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Michael Waltrip Finishes Eighth in Final Daytona 500

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series NASCAR NASCAR Wire Service Track News
Michael Waltrip, driver of the #15 Aaron’s Toyota, walks on the grid 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 – Cliff Hawkins/Getty Image

Michael Waltrip didn’t have the fastest car in Sunday’s Daytona 500, but he managed to avoid the prolific multicar wrecks that peppered the first 150 laps of the race.

And when he took the checkered flag, Waltrip was eighth in his 30th and final trip around Daytona International Speedway in NASCAR’s most important race.

“Yeah, it’s going to be a great memory to have a top-ten,” Waltrip said. “I had so many times I was in the middle of a crash and just missed it. So you do a good job, and you get lucky—both. At the end, I just lost the draft, and that’s unfortunate, because I was able to weave my way past people.

“I had a really, really good handling car. I’m thankful that I survived, and I’m thankful for being able to run up front, and I’m happy about the finish. I’m ready for it to be my last one, so it’s going to be a good one to remember it by.”

Patient Kurt Busch Wins Wild Daytona 500—Without Looking Back

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series NASCAR NASCAR Wire Service Track News

His car damaged in a wreck on the backstretch and held together with tape, Kurt Busch grabbed the lead on the final lap of the 59th Daytona 500 on Sunday and took the checkered flag in the Great American Race as a capstone to a checkered career that has trended upward since Busch joined Stewart-Haas Racing in 2014.

In a race that featured the first test of a new three-stage race format in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series—and featured enough twisted sheet metal to keep fabricators busy for a month—Busch surged to the front with a run around the outside when more than half the vehicles in an 11-car lead draft sputtered and ran short on fuel.

Having pushed other drivers to victory in the 500 on three previous occasions, Busch took the prize himself this time, finishing 0.228 seconds ahead of Ryan Blaney, who came from the rear of the lead pack on the final two laps. Continue reading →

Ryan Reed Gets Second NASCAR XFINITY Win where he Got the First–Daytona

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series NASCAR Wire Service Track News Xfinity Series

For Ryan Reed, there’s magic in the air at the Birthplace of Speed.

Reed went to Victory Lane at Daytona International Speedway in February 2015 and hadn’t won since—until Saturday night, when he held off Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series veteran Kasey Kahne in overtime to claim victory in the Powershares QQQ 300 NASCAR XFINITY Series season opener.

With the race going four laps past its scheduled distance of 120 laps, and with the series running NASCAR’s new three-stage event format for the first time, Reed blocked Kahne in turn two on the first of two overtime laps and stalled his momentum. Continue reading →

Tony Stewart’s Quick Wit Shines Through during Ford Press Conference

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series NASCAR NASCAR Wire Service Track News
Tony Stewart, co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing, looks on in the garage area during practice for the 59th Annual DAYTONA 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 24, 2017 in Daytona Beach, Florida. Photo – Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images

Just because Tony Stewart has retired from Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series racing doesn’t mean the co-owner of Stewart-Haas racing has lost his quick wit and sense of humor.

Stewart’s penchant for repartee was in full evidence on Saturday morning when he answered questions from reporters during a Ford Performance press conference at Daytona International Speedway.

Before Stewart could get into his shtick, however, he had to take some good-natured ribbing from fellow Ford owners Roger Penske and Jack Roush. Penske, known for his white button-down shirts, chided Stewart about the black shirt Smoke was wearing. Continue reading →