytona 500 repeat had a strikingly similar chain of events. The No. 28 was competitive again, leading a race-high 89 laps after starting from the pole position, but he again sprang from second place on the final lap, converting a slingshot move on the backstretch for the second straight year. This time, Darrell Waltrip was Yarborough’s foil, leading at the white flag but fading to third at the finish. “Darrell couldn’t have done anything,” Yarborough said. “He was a sitting duck. I would have hated to be in his place.”
1985: Bill Elliott’s show of historic speed in his No. 9 Ford proved to be too much as the Georgian sped to his first Daytona 500 crown. Yarborough started second and led 32 laps, but his engine expired after just 60 laps, leaving him to finish 36th in the 40-car field. “Boy, what a disappointment … what a way to go,” Yarborough told reporters. “Fall out when you are running for the lead. I thought I really had a shot at winning that third in a row. It’ll have to wait, either for me or for someone else now.”
Sterling Marlin
RacingOne | Getty Images
1994: Marlin’s winless streak ended on NASCAR’s biggest stage, snapping a 278-race drought at the start of the season with a Daytona 500 victory. With a Runt Pittman-tuned engine under the hood of his No. 4 Morgan-McClure Chevrolet, Marlin led the final 21 laps and held off Ernie Irvan — the team’s former driver — by .19 seconds at the end. “It gives me a lot of satisfaction to win a race,” Marlin said. “I knew I could do it if I got with the right race team.”
1995: Marlin’s success with Morgan-McClure continued for another Daytona Speedweeks with a dominant day in the 500. The Tennessee driver led 105 of 200 laps and extended runner-up Dale Earnhardt’s dry spell in The Great American Race. “He’s won a lot of races, but he hasn’t won this one. He’s won seven championships, and I know he wants to win the Daytona 500. Maybe I’ll let him win one when I quit,” Marlin said with a grin.
1996: Marlin went from his best two Daytona 500 finishes to his worst, as engine failure abbreviated his Sunday outing to just 81 laps and left him 40th in the official rundown. Dale Jarrett drove his Robert Yates Racing No. 88 Ford to victory, but Marlin wasn’t around to contend for his third straight 500 triumph. “With this car, we either win, run second or we’d blow up somewhere,” Marlin said. “… That’s the same motor we won with here last year, but it didn’t quite make it this time.”
Denny Hamlin
Brian Lawdermilk | Getty Images
2019: Hamlin headed a 1-2-3 finish for Joe Gibbs Racing to score his second Daytona 500 victory, fending off runner-up Kyle Busch and third-place teammate Erik Jones in an overtime finish. Hamlin dedicated the win to JGR’s J.D. Gibbs, who passed away earlier in the year. “It was just one of those days where I felt like it was meant to be,” said Hamlin, who led 30 of the 207 laps and ended his own 47-race drought in the Cup Series.
2020: The No. 11 Toyota emerged from a frantic overtime finish, edging Ryan Blaney at the checkered flag by less than a fender. Hamlin drove from third to first in the home stretch, capitalizing when Blaney tangled with leader Ryan Newman, who was seriously injured in the race-ending crash. “We’ve defied odds here in the last eight years or so in the Daytona 500, but just trust my instincts, and so far they’ve been good for me,” Hamlin said. “I can’t do it without the car.”
2021: Hamlin carried high hopes to claim a piece of history by landing on the winning end of the season opener yet again, leading a race-best 98 of 200 laps. But he was shuffled back after the last round of pit stops and unable to mount a victorious charge. Hamlin tiptoed through a final-lap crash that flared at the front of the pack, but a top-five result was the best he could muster. “We didn’t execute too good on pit road,” Hamlin lamented. “It was just like the (Duel qualifying race). We came out in front of everybody, and didn’t have any help to get up to speed. They all blew by us because they were single file, so it just took away the power that I got and that’s getting through traffic. The fact we came back to fifth there from 12th on the last couple of laps is pretty good. Dominant car.”
William Byron
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
2024: Byron prevailed in The Great American Race for the first time, kicking off a special anniversary season by winning 40 years to the day that Hendrick Motorsports made its first Cup Series start. “You couldn’t write the script any better, 24 in ’24,” said a jubilant team owner Rick Hendrick, who has fielded cars for six different Daytona 500 winners. Byron led just four of the 200 laps, but was ahead when it mattered, steering clear of a multi-car tangle as Austin Cindric and Ross Chastain collided as the white flag was unfurled. He led a 1-2 finish with Hendrick Motorsports teammate Alex Bowman taking the runner-up spot. “Just extremely blessed and thankful for all the opportunities, and we just want to keep it going.” Byron said.
