Tag Archives: Daytona 500

Chase Elliott edges Dale Earnhardt Jr. for Daytona 500 pole

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Chase Elliott, driver of the #24 NAPA Chevrolet, celebrates in Victory Lane after qualifying for pole position for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series 59th Annual DAYTONA 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 19, 2017 in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Photo – Jared C Tilton/Getty Images

Winning back-to-back Daytona 500 poles is something of a family tradition, as Chase Elliott proved by the skin of his teeth on Sunday at Daytona International Speedway.

The last driver to take a lap in the second and final round of Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series qualifying at the 2.5-mile superspeedway, Elliott covered the distance in 46.663 seconds (192.872 mph) to edge Hendrick Motorsports teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. by 0.002 seconds.

The pole was the second straight for Elliott, who led the field to green last year as a Sunoco rookie. It was the third straight for Elliott’s crew chief, Alan Gustafson, who won the pole with driver Jeff Gordon in 2015 in Gordon’s last year as a full-time driver.

With three straight poles as a crew, Gustafson shares a record previously held solely by Ernie Elliott, Chase Elliott’s uncle, who fielded cars driven by former Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Bill Elliott, Chase’s father. Continue reading →

Does Jimmie Johnson’s Daytona DNF Spell Trouble for Hendrick Drivers?

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Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe’s Chevrolet, stands 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 – Chris Graythen/Getty Images

Mr. Hendrick, we have a problem.

Twice during Sunday’s rain-delayed Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona International Speedway, Jimmie Johnson spun without provocation off turn four.

The first time, on lap 17, he took out the No. 41 Ford of Kurt Busch. The second time, Johnson nosed into the inside wall near the entrance to pit road crashed out of the 75-lap exhibition race.

Forget that Johnson failed to finish the Clash for the sixth straight year. More important is the observation that the balance of the Hendrick Motorsports cars has been problematic at restrictor-plate tracks.

Watching from the TV booth as Alex Bowman drove his No. 88 Chevy to a third-place finish Dale Earnhardt Jr. expressed apprehension when Johnson spun once, then twice. Remember, Earnhardt spun three times on plate tracks last year before a concussion sidelined him for the final 18 races of the season.

Unlike last year, Earnhardt plans to practice extensively for next Sunday’s Daytona 500. Sunday’s accidents left Johnson thinking in the same vein.

“It’s bizarre, because it drove really good everywhere else,” Johnson said after the second wreck. “Then off of (turn) four, the first time I had a handling problem was when it broke free and I got into the No. 41, and then after that it was really loose after that caution and the last long stretch before I crashed again.

“Just off of turn four. The sun certainly sits on that edge of the track a little bit harder than anywhere else. We will take some notes and learn from those mistakes and apply that to the (Daytona) 500 car.”

As to possible solutions, Johnson already was pondering potential fixes.

“I would have to assume that it’s relative to the height of the rear spoiler,” said the reigning Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion. “When there is less air and the air is so turbulent back there, the spoiler is so small it’s real easy to get the pressure off of it, and then the back just rotates around.

“We can adjust rear shocks, rear ride height and try to get more pitch in the car in a sense to keep the spoiler up in the air longer.”

Rain Forces Postponement of Daytona Clash to Sunday

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Photo – Getty Images

Persistent rain on Saturday night forced postponement of the Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona.

The race has been rescheduled for Sunday morning, with green flag at 11:35 a.m., broadcast on FS1. The Clash will precede Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series qualifying for the Daytona 500, which will take place at 3 p.m. Sunday at Daytona International Speedway.

With starting positions drawn by lot, Brad Keselowski will lead the field to the green flag in the Clash. Denny Hamlin, the defending winner of the exhibition race that signals the start of the NASCAR season, will start on the outside of the front row. Continue reading →

What it Takes to Make the Daytona 500

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Photo – Getty Images

Christmas comes but once a year. The same is true of the unique qualifying format for the Daytona 500.

Unlike Christmas, however, the setting and ordering of the field for the Great American Race takes five days, from single-car qualifying on Sunday through the Can-Am Duel at Daytona twin 150-mile races on Thursday.

The basics are straightforward. Only two cars in Sunday’s time trails are locked into their starting positions for the Daytona 500—the pole winner and the car that qualifies on the outside of the front row.

Of the 42 entries for the race, 36 hold Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series charters and are guaranteed to compete on Feb. 26. That leaves six drivers fighting for the four remaining positions in the 500. Those drivers are Elliott Sadler, Timmy Hill, Reed Sorenson, Brendan Gaughan, Corey LaJoie and DJ Kennington.

Qualifying on Sunday sets the starting order for the Can-Am Duel races on Thursday, with the odd-number qualifiers (positions 1-3-5, etc.) running the first Duel, and even numbers competing in the second Duel.

The finishing positions in the Thursday races determine the starting positions for the 500, with the exception of the front row. The winner of the first Duel, which forms the inside row, starts third in the Great American Race, with the winner of the second Duel starting fourth, on the outside of the second row.

If either of the front row starters wins a Duel, then the second-row position goes to second place finisher in that particular Duel.

Open drivers, those competing without charters, have two avenues into the 500. The highest-finishing driver in each of the Can-Am Duels earns a starting position on Feb. 26. The final two positions go to the two fastest among the open drivers in Sunday’s time trials, if not already qualified through the Duels.

Aside from determining who’s fastest in single-car runs, this year’s qualifying session will provide several story lines of keen interest to NASCAR fans.

Ford Looks Fast in Opening Daytona 500 Practice

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Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, stands in the garage area during practice for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series 59th Annual DAYTONA 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 18, 2017 in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Photo – Jerry Markland/Getty Images

Clint Bowyer, who is back in a competitive car at Stewart-Haas Racing, was tenth fastest on Saturday. With SHR switching to Ford from Chevrolet this season, the Ford armada has grown substantially, potentially to the point of challenging the Toyota gang that dominated Speedweeks last year.

In fact, Fords posted the two fastest times in Saturday’s marathon practice session, with Joey Logano (193.116 mph), Aric Almirola (193.054 mph) and Brad Keselowski (193.046 mph) topping the speed chart.

“In all honesty, I’ve never been that fast in qualifying here in Daytona in my whole career,” Logano said after the session. “I feel like I’ve never had a shot at it, but now I feel like I’m closer than ever.

“I feel like I’m kind of in new territory, plus I think some of these other guys sandbag a lot, so tomorrow will be the telltale sign.”