DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – It was a first for Noah Gragson. It was more of the same for Dale Earnhardt Jr.
When a wreck on the backstretch at Daytona International Speedway ended Saturday’s NASCAR Racing Experience 300, Gragson was in the lead, and when the driver of the No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet crossed the finish line under caution, he claimed his long-awaited first victory in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Jimmie Johnson ran three times on Sunday, but only two of the occasions involved his No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro.
Before Daytona 500 time trials, which started at 12:30 p.m., Johnson ran the Daytona Beach Half-Marathon, which starts on the tri-oval at Daytona International Speedway and ends 13.1 miles later after a run to the sands of Daytona Beach.
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After a six-car wreck on lap 66 eliminated him from Sunday’s Busch Clash at Daytona International Speedway, Brad Keselowski took aim at Joey Logano, his Team Penske teammate.
Logano had taken the lead on lap 59 and was attempting to block a run from Kyle Busch seven laps later. As Logano moved down the track, the nose of Busch’s car tapped the left side of Logano’s rear bumper, turning Logano.
With his lane blocked at the top of the track, Keselowski drove into the wreck. Ultimately, Keselowski climbed from his mangled No. 2 Ford and slapped the side of a waiting ambulance in disgust before climbing in for his mandatory ride to the care center.
After his release from the medical facility, Keselowski minced no words in placing blame for the incident. Was it Logano’s fault?
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Daniel Suarez is living proof that the best-laid plans can sometimes go awry.
After losing his ride at Stewart-Haas Racing, Suarez signed on with Gaunt Brothers Racing for the 2020 season. The Mexican driver opted to forego the spot he had earned in Sunday’s Busch Clash at Daytona to concentrate on his Daytona 500 effort.
The strategy didn’t work. Suarez was 36th among 43 drivers and failed to secure one of two spots available to non-chartered cars on speed. Those positions went to Justin Haley and Brendan Gaughan who were 31st and 33rd fastest, respectively.
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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Denny Hamlin couldn’t win the Busch Clash at Daytona for himself, but he made sure his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate did.
For nearly the entire final lap in the third attempt at overtime, Hamlin pushed the mangled Toyota of Erik Jones all the way to finish line in a race that saw only six of 18 cars running at the finish.
With the nose of his car caved in and held together with tape, Jones led only the final lap—the 88th of the race and the 13th of overtime—in collecting his first victory in the season-opening NASCAR Cup Series exhibition race.
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