Photo – WTR
Win-Tron Racing driver Justin Fontaine was in an accident during Saturday’s ARCA Racing Series’ Lucas Oil Complete Engine Treatment 200 driven by General Tire at Daytona International Speedway and the team provided an update Saturday night.
Fontaine, 19, suffered a mild compression fracture of his L1 vertebrae and will be kept overnight at a local Daytona Beach, Fla. hospital for observation. Continue reading
Photo – Getty Images
Persistent rain on Saturday night forced postponement of the Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona.
The race has been rescheduled for Sunday morning, with green flag at 11:35 a.m., broadcast on FS1. The Clash will precede Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series qualifying for the Daytona 500, which will take place at 3 p.m. Sunday at Daytona International Speedway.
With starting positions drawn by lot, Brad Keselowski will lead the field to the green flag in the Clash. Denny Hamlin, the defending winner of the exhibition race that signals the start of the NASCAR season, will start on the outside of the front row. Continue reading
Photo – Getty Images
Christmas comes but once a year. The same is true of the unique qualifying format for the Daytona 500.
Unlike Christmas, however, the setting and ordering of the field for the Great American Race takes five days, from single-car qualifying on Sunday through the Can-Am Duel at Daytona twin 150-mile races on Thursday.
The basics are straightforward. Only two cars in Sunday’s time trails are locked into their starting positions for the Daytona 500—the pole winner and the car that qualifies on the outside of the front row.
Of the 42 entries for the race, 36 hold Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series charters and are guaranteed to compete on Feb. 26. That leaves six drivers fighting for the four remaining positions in the 500. Those drivers are Elliott Sadler, Timmy Hill, Reed Sorenson, Brendan Gaughan, Corey LaJoie and DJ Kennington.
Qualifying on Sunday sets the starting order for the Can-Am Duel races on Thursday, with the odd-number qualifiers (positions 1-3-5, etc.) running the first Duel, and even numbers competing in the second Duel.
The finishing positions in the Thursday races determine the starting positions for the 500, with the exception of the front row. The winner of the first Duel, which forms the inside row, starts third in the Great American Race, with the winner of the second Duel starting fourth, on the outside of the second row.
If either of the front row starters wins a Duel, then the second-row position goes to second place finisher in that particular Duel.
Open drivers, those competing without charters, have two avenues into the 500. The highest-finishing driver in each of the Can-Am Duels earns a starting position on Feb. 26. The final two positions go to the two fastest among the open drivers in Sunday’s time trials, if not already qualified through the Duels.
Aside from determining who’s fastest in single-car runs, this year’s qualifying session will provide several story lines of keen interest to NASCAR fans.
Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, stands in the garage area during practice for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series 59th Annual DAYTONA 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 18, 2017 in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Photo – Jerry Markland/Getty Images
Clint Bowyer, who is back in a competitive car at Stewart-Haas Racing, was tenth fastest on Saturday. With SHR switching to Ford from Chevrolet this season, the Ford armada has grown substantially, potentially to the point of challenging the Toyota gang that dominated Speedweeks last year.
In fact, Fords posted the two fastest times in Saturday’s marathon practice session, with Joey Logano (193.116 mph), Aric Almirola (193.054 mph) and Brad Keselowski (193.046 mph) topping the speed chart.
“In all honesty, I’ve never been that fast in qualifying here in Daytona in my whole career,” Logano said after the session. “I feel like I’ve never had a shot at it, but now I feel like I’m closer than ever.
“I feel like I’m kind of in new territory, plus I think some of these other guys sandbag a lot, so tomorrow will be the telltale sign.”
ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards veteran Tom Hessert, in the No. 25 Andrews-Renton Coil Spring/Venturini Motorsports Toyota, won the General Tire Pole Award Friday afternoon at Daytona Int’l Speedway for today’s Lucas Oil Complete Engine Treatment 200 Driven by General Tire.
Hessert, in the sixth qualifying group, was the last car off pit road among his six-car pack. His strategy was to lay way back in order to get a run. It worked.
“Being in the back of group was obviously advantageous, so we could sit way back and get a run,” said Hessert. Hessert was so far back he seemed in danger of losing the draft altogether.
“I was worried about that….we were at least a couple hundred yards back. I was worried we weren’t going to get there, but the car did what it was supposed to do and we got it done.
“This is obviously a great start to the weekend for us. I want to thank Venturini Motorsports and all my guys on the crew…our sponsors Andrews, Renton Coil Spring, Musselman’s Apple Sauce.”
Hessert circled the 2.5-mile track in 48.143 seconds, an average speed of 186.943 mph. Friday’s pole award was Hessert’s fifth of his career and third since joining Venturini Motorsports in 2016.
Venturini Motorsports entering its 35th year of ARCA Series competition, looks to return to Daytona’s Gatorade Victory Lane for the second time in the past four years. In 2013, driver John Wes Townley delivered the team’s sole Daytona victory. VMS, the well-known ARCA fixture has compiled 43 series victories overall – 30 wins coming since 2007.
Today’s Lucas Oil Complete Engine Treatment 200 Driven by General Tire is live on FS1, with live coverage beginning at 4 p.m. Eastern. In addition, arcaracing.com will feature live timing and scoring and live chat. Local radio affiliate WNDB will also provide live audio coverage of the race, which will be streamed live over arcaracing.com.