2025: The No. 24 was left standing after an overtime stack-up on the final lap as he converted a daring escape to land his second straight Harley J. Earl Trophy. Byron was ninth as the field crossed under the white flag, and he said he “trusted his instincts” to avoid the bedlam in front of him, triggered by contact between Cole Custer and Denny Hamlin at the front. “I’m just super thankful for this group and everything that they do in the offseason to get prepared,” said Byron, who has scored three of his 16 career Cup Series victories at the 2.5-mile Daytona track.
The 2021 Daytona 500 is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. ET Sunday on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Here is everything you need to know for watching the 63rd annual running of The Great American Race.
SCHEDULE
Pre-race coverage for the Daytona 500 will begin at 11 a.m. ET with NASCAR RaceDay on FS1. NASCAR RaceDay will move over to FOX at 1 p.m. ET, leading up to the race at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX, FOX Deportes, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio and in Canada on TSN 1 and TSN 4.
Driver introductions for the Daytona 500 are set for 2:05 p.m. ET. Grand marshal Pitbull will give the command for drivers to start their engines at 2:53 p.m. ET. Then, the green flag for the Daytona 500 is expected to wave at 3:05 p.m. ET.
The race is scheduled for 200 laps. Stage 1 is set to end at Lap 65, Stage 2 at Lap 130 and the checkered flag at the conclusion of Lap 200. Speedweeks schedule
ODDS
Denny Hamlin, winner of the last two Daytona 500s and three overall, opened as the favorite to win this year’s race at 8-1,according to BetMGM.
Three drivers — defending NASCAR Cup Series champion Chase Elliott, Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney — are the next-best drivers at 10-1.
No driver has won three consecutive Daytona 500s. Besides Hamlin the only other drivers to get back-to-back wins are Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough and Sterling Marlin. See photos of all the back-to-back winnersof the Daytona 500.
TICKETS
Tickets are sold out for the Daytona 500. There will be a limited crowd because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. However, Daytona International Speedway is doing all it can to engage with fans who have to miss this year’s race in-person.
Race fans can virtually fill the 500 thanks to the Daytona 500 Fancam. Find out how you can addyour personal cutout to the crowd.
WHO’S ON THE POLE FOR THE DAYTONA 500?
Alex Bowman won the Busch Pole Award in the No. 48 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. Teammate William Byron, in the No. 24 Chevrolet, will join him on the front row for the Daytona 500.
This is the second time Bowman has won the Daytona 500 pole, the other time coming in 2018. Bowman is the ninth straight Chevrolet driver to win the Daytona 500 pole, dating back to Danica Patrick in 2013. See all the Daytona 500 pole winners.
HOW DAYTONA 500 QUALIFYING WORKS
Wednesday’s pole qualifying set the front row for the Daytona 500. The results of Thursday night’s Bluegreen Vacations Duels at Daytona set most of the rest of the Daytona 500 lineup. Thirty-six teams with NASCAR Charters were guaranteed a spot in the 40-car field, with the four remaining spots going to Open teams. There were eight Open teams competing for those four spots. Ryan Preece and David Ragan guaranteed their Open teams a spot during Wednesday’s qualifying, and Austin Cindric and Kaz Grala raced their way in on Thursday. How qualifying works for Daytona 500.
DAYTONA 500 WINNERS IN THE FIELD
Denny Hamlin (3), Kurt Busch, Austin Dillon, Kevin Harvick, Ryan Newman, Jamie McMurray, Joey Logano.
RULES PACKAGE
NASCAR’s superspeedway rules package will be in effect for the Daytona 500. NASCAR made some changes to the package last year, including the elimination of aero ducts. There was also a reduction in the size of the throttle body and the addition of two roll bars.
GOODYEAR TIRES
Each team gets seven sets of Goodyear Eagle Superspeedway Radials for practice, qualifying and the Duels and then eight sets for the race (seven race sets plus one set transferred from qualifying). The minimum recommended inflation is 26 psi for left front and left rear, 50 psi for right front and 48 psi for right rear. The thread compounds Cup teams will use this week have remained unchanged since 2017, with tire constructions being updated to a more traditional speedway setup in 2019.
STATS TO KNOW
NASCAR is again partnering with Racing Insights, and it dropped this knowledge on us for the Daytona 500:
— Only eight races will have practice and qualifying in 2021: the Daytona 500, Bristol Motor Speedway dirt, Circuit of the America, Charlotte Motor Speedway’s Coca-Cola 600, Nashville Superspeedway, Road America, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course and Phoenix Raceway.
— It’s the 25-year anniversary of Jeff Gordon getting his first of three Daytona 500 wins in a Hendrick Motorsports 1-2-3 finish in 1997.
