Click on the print icon to see how cars will roll out for Daytona 500 qualifying on Wednesday at Daytona International Speedway (7:30 p.m. ET, FS1).
Bubba Wallace topped the leaderboard in Wednesday afternoon’s first NASCAR Cup Series practice for the 2021 Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway.
Wallace turned his first laps in the new No. 23 Toyota for 23XI Racing, posting a fastest time of 45.057 seconds at 199.747 mph. Toyota linked up early to practice drafting in the 50-minute session to take the top-five fastest positions between 23XI Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing.
RELATED: Practice results
Martin Truex Jr. finished second in the first practice session of 2021 with a time of 45.069 seconds at 199.694 mph in the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, followed by 23XI Racing co-owner Denny Hamlin with a time of 45.07 seconds at 199.689 mph in the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.
Tuesday night’s Busch Clash winner, Kyle Busch, ended the session in fourth (199.627 mph), while teammate and new No. 20 Toyota driver Christopher Bell finished fifth (199.623 mph).
Spire Motorsports drivers Jamie McMurray and Corey LaJoie were the fastest Chevrolets in the practice session, finishing sixth and seventh, respectively.
Michael McDowell led the Ford Performance brigade with the eighth-fastest time, followed by Ryan Newman and Cole Custer to round out the top 10.
Next up for the NASCAR Cup Series is Daytona 500 qualifying at 7 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Joe Gibbs Racing announced Wednesday that Martin Truex Jr. will continue in its No. 19 Toyota beyond the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season after signing a contract extension.
Terms of the contract extension with the 2017 Cup Series champ were not disclosed. It’s the second high-profile re-signing for JGR in as many weeks, coming on the heels of an extension announced Feb. 1 for Denny Hamlin and sponsor FedEx for the organization’s No. 11 team.
RELATED: Martin Truex Jr. career stats
“Extending Martin’s agreement has been a big priority for us this offseason,” team owner Joe Gibbs said in a JGR release. “Martin brings so much to our organization. Obviously he’s talented and shown he can win at any race track but his insights also helps to make all our teams better.”
Truex, 40, is set to begin his 16th season in the Cup Series this weekend at Daytona International Speedway. He moved to NASCAR’s top division in 2006 after clinching two consecutive championships in what’s now called the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
“I’m happy to get this news out there so we can focus on this season and the future with Joe Gibbs Racing,” Truex said. “This is where I wanted to be and to continue building on the success we have had together the past two years. I appreciate Coach, my team, everyone at JGR and all of our partners like Bass Pro Shops, Auto-Owners Insurance, Reser’s Fine Foods, Stanley Black & Decker and Toyota for making this possible and I look forward to continuing those relationships as we move forward.”
The most recent stage of Truex Jr.’s career has been his most prolific, with 25 of Truex’s 27 Cup Series victories coming in a successful six-season span that included the 2017 series title with then-JGR affiliate Furniture Row Racing.
Truex joined Joe Gibbs Racing in 2019 after Barney Visser’s Furniture Row team ceased operations. His previous Cup Series stops included Dale Earnhardt Inc. and Michael Waltrip Racing, where he produced one victory each.
Excited to get this news out there and keep going with @JoeGibbsRacing! https://t.co/Jg4VXHPVqH
— Martin Truex Jr. (@MartinTruex_Jr) February 10, 2021
PHILADELPHIA — Today, Xfinity continued to reinforce its commitment to NASCAR as it enters its second season as a Premier Partner of the NASCAR Cup Series and its seventh season as the Entitlement Partner of the NASCAR Xfinity Series by renewing several signature programs and introducing a collaboration with one of the sport’s most recognizable and successful drivers.
Next weekend’s Daytona Road Course race will mark the brand’s 200th race entitling the NASCAR Xfinity Series and Xfinity continues to change the way fans experience NASCAR. In 2021, the brand will focus on showing how the speed of Xfinity xFi is synonymous with the speed of NASCAR, so fans can do more of what they love with faster Internet. In addition to Xfinity xFi, Xfinity X1 brings fans closer to the sport they love with a personalized viewing experience at home and on-the-go access via the Xfinity Stream app.
