The Perspective of Jeb and Ward Burton Continues to Inspire

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Jeb & Ward Burton at 9 pm ET - Photo Getty Images
Jeb & Ward Burton at 9 pm ET – Photo Getty Images

Jeb Burton is our guest on Fan4Racing Fan2Fan NASCAR & Race Talk on Monday, February 16, 2015 at 9 pm ET.  During the LIVE broadcast, call 714-202-9918 or tweet @Fan4RacingSite or @Sal_Sigala with any questions or comments.

Camping World Truck Series driver Jeb Burton works along with,The 2002 Daytona 500 champion, Ward Burton at BK Racing

Roller Coasters are a lot of fun at the amusement park, and so is the roller coast of life, but only if you have the right perspective.  Jeb and Ward Burton know what that means because they have the right perspective that is serving them well and inspiring the rest of us.

Successful people inspire us because they always find a way to make lemonade out of the lemons. They remind us that even in the worst of times, there is always a way to make it through the fog into the light. The rewards of that perspective are what keep successful people ready for the next hurdle in life. They don’t always enjoy every step of the journey, but they know it’s the good and the bad steps along the way that will get them to their destination.

Many drivers dream of racing the Daytona 500 in the Sprint Cup Series, and that journey has plenty of ups and downs – ask any driver and they’ll tell you it’s their top goal and the most difficult to reach. The moment of inspiration for Jeb Burton’s dream of racing the Daytona 500 was in victory lane with his dad Ward Burton – the 2002 Daytona 500 winner – a race he was not expected to win. Continue reading →

Daytona 500 Qualifying – What You Need to Know

2014 Daytona 500 Front Row L-Martin Truex Jr R-Austin Dillon, pole sitter Photo - Tom Pennington/Getty Images
2014 Daytona 500 Front Row L-Martin Truex Jr R-Austin Dillon, pole sitter Photo – Tom Pennington/Getty Images

NASCAR has a new format to qualifying for the Daytona 500. For the first time, qualifying which traditionally features single-car runs, will switch to a group qualifying format to set the front row positions. The results from qualifying will also set the field for the Budweiser Duel at Daytona 150-mile qualifying races on Thursday, February 19 on Fox Sports 1 at 7 pm ET. The results from the Budweiser Duel will complete the starting lineup for the Daytona 500 on February 22 on FOX at 1 pm ET.

FOX will air live Daytona 500 qualifying at 1:30 pm ET on Sunday, February 15 from Daytona International Speedway.

Here’s how it will work:

Round 1

  • There are two groups based on a random draw. Group 1, those with odd numbers go first with a seven-minute break before Group 2, those with even numbers start their session, with each group session at five minutes.

10 minute break before Round 2 begins

Round 2

  • Top-24 fastest cars from Group 1 and 2, in Round 1 advance for the Round 2 five-minute session.

7 minute break before Round 3 begins

Round 3

  • Top 12 fastest cars from Round 2 advance for the Round 3 five-minute session.

The random draw was held Saturday, February 14 to decide Round 1 odd/even groups as follows:

Daytona500Q

 

Kenseth Edges Truex for the Win in Spirited Sprint Unlimited

Matt Kenseth did what he couldn’t do all of last year — win a race.

And Martin Truex Jr., runner-up in Saturday night’s 75-lap Sprint Unlimited exhibition race at Daytona International Speedway, did what he could do only once in 2014 — lead a lap.

Coming to the finish line on the last lap, Kenseth blocked Truex’s move off Turn 4 and crossed the finish line in his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota .219 seconds ahead of Truex, who led four times for 28 laps after leading just one lap in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series all of last season.

The victory was Kenseth’s first in the non-points race, but it was the second straight win for Joe Gibbs Racing. Continue reading →

Today’s Big Story: NASCAR Officiating Takes Center Stage

NASCAR Officials
Photo – Getty Images

Two big events headline Valentine’s Day for race fans. At Daytona International Speedway the ARCA Racing Series’ Lucas Oil 200 will air on Fox Sports 1 at 4 pm ET; followed by NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series’ Sprint Unlimited at 8 pm ET on FOX.

A big part of today’s stories include veteran Frank Kimmel – the winningest driver in ARCA history – going for his first Daytona win ever; and veteran Jeff Gordon racing his last Sprint Unlimited – after racing 21 consecutive – as he begins his farewell tour throughout the 2015 season and retires his racing career.

While fans are happy to see drivers and their cars back on the track, what will take center stage for NASCAR is what happens behind the scenes after making several changes on how they will officiate their events.   Continue reading →