— Martin Truex Jr. (2016), Ryan Blaney (2017, 2020), Bubba Wallace (2018) and Kyle Busch (2019) have all finished runner-up in the Daytona 500 but have yet to win.
— Tony Stewart has the most laps led in the Daytona 500 (299) without a win. Kyle Busch is second to Stewart with 296 laps led without a win.
FANTASY LIVE
NASCAR Fantasy Live is back this year and gives race fans an extra reason to tune in Sunday. Players will again get the chance to insert their garage (backup) driver in case one of the five drivers in their original starting lineup is having a bad day.
There will be a limit of 10 uses for each driver, so you can’t just set and forget with Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin every week. But there will be some new twists to this year’s game, particularly with bonus points where players can pick the top driver from each manufacturer – and more. Read the Fantasy Live FAQ to find out more.
ALSO ON NASCAR.COM
Get additional camera views by logging on to NASCAR Drive, where each week a select number of in-car cameras will be available – as well as a battle cam and an overhead look.
New for this season, NASCAR has partnered with LiveLiketo add fan engagement in the NASCAR Mobile App. Log in to the mobile app during the race for polls, quizzes, the cheer meter and more – and see instant results from NASCAR fans like you.
A late crash in Thursday’s second Daytona 500 qualifying race knocked out one of the front-row starters for the Great American Race and shook up the contest for one of the final starting berths.
Contact between the No. 13 Ford of Garrett Smithley and Brad Keselowski’s No. 2 Ford triggered a multi-car tangle with four laps left in regulation, pushing the second Bluegreen Vacations Duel at Daytona to overtime. The wreck also snared the Open cars of Smithley and Noah Gragson, helping Kaz Grala secure one of the final Daytona 500 berths.
Left in the wake was a mangled No. 24 Chevrolet for second-place qualifier William Byron and a damaged No. 42 of Ross Chastain. Byron placed 19th, seven laps shy from the finish.
Bummer 😡. Man the thing was fast. Our goal was to learn and progress, we did that. Unfortunate to get caught in someone’s mess but that’s part of it. @AxaltaRacing @Hendrick24Team will be ready for Sunday.
Byron’s Hendrick Motorsports team began to unload a backup car post-race. The team elected to switch to it, announcing the decision on Friday morning.
Although the @AxaltaRacing team will move to a backup car for Sunday’s #DAYTONA500, @WilliamByron is optimistic in his team and crew chief Rudy Fugle as he looks to bring home his first win in “The Great American Race.”https://t.co/h50CNkJ3YM
That call will force Byron to drop to the rear for the start of Sunday’s Daytona 500 (2:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM). NASCAR officials said Friday that six other cars would join Byron at the back of the pack, including Brad Keselowski, Chase Briscoe, Kaz Grala, Anthony Alfredo, Cole Custer and Ross Chastain. A final list would be updated before Sunday’s start.
“It’s awful and we hope it doesn’t happen,” said Chad Knaus, Hendrick Motorsports vice president of competition. “That’s always you’re trying to weigh when you qualify on the front row, how aggressive do you get in the 150 — do you race hard; do you not race hard — and it’s a balance, but the only way for these guys to get legit practice is to race. I think the 24 showed a lot of speed. We’re all excited about that, so I think they made the right call.”
Byron teammate Alex Bowman is scheduled to start from the pole position, and his No. 48 Chevy found technical trouble in Duel 1.
Heading into Thursday’s Bluegreen Vacations Duel races at Daytona International Speedway, we knew the front row for Sunday’s Daytona 500 main event after single-car qualifying Wednesday.
Hendrick Motorsports driver Alex Bowman is on the Busch Pole, his fourth consecutive front-row start in The Great American Race and first driving the No. 48 Chevrolet. His teammate, William Byron, will officially be credited with second-place starting position when the green flag drops Sunday (2:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), although he may need to drop to the back if his team uses a backup car after a Thursday night wreck.
We also knew Thursday’s twin 60-lap races would set the remainder of the running order, as well as the final two spots in the field.
As a refresher, Duel 1 results set the inside row of the Daytona 500 starting lineup. Duel 2 set the outside row. The 36 Charter teams are guaranteed a spot in the Daytona 500 field, and eight Open, non-Charter teams competed for the final four spots via a mix of Duel results and single-car qualifying speeds from earlier in the week.
After the Bluegreen Vacations Duel races, here is the Daytona 500 starting lineup.
* indicates one of the four open teams that made the field.
Alex Bowman had his No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet at full song to win the Busch Pole Award in Wednesday’s Daytona 500 qualifying session. One night later, that same car faltered in the Bluegrass Vacation Duel.