RELATED: NASCAR Cup Series schedule | NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule
A centerpiece change to the 2021 program is the signing of Kevin Harvick, two-time NASCAR Xfinity Series Champion and 2014 NASCAR Cup Series Champion as a brand ambassador for Xfinity. In addition to fire suit and helmet branding, Harvick will participate in a variety of Xfinity initiatives designed to engage NASCAR fans on and off the track, while supporting Xfinity’s extensive product offerings and brand moments. To celebrate the partnership, Kevin Harvick and Xfinity will host a Reddit “Ask Me Anything (AMA)” today for fans at 2pm ET on r/NASCAR.
“As we head into our seventh season as a NASCAR partner, this sport, the fans, the drivers, and the teams have become an important piece of our marketing efforts as we find new ways to give fans unparalleled access to the sport they love,” said Matt Lederer, Vice President, Brand Partnerships & Activation at Comcast. “This year, we’re excited to partner with two-time NASCAR Xfinity Series Champion Kevin Harvick and renew our signature programs that are designed to not only celebrate achievements on the track but celebrate the work that is being done by members of the sport at all levels off the track to better the communities they live and work in.”
“Xfinity has been an incredible partner in our sport for the last seven years. From bringing fans closer to NASCAR through their innovative technology to honoring community champions, they’ve truly made NASCAR better by being involved in the sport,” said Kevin Harvick. “I’m so fortunate for this opportunity and am looking forward to partnering with Xfinity to create awesome memories for our fans on and off the track.”
Additional elements of the 2021 Xfinity Racing program include:
— Comcast Community Champion of the Year — One of NASCAR’s most prestigious awards — The Comcast Community Champion of the Year — returns in 2021 to honor NASCAR industry members for their impacts on the communities and people around them. Last year’s champion, Bubba Wallace, was chosen by a panel of Comcast NBCUniversal and NASCAR executives as well as 2019 Comcast Community Champion Mike Tatoian, who received the award for his work with USO Delaware. Since its inception, this program has donated more than $700,000 to 18 different charitable organizations in the NASCAR community. To learn more about the Comcast Community Champion of the Year Award, please visit com.
— NASCAR Xfinity Series Dash 4 Cash – The four-race NASCAR Xfinity Series Dash 4 Cash returns for the 2021 season. The program, which awards $100,000 for each of four races to the top competing eligible driver, is open to drivers competing for NASCAR Xfinity Series driver points. The popular format will kick off at Martinsville Speedway (April 9) and continues for the races at Talladega Superspeedway (April 24), Darlington Raceway (May 8) and Dover International Speedway (May 15).
— Xfinity Fastest Lap – The Xfinity Fastest Lap integration will return this season across broadcast, radio, digital, social and NASCAR.com. This ownable moment, highlighting the driver with the Fastest Lap each race, further connects the speed of Xfinity with that of NASCAR. Kevin Harvick had the most Xfinity Fastest Laps in 2020.
— Xfinity 500 at Martinsville – 2021 will mark the second year that Xfinity will serve as the race entitlement partner of the NASCAR Cup Series Xfinity 500 on Sunday, October 31 at Martinsville Speedway. The race will showcase heightened drama as the NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4 elimination race, leading into NASCAR Championship Weekend.
For more information about Xfinity and to receive updates to its 2021 NASCAR program, please follow @XfinityRacing on Twitter and Instagram and visit Xfinity.com/NASCAR.
NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. – A lot has gone wrong so far for Derek Griffith and Patrick Emerling during the 55th World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing, but Tuesday night they got it right.
The 50-lap Super Late Model feature belonged to defending division champion Griffith. Earlier in the evening, the Hudson, New Hampshire, driver saw his Pro Late Model race come to a sudden end when the left rear suddenly broke as he drove through Turn 4. His Super Late Model ride was the complete opposite as he rolled to his second victory of the week in dominant style.
Emerling set fast time in qualifying, started fourth after an invert and then raced to the front of the field to claim his fifth overall World Series victory in the second Tour-Type Modified race of the week.
Griffith, who also won on Friday, started second alongside Jacob Goede. Goede led the opening laps only for Griffith to slip past him on the eighth circuit. He would go on to lead the remainder of the feature unchallenged to cap off his 24th birthday.
“I knew we had a really good car all day,” said Griffith. “My spotter came over the radio and said the 21 car (Jesse Love) was coming, so I knew I had to turn it on there towards the end.
