Reid Spencer NASCAR Wire Service

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Chevrolet Owners Contemplate a Surfeit of Young Talent in NASCAR Racing

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(L-R) Chevrolet executive Jim Campbell and Chevrolet team owners Richard Childress, Chip Ganassi, and Rick Hendrick preview the Daytona 500 during a press conference at Daytona International Speedway on February 24, 2017 in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Photo – Scott Hunter/Getty Images

Roughly 30 minutes after Chevrolet unveiled the Camaro ZL 1 that will pace Sunday’s Daytona 500 and announced four-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon as its driver, Chevy brass and team owners gathered in the Daytona International Speedway media center to field questions from reporters.

Owners Richard Childress, Chip Ganassi and Rick Hendrick joined Jim Campbell, Chevy’s U.S. vice president of performance vehicles and motorsports, at the press session. One of the first topics to arise was the prospect of Jimmie Johnson winning a record-breaking eighth championship at NASCAR’s highest level.

Johnson won his seventh title last year to tie Richard Petty and the late Dale Earnhardt for most championships in the history of the series. Continue reading →

Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin Win Action-Filled Can-Am Duel Qualifying Races

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Daytona 500 pole winner Chase Elliott put an exclamation on his qualifying effort with a victory in Thursday night’s first Can-Am Duel at Daytona International Speedway.

Elliott passed second-place starter Brad Keselowski for the lead on lap 37 and held it the rest of the way—through a wreck that altered the positions of the two Open Team drivers trying to race their way into the field for the 59th running of the Great American Race.

In the second Duel, defending Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin got a huge push from Austin Dillon and passed Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the next-to-last lap to win the race by 0.214 seconds over Clint Bowyer, who was competing for the first time in the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford. Continue reading →

Diversity Class Introduced after Awards Presentation

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Reporters met the 2017 NASCAR Drive for Diversity class in the Daytona media center on Saturday. The class includes Collin Cabre and Chase Cabre, the first siblings ever to participate in the same D4D class; Ruben Garcia Jr., the youngest driver to win the NASCAR Peak Mexico Series championship (in 2015 at age 20); Jay Beasley, the first African-American driver to win a Super late Model race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway bullring; Madeline Crane, who posted 59 top-fives in 82 starts in Legend cars; and Macy Causey, the granddaughter of Diane Teel, the first female driver to compete in  what is now the NASCAR XFINITY Series.

The introduction of the 2017 Drive For Diversity class followed a luncheon that featured the presentation of tenth annual NASCAR Diversity Awards. Winners were as follows:

Daniel Suarez—NASCAR Ignition Award.

Jesse Iwuji—NASCAR Diverse Driver Award

Peri Karslioglu—NASCAR Diversity Internship Participant Award

Association of Latino Professionals for America (ALPFA)—NASCAR Institution Award

Hallie Deegan—Young racer Award

Smithfield—NASCAR Partner Award

Kenyatta Houston—NASCAR Diverse Crew Member Award

Pocono Raceway—NASCAR Track Award

Patriot Motorsports/Circle Track Racing—NASCAR Team Award

Josh Avila—Industry Ambassador Award

Denny Hamlin, FedEx Sign Extensions with Joe Gibbs Racing

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Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Express Toyota, 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

Denny Hamlin has signed an extension to drive the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota with FedEx continuing as his sponsor, the team announced at a press conference on Thursday at Daytona International Speedway. Continue reading →