NASCAR XFINITY Series
Next Race: Alert Today Florida 300
The Place: Daytona International Speedway
The Date: Saturday, Feb. 21
The Time: 3:30 p.m. (ET)
TV: FOX Sports 1, 3 p.m. (ET)
Radio: MRN, Sirius XM Ch. 90
Distance: 300 miles (120 laps)
XFINITY Debuts At Daytona
The wait is over.
Following its landmark 10-year deal, announced in September of last year, XFINITY will make its debut as the title sponsor for the nation’s series where “Names are Made Here” and is like nothing else in major pro sports. XFINITY becomes only the third title sponsor in the program’s history, following Anheuser-Busch (1982-2007) and Nationwide Insurance (2008-2014).
The NASCAR XFINITY Series opens on the sport’s biggest stage — Daytona International Speedway — on Saturday, Feb. 21 in the Alert Today Florida 300 LIVE on FOX Sports 1.
Last year, Regan Smith edged out Kyle Busch in the season-opener by a mere 0.13 seconds. Smith joins Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kyle Busch, Joe Nemechek and Mike Wallace as former race winners at Daytona entered in Saturday’s event.
Smith To Defend Daytona Win Against Star Studded Line-up
Regan Smith has the opportunity this weekend to become the fourth driver in series history to win back-to-back NASCAR XFINITY Series season openers at Daytona, joining Tony Stewart (2005, ’06, ’08, ’09, ’10, ’11 and ‘13) and NASCAR Hall of Famers Darrell Waltrip (1983 and ‘84) and Dale Earnhardt (1982, ‘86, ‘90, ‘91, ‘92, ‘93, ‘94).
With a star-studded entry list at Daytona this season, Smith will have his work cut out for him. Four 2014 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers will be strapping in at Daytona; including Dale Earnhardt Jr., Aric Almirola, Brad Keselowski and the all-time NASCAR XFINITY Series wins leader Kyle Busch. Also competing are former series winner Kyle Larson and 2013 series champ Austin Dillon.
Smith has four career wins in the NASCAR XFINITY Series and two have come on restrictor-plate tracks – Daytona (2014) and Talladega (2013). His pre-race Driver Rating is 81.2 (24th-best).
JR Motorsports swept Daytona last season: Regan Smith (February event) and Kasey Kahne (July event).
Elliott’s Chase For A Repeat Starts In Sunny Florida
Chase Elliott’s rookie season was one for the history books.
In 33 races, he captured an impressive three wins, two poles, 16 top-five and 26 top-10 finishes en route to the series championship. A Sunoco rookie has finished third or higher in the final standings only six times in series history.
Elliott begins his quest to become the seventh driver in series history to win back-to-back championships.
Former series champions to win back-to-back titles: Sam Ard (1983-84), Larry Pearson (1986-87), Randy LaJoie (1996-97), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (1998-99), Martin Truex Jr. (2004-05) and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (2011-12).
Elliott has made two starts at Daytona, posting one top-10 finish. His pre-race Driver Rating is 97.1 (10th-best).
Chris Buescher Looks For Season Opening Redemption At Daytona
About this time last year, Roush Fenway Racing driver Chris Buescher and the No. 60 team missed qualifying into the season opening race at Daytona by less than a second. This season, Buescher and team return looking for redemption from what slipped through their hands.
Buescher started all 32 of the remaining events of the 2014 season, winning at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and finishing seventh in the standings in his rookie season.
Buescher did start the July race at Daytona last season, starting 12th and finishing third. His success in the summer event has him leading the series in pre-race Driver Rating (109.3) and Average Running Position (7.563) at Daytona.
Also worth noting Buescher’s No. 60 team leads the series (all-time) in wins with 92 victories among 27 different tracks and four different drivers (Mark Martin 39, Carl Edwards 38, Greg Biffle 14, and Chris Buescher 1) but none were at Daytona. Roush Fenway Racing has yet to win at Daytona in the NASCAR XFINITY Series. Buescher has the opportunity to change that this weekend.
Florida Natives Flock To The High Banks
Drivers will tell you there is nothing better than winning in your backyard in front of the home crowd, and for Ross Chastain (Fort Myers, Fla.), Scott Lagasse Jr. (St. Augustine, Fla.), Blake Koch (West Palm Beach, Fla.), Joe Nemechek (Lakeland, Fla.) and Aric Almirola (Tampa, Fla.) Daytona International Speedway offers that opportunity on NASCAR’s grandest stage.
Almirola clicked his ticket to the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup last season with his win in the July NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Daytona last season. Almirola has only made four series starts at DIS, but started on the pole for the NASCAR XFINITY Series season opener in 2007 in his first appearance. His average finish in the NXS at Daytona is 18.8.
Nemechek is the Florida native driver that has garnered the most success in the NASCAR XFINITY Series, winning 16 races in his career, five of which were in Florida (Homestead-Miami – three and Daytona – two). Nemechek won the season opener at Daytona in 1998 and the July race in 2002.
Koch has made five NXS starts at Daytona posting an average finish of 24.8.
Scott Lagasse Jr. has made six starts at Daytona posting a best finish of 18th in 2009. He finished 26th in this event last season.
Chastain has made seven career starts in the NASCAR XFINITY Series and this weekend he will attempt to make his series debut at Daytona.
2015 Sunoco Rookie Spotlight: Wallace and Suarez
Last season’s NASCAR XFINITY Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year Chase Elliott went on to become the first rookie to win the series championship. This season, the Sunoco Rookie class looks just as stout and could produce another history-making year. Below are two series rookie contenders looking for success in 2015:
Darrell Wallace Jr. – the newest member of Roush Fenway Racing will be in the No. 6 Ford in 2015.
Wallace has spent limited time in an XFINITY car; he has made six previous series starts for Joe Gibbs Racing posting four top 10s. He competed at Daytona last season starting ninth and finishing seventh.
Wallace is coming off of a career year last season in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, posting four wins, nine top fives and 14 top 10s.
Daniel Suarez – the latest addition to Joe Gibbs Racing will be driving the No. 18 Toyota in 2015.
Suarez is off to a solid start at Daytona, finishing second in last weekend’s ARCA event at the “World Center of Racing.” The Mexico-born driver made two XFINITY Series starts last season, capturing two top-20 finishes.
Suarez competed four seasons in the NASCAR Mexico Series finishing a career- best second in points in 2013. He will also compete in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Daytona for Kyle Busch Motorsports.