“It probably would have been a good race between us if he got up here.”
Love, the reigning ARCA Menards Series West champion, came home second ahead of Stephen Nasse, Daniel Dye and Goede.
He does it again. That’s ✌ for the World Series.@DerekGriffith12 | @newsmyrnaspdwy pic.twitter.com/vx3RCCC7Ub
— NASCAR Roots (@NASCARRoots) February 10, 2021
The tour-type Modified victory was a breath of fresh air for Emerling, who said he’s had nothing but bad luck so far during his time at New Smyrna this week.
“Last night was pretty unfortunate for us. We were decent, we were good enough to stay in the top-five and lead some laps last night, but we got taken out last night, so this definitely makes up for it,” Emerling said. “Man, we’ve had a lot of stuff go wrong so far during Speedweeks. I had the primary car blow an engine, we pulled out the backup car.
“We had to miss practice because the lift gate stopped on the trailer and we had to fix that. So far there has just been a lot of things go wrong, so it’s good to have one thing go right for once.”
Pulling away for the World Series win 🏁@PatrickEmerling | @newsmyrnaspdwy pic.twitter.com/IK3iTN5xD9
— NASCAR Roots (@NASCARRoots) February 10, 2021
Emerling was the fourth different leader during Tuesday’s 35-lap feature. McKennedy led early on after starting from the pole before giving way to Matt Hirschman on lap 10. Eric Goodale would then take the lead from Hirschman during a restart on lap 16.
The pass for the victory would come during another restart, this time on lap 22, when Emerling was able to stick with Goodale and clear him coming out of turn four. Emerling then held off Goodale during a restart with three laps left to claim the win.
Hirschman finished third, followed by NASCAR Cup Series regular Ryan Preece and Tuesday’s Tour-Type Modified winner Craig Lutz.
Fourteen-year-old Conner Jones won for the second-straight race in the Pro Late Model division, holding off five-time USAC Silver Crown Series champion Kody Swanson in the final laps of the 35-lap feature.
Bill Burba dominated the 75-lap extra distance feature for the Florida Modifieds, surviving a restart with three laps left to earn a trip to victory lane.
Tour-Type Modified (50 laps)
1. Patrick Emerling, 2. Eric Goodale, 3. Matt Hirschman, 4. Ryan Preece, 5. Craig Lutz, 6. Ron Silk, 7. Ronnie Williams, 8. Jimmy Blewett, 9. Stephen Kopcik, 10. Jeremy Gerstner
11. Anthony Nocella, 12. J.R. Bertuccio, 13. Andy Seuss, 14. Amy Catalano, 15. Tyler Rypkema, 16. Matthew Galko, 17. David Sapienza, 18. Buddy Charette, 19. Danny Knoll Jr., 20. Bobby Jones
21. Jim Gavek, 22. Burt Myers, 23. Chris Ridsdale, 24. Chris Finocchario, 25. Eddie McCarthy, 26. Chuck Hossfeld, 27. Zane Zeiner, 28. Michael Curtis, 29. Doug Coby, 30. Marcello Rufrano
31. Brian Robie, 32. Jon McKennedy, 33. Tommy Catalano, 34. Tom Martino Jr., 35. Tyler Truex, 36. Jonathan Laureigh.
Super Late Models (30 laps)
1. Derek Griffith, 2. Jesse Love, 3. Stephen Nasse, 4. Daniel Dye, 5. Jacob Goede, 6. Sammy Smith, 7. Kris Wright, 8. Justin Mondeik, 9. Ryan Moore, 10. Dan Fredrickson
11. Bubba Pollard, 12. Jake Garcia, 13. Peyton Sellers, 14. Michael Hinde, 15. Gus Dean, 16. Kelly Moore, 17. Connor Mosack, 18. Kody Swanson, 19. Jake Finch, 20. Brad May
21. Mike Stacy, 22. Steve Weaver, 23. Travis Wilson, 24. R.J. Braun, 25. Jett Noland, 26. Patrick Thomas, 27. Doug Elliott.
Fast friends Chase Elliott and Ryan Blaney have had run-ins before, an eventuality that’s been bound to happen given their competitive nature in the NASCAR Cup Series. After a collision that sidelined both drivers in 2016 at Kentucky, Blaney made his buddy dinner as a way to make amends.
