Reid Spencer NASCAR Wire Service

1223 posts

You’ll Hear Familiar Voices in ‘Cars 3’ this Year

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(L-R) Brian Fee, Daniel Suarez, Darrell Wallace Jr., Chase Elliott, Darrell Waltrip and Zane Stoddard attend the ‘Cars 3’ NASCAR Collaboration Announcement on February 23, 2017 in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Photo – Scott Hunter/Getty Images

NASCAR and Disney-Pixar’s “Cars 3” announced a season-long partnership on Thursday at Daytona International Speedway. Scheduled for release on June 16, Cars 3 “very much pays homage to stock car racing and its rich history,” said director Brian Fee.

“Our drama leans into the drama, emotion and excitement NASCAR fans find at every race.”

Owen Wilson, who will serve as the grand marshal for Sunday’s 59th running of the Daytona 500, will reprise his role as the voice of Lightning McQueen, but his isn’t the only voice NASCAR fans will find familiar. Continue reading →

Would a Championship also be a Retirement Party for Earnhardt?

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Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 Nationwide Chevrolet, speaks with the media during the Daytona 500 Media Day at Daytona International Speedway on February 22, 2017 in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Photo – Jerry Markland/Getty Images

Why would the legion of fans in Earnhardt Nation have mixed feelings about Dale Earnhardt Jr. winning a long-awaited Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship this season?

Because Earnhardt said on Wednesday during Daytona 500 media day that he’s likely to retire from racing if he wins the title this year, especially after all the rehabilitation work he’s done to overcome the effects of a concussion that caused him to miss the last 18 races of the 2016 season. Continue reading →

Michael Waltrip Hopes to go Out on High Note, Too

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Michael Waltrip, driver of the #15 Aaron’s Toyota, during qualifying for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series 59th Annual DAYTONA 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 19, 2017 in Daytona Beach, Florida. Photo – Jared C Tilton/Getty Images

Even though he has two Daytona 500 victories on his resume. Michael Waltrip has unfinished business at the Birthplace of Speed.

Waltrip, who first ran the Great American race in 1987, doesn’t want his last memory of the track to be the 30th-place finish he posted in last year’s race.

“Well, when we ran last year’s Daytona 500, it didn’t go well,” Waltrip said on Wednesday morning during Daytona 500 Media Day at Daytona International Speedway. “We didn’t run good, and I guess we got into a little bit of a fender-bender and messed up the car, and I finished 30th, and I just didn’t want to quit like that.

“I went to Talladega and we got a 12th-place finish, and I ran up front a little bit, and then I decided we would just try to have one more competitive run down here this year. You’ve got to quit sometime, and the partnership with (sponsor) Aaron’s has been important to me. They could wrap their arms around us doing a final race together.”

Ford Drivers Employ ‘Island Hopping’ Strategy

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series NASCAR NASCAR Wire Service Track News
Brad Keselowski, driver of the #2 Miller Lite Ford, drives during qualifying for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series 59th Annual DAYTONA 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 19, 2017 in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Photo – Matt Sullivan/Getty Images

Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski went island hopping last Sunday.

If that sounds like a Caribbean vacation, or a way for the Team Penske teammates to relieve the accumulating stress from pressure-packed Speedweeks at Daytona International Speedway, guess again.

Island hopping is the way Keselowski got to the front in Sunday’s rain-delayed Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona. It’s the way Logano ultimately won the race. And it’s the way the Ford drivers hope to win the biggest prize of all on Sunday in the Daytona 500 (2 p.m. ET on FOX). Continue reading →