Bowman dropped off the pace midway through Thursday’s first 150-mile qualifying race, and the crew raised the hood on the No. 48 Chevy. More unscheduled pit stops followed, and Bowman finished four laps down, 20th in the 22-car field.
“Definitely a bummer there,” Bowman said.” We had something going on and a big vibration with the car. We had some radio issues and couldn’t hear anyone. We have a clean race car for Sunday and have time to diagnosis that vibration. There is definitely something going on, but it looks like the engine is good which is the important thing.
“The Hendrick Motorsports engine shop does a great job with our engines and that thing is totally fine. We just have something going on that is shaking the car, so we just have to figure that out.”
Bowman locked up the No. 1 starting spot for Sunday’s Daytona 500 (2:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM), sealing an all-Hendrick sweep with teammate William Byron second in the No. 24 Chevrolet. Only an engine change or another unapproved adjustment would drop him to the rear for the NASCAR Cup Series’ season opener.
Bowman started first in the opening Duel but did not lead a lap as eventual race winner Aric Almirola took control. Once Bowman’s problems arose near the halfway point and with only stage points on the line, No. 48 crew chief Greg Ives went into diagnosis mode.
“Obviously, we were trying to run as hard as we could there at the beginning of the race,” Ives said. “We wanted to try to stay in the draft and understand what the handling was. He felt it handled fine and then went toward the back of the pack. Alex felt and heard something in the engine which turned into a vibration in the chassis. Being a non-points race and being locked in, it allowed us to do some things that would make us a few laps down.
“We talked through engine diagnostics and sent some guys over pit wall who don’t normally go over the wall. Our Ally Racing team was able to go through some tire sets to make sure it wasn’t that. There were a lot of things you always think you are going to be prepared for until you actually go through them. I feel like we did a good job understanding it and hopefully we are able to diagnose it and make sure everything is good.”
Chad Knaus, in his first year as Hendrick Motorsports’ vice president of competition, said Friday morning the No. 48 car had been impounded until after the second Duel qualifying race. With no on-track activity scheduled for the Cup Series on Friday, Knaus said the diagnostic work would continue until Saturday’s two 50-minute practice shakedowns.
“We think the engine’s OK, but it’s undecided just yet,” Knaus said. “… We’ve got two practice sessions (Saturday), so we’ll take a look inside of it today with the borescope and see if we see any issues like a scored piston or something weird like that. But if we don’t see any issues, we’ll go out and practice and make a decision (Saturday).”
NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. – Three drivers who entered Thursday’s action during the 55th World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing at New Smyrna Speedway as division point leaders all made trips to Victory Lane.
Tour-Type Modified leader Matt Hirschman, Super Late Model leader Derek Griffith and Pro Late Model leader Kody Swanson were all victorious on Thursday as the action ramped up ahead of the final two nights of racing at the half-mile asphalt oval.
After coming close to finding Victory Lane multiple times earlier this week, Matt Hirschman finally sealed the deal on the seventh night of the 55th World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing.
Hirschman, the two-time and defending champion of the World Series in the Tour-Type Modified division, muscled his way past Jon McKennedy on the final lap. Hirschman has won the World Series title in three of the last four years and now heads into Friday’s finale, the Richie Evans Memorial 100, with a fourth title in his sights.
Front row starter Ronnie Williams started the race by taking the lead from polesitter Ron Silk, but Hirschman quickly went from fourth to second. They ran that way until the first caution waved with 11 laps complete.
After another caution for a crash in turn one during the restart, racing resumed and it was McKennedy who took advantage from the outside of the second row. McKennedy was able to get by Hirschman to take second before quickly turning his attention to Williams.
McKennedy dispatched Williams on lap 16, with Hirschman quickly following him around Williams to take second one lap later.
Hirschman would hound McKennedy for the next 18 laps, shadowing him in every turn as he looked for his way past. When the white flag waved Hirschman made his move, giving McKennedy’s rear bumper a shot with the nerf bar on his No. 60 to help McKennedy up the track.
That allowed Hirschman to get to McKennedy’s inside as they came out of turn two and down the backstretch. They stayed that way through turn three until Hirschman pushed McKennedy up the track in turn four, allowing Hirschman to pull ahead and beat McKennedy to the checkered flag.
“At least we got one because one is going to be tough to get this week,” said Hirschman.