RELATED: Busch Clash results | Daytona Speedweeks schedule
@chaseelliott pic.twitter.com/oxcQJYqKFi
— Ryan Blaney (@Blaney) July 16, 2016
Elliott might need to locate his own chef’s apron after Tuesday night’s lid-lifting Busch Clash on the Daytona International Speedway Road Course, where the two chums crunched together in a final-lap, final-chicane tangle. That coming-together allowed Kyle Busch to squirt through for the exhibition victory while Elliott salvaged second place. Blaney took the worst of it, walloping the outside retaining wall with his Team Penske No. 12 Ford finishing an unlucky 13th.
Both drivers showed strength in search of their first Clash win, especially in the late stages where they each swapped the lead in the final eight laps. Their duel bubbled over in the final kink before the start-finish line, with Elliott forcing his No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet with an inside-line squeeze that cost his friend dearly.
Elliott briefly spoke to Blaney post-race, and later indicated that he wasn’t necessarily afraid to initiate contact but that the severity of the outcome wasn’t his intent.
“Obviously, I’m thinking that I can pass him and win the race or I wouldn’t do it,” said Elliott, the defending Cup Series champion. “Coming into a tight corner there, I drove in so hard and I was to the right — my angle was really bad, I just had to stop to try to make the corner, and at that point, we’re side by side, trying to stay off the curb. We both know that the curb, you don’t want to hit it any more than you have to. Yeah, I hate it. Like I said on TV there, I certainly don’t want to wreck him out of anybody, and more than anything I hate neither one of us won. I hate to hand it to somebody else like that.”
MORE: Frame-by-frame of contact and finish | All-time Busch Clash winners
Interestingly, Blaney notched his only road-course win in 2018 at the Charlotte Road Course in a similar manner, capitalizing when Jimmie Johnson and Martin Truex Jr. crashed in a last-lap contest for the lead on that track’s final chicane. This time, he was on the losing end in the front-two mix.
Well it was only a matter of time I was on the other end of that 2018 Roval race. I liked being on the other side better! Just a couple guys racing hard trying to win. I appreciate the fast car and good strategy by Todd.
— Ryan Blaney (@Blaney) February 10, 2021
Blaney said that this year’s road-race twist on the Clash was likely a fun watch for fans. His own participation, he said, was a little less fun.
“Obviously, he didn’t mean to wreck me,” Blaney said. “Of course he didn’t mean to do that, but I ended up wrecked. It’s kind of just what it is. Of course you never mean to wreck anybody, usually. And I know he didn’t mean to, but he drove off in there pretty deep and I don’t think, personally, he was going to make the corner. It was going to be very hard for him to do it. So just a shame that we ended up getting turned around.
“Am I going to make the same move if we’re in the same position two weeks from now? Hell, yeah. I mean, why not. But I told him, if you’re going to make a move like that, make sure at least you win the race. Don’t hand it to the third-place guy. Granted, it’s very ironic me saying that because I won the Roval that way being the third-place guy. To answer the question, yes, I would make the same move he did, but maybe do it a little bit differently if I was in the same spot in a couple weeks.”
WHAT THEY SAID AFTER THE RACE: Chase Elliott | Ryan Blaney
The “couple weeks” reference is a nod to the Cup Series’ return to the Daytona road course for Race No. 2 of the points-paying schedule on Feb. 21. Time will tell if a make-good dinner occurs between now and then.
“Listen, hey, we’re really good friends off the race track, but we’re both really hard competitors and we race each other really hard,” Blaney said. “So I know he’s going to make a big move. Any competitor would. If you don’t go in there trying to win the race, what are you there for?”
Kyle Busch scored a dramatic preseason victory Tuesday night in the Busch Clash, avoiding a crash between front-runners Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott, to kick off the NASCAR Cup Series season with the annual exhibition held for the first time on the Daytona International Speedway road course.
Busch led only the last of 35 laps in the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, winning the Clash for the second time. The exhibition race marked the first victory with new crew chief Ben Beshore.
RELATED: Official race results | Daytona Speedweeks schedule
Defending Cup Series champion Elliott placed second, driving away from contact with Blaney in the final chicane. Joey Logano finished third with Tyler Reddick and William Byron rounding out the top five in order.
