Tag Archives: Austin Dillon

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

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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 →

NASCAR XFINITY Series PowerShares 300 at Daytona Preview

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NASCAR XFINITY Series teams will race 300 miles over 120 laps in the PowerShares QQQ 300 at Daytona International Speedway Saturday, February 25, 2017. FOX Sports 1 coverage begins at 3 pm ET with the green flag around 3:30 pm ET. Radio coverage is on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Joe Gibbs Racing Goes for Six – After capturing its fifth NASCAR XFINITY Series owner title last season (2008, ’09, ’10, ’12 and ’16) the JGR organization immediately turned its attention to number six. This season Kyle Busch, Erik Jones, Matt Tifft and Daniel Suarez will contribute to the owner title winning cause. Jones, Tifft and Suarez will be competing this weekend at Daytona. Gibbs has four NASCAR XFINITY Series Daytona wins, but only once in the season opener (Tony Stewart, 2008). Continue reading →

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 →

Chase Elliott Starting to Feel Comfortable with No. 24 Legacy

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Chase Elliott, driver of the #24 NAPA Chevrolet, stands in the garage during practice for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Advance Auto Parts Clash on February 17, 2017 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Photo – Jerry Markland/Getty Images

Chase Elliott can’t make fans forget the legacy of the No. 24 car, but by all indications, he’s ready to make his own distinctive mark in that vaunted ride.

The history of the No. 24 car is monumental, and Elliott inherited that ride last year from the driver who made it famous.

The No. 24 has won 93 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races in 1,414 starts since the number debuted in 1950. All 93 victories belong to Jeff Gordon, who retired from full-time racing at NASCAR’s highest level at the end of the 2015 season. Continue reading →