Tour-type Modifieds (35 laps)
1. Matt Hirschman, 2. Jon McKennedy, 3. Ron Silk, 4. Patrick Emerling, 5. Ronnie Williams, 6. Craig Lutz, 7. Eric Goodale, 8. J.R. Bertuccio, 9. Anthony Nocella, 10. Tyler Rypkema
11. Chuck Hossfeld, 12. Stephen Kopcik, 13. Eddie McCarthy, 14. Jimmy Blewett, 15. Matt Galko, 16. Dave Sapienza, 17. Amy Catalano, 18. Tom Martino Jr., 19. Brian Robie, 20. Danny Knoll Jr.
12. Chris Finocchario, 22. Buddy Charette, 23. Tyler Catalano, 24. Chris Ridsdale, 25. Chris Jensen, 26. Jim Gavek, 27. Marcello Rufrano, 28. Tommy Catalano, 29. Bobby Measmer Jr., 30. Timmy Catalano
31. Zane Zeiner, 32. Bobby Jones, 33. Jeremy Gerstner, 34. Jonathan Laureigh, 35. Paul Hartwig Jr.
After coming up one position short of his third victory of the week Wednesday, Griffith made sure not to miss out a second time.
Griffith dominated Thursday’s 35-lap Super Late Model feature, which was marred by a massive crash during an early restart.
The crash came after two single-car incidents slowed the field after one lap had been completed. Contact between Jacob Goede and Jesse Love, who were racing inside the top-five, resulted in a massive pileup in turn one that included 10 cars and completely blocked the track.
Racing resumed after a brief red-flag to clean up the mess in turn one, with Griffith in command ahead of Nasse, who tried multiple times to take the lead but was unable to complete the pass each time.
The last caution of the race would wave after 16 laps when R.J. Braun crashed in turns one and two. Griffith would get away from the field on the restart and he never looked back as he cruised to his third victory of the week heading into Saturday’s Orange Blossom Special 100 that will bring the World Series to a close.
Griffith is committed to compete in the ARCA Menards Series opener on Saturday at Daytona International Speedway, and will need to hurry back to New Smyrna Speedway at the end of that event to compete in the finale that evening.
“I’m just real happy. We’ve had a good car all week and some circumstances haven’t gone our way,” Griffith said. “Man, to get another one here…we’ve struggled down here for so many years. We had a really good year last year. It means the world to come down here and run good.”
Brad May slipped by Nasse during the final restart to finish second, his best finish of the week. Nasse, Sammy Smith and Connor Mosack completed the top-five.
Super Late Model (35 laps)
1. Derek Griffith, 2. Brad May, 3. Stephen Nasse, 4. Sammy Smith, 5. Connor Mosack, 6. Ryan Moore, 7. Dan Fredrickson, 8. Jett Noland, 9. Chris Hacker, 10. Patrick Thomas
11. Steve Weaver, 12. R.J. Braun, 13. Doug Elliott, 14. Jesse Love, 15. Jacob Goede, 16. Daniel Dye, 17. Michael Hinde, 18. Jake Finch, 19. Jake Garcia, 20. Travis Wilson
21. Justin Mondeik, 22. Kelly Moore
Matt Hirschman won Thursday’s Tour-Type Modified feature at Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway. (Jim Dupont/NASCAR)
After multiple near misses and three runner-up finishes, Kody Swanson finally earned his first victory in a stock car in the 35-lap Pro Late Model event.
Swanson dominated, but had to survive a restart with six laps left that saw Conner Jones pull ahead of the five-time USAC Silver Crown Series champion.
However, Jones was deemed to have jumped the restart and was ordered to give the lead back to Swanson, who would go on to lead the rest of the race to earn his first Pro Late Model victory and further extend his lead in the division standings ahead of Friday’s 100-lap finale.
“It’s hard to put into words, you know? I’ve had some opportunities to win and be close,” Swanson said as he fought back tears in Victory Lane. “Three second-place finishes, but I don’t want to win if we can’t do it the right way. Thankful for everyone on Team Platinum for all their effort and for hanging with us all week and for all the hard work.”
Pro Late Model (35 Laps)
1. Kody Swanson, 2. Conner Jones, 3. Hunter Wright, 4. Stephen Nasse, 5. Jean-Phillipe Bergeron, 6. Jerick Johnson, 7. Nick Panitzke, 8. Zachary Tinkle, 9. Max Calles-McDonald, 10. Jett Noland
11. Justin Drawdy, 12. Jerry Artuso, 13. Cody Hall, 14. Hayden Sprague, 15. Colt Hensley, 16. Chad Butz, 17. Kevin Folan, 18. Jade Buford, 19. Chase Williams, 20. David Weaver
21. Tommy Neal, 22. Paige Rogers, 23. Braison Bennett, 24. Andrew Scheid, 25. Joey Miller, 26. Will Cox.