“I kinda felt like there was an interesting opportunity that was developing there,” Busch said of the Blaney-Elliott situation. “When that started happening I was hoping they would wreck long enough I could get up there and get by them and win the thing. It’s never over until it’s over in these kind of things.”
Elliott had dropped to the rear for the start because of unapproved adjustments to his No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. He prevailed in the series’ only other appearance on the 3.61-mile Daytona circuit, winning a points-paying race at the track last August as part of his current four-win streak on road courses.
Elliott was strong again, leading four laps and hounding Blaney for the victory during the final circuit. But the two cars made contact, and Blaney took the worst of the damage in the outside retaining wall.
The race was not segmented into stages, but a competition caution after the 15th lap split the race into two portions. Kevin Harvick spun twice in that opening part, first looping his No. 4 Ford in the bus-stop chicane after a measure of dirt had been kicked up on the racing surface. His second off-course excursion came after a jumbled restart, complicated by Blaney’s attempt to rejoin the racing line after overshooting Turn 1.
Martin Truex Jr. led on two occasions but found trouble each time, shortly after going to the front. He was the leader at the competition-caution break, but he skipped the track’s final chicane during the caution period while looking for the pace car to pick up the field. His No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota restarted the race at the rear of the pack after the penalty. “I don’t know why I did that,” Truex said. “Terrible job, sorry.”
RELATED: Martin Truex Jr. spins, hits wall while leading
He was apologetic again after crashing into the outside retaining wall, spinning while exiting the other chicane and sustaining heavy damage. He finished 20th in the 21-car field.
All previous 42 editions of the non-points event had been run on Daytona’s 2.5-mile oval.
NOTE: The No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota of Kyle Busch passed post-race technical inspection Tuesday after winning the NASCAR Cup Series’ Busch Clash at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course. The No. 2 Team Penske Ford of Brad Keselowski, who finished 17th, had one lug nut not safe and secure.
Contributing: NASCAR Wire Service
Chase Elliott will start from the rear of the field for the 2021 Busch Clash (7 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) because of unapproved adjustments on the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.
RELATED: Starting lineup for Busch Clash
NASCAR officials made the announcement about an hour before the exhibition’s start. The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion was slated to start in the seventh position after Monday night’s virtual random draw by the drivers’ respective crew chiefs.
Tuesday night’s non-points race on the Daytona International Speedway Road Course kicks off the 2021 season as 21 drivers will race for 35 laps, with one scheduled caution at Lap 15. This will be the first time the Busch Clash has been run on the road course.
Elliott has prevailed in the past four consecutive Cup Series road-course events, including the series’ inaugural race on the 3.61-mile course.
NASCAR Fantasy Live is back in action for the 2021 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). 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 that 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. 5 to Phoenix Raceway on Nov. 7). There will be no playoff-specific bonus picks.
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 through 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 2021 season with bonus selections to be made for each race for the race winner, winning organization (Team Penske, Hendrick Motorsports, etc), manufacturer winner, top Chevrolet driver, top Ford driver and the top Toyota driver. Bonus picks lock five minutes before the race start time and DO NOT count against driver usage.
What is the value of each bonus pick?
Race winner (15 points for correct pick)
Winning organization (10 points for correct pick)
Winning manufacturer (10 points for correct pick)
Top Chevrolet driver (5 points for correct pick)
Top Ford driver (5 points for correct pick)
Top Toyota driver (5 points for correct pick)
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.
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 Daytona 500 Fancam is back for the 63rd running of The Great American Race on Sunday (2:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The Fancam’s photo technology transforms a high-definition, 360-degree megapixel image of Daytona International Speedway into a social-media fan experience. Race fans will be able to virtually “Fill The 500” and claim a seat of their choice.
RELATED: 2021 Daytona Speedweeks schedule
To add a personal cutout, visit Daytona500.com/FillThe500. Fans will then be able to tag themselves and share the post on Facebook, Twitter and email.
The fun doesn’t stop there. Surprise guests — perhaps your favorite driver? — will be scattered throughout the stands. There will also be hidden messages for fans to discover and a scavenger hunt where YOU could win a pair of tickets to the 2022 DAYTONA 500.
With limited fans allowed for the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season opener due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Daytona International Speedway is doing all it can to engage with those who cannot attend the race and make it feel as if they were a part of the crown-jewel event.