No Big Thing: Johnson, Gordon Have No Reason To Fret

No Big Thing: Johnson, Gordon Have No Reason To Fret

For NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champions Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon, holders of a combined nine titles, the good news coming out of the Daytona 500 is that in one important respect the schedule’s signature event pays the same points as this week’s Subway Fresh Fit 500 and the 24 races that follow leading up to the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup™.
To say it wasn’t their night – despite having won The Great American Race a combined four times – would be an understatement. Johnson was the second car out in 42nd. Engine failure relegated Gordon to a 40th-place finish. Until last night's D500, Johnson and Gordon had finished 40th or worse a combined 21 times, and never in the same race.
Both will have to dig out of big holes in terms of the Chase picture, but last year suggests it is anything but an impossible task.
Four drivers who finished 27th or worse in the 2011 Daytona 500 – Johnson, Gordon, Kenseth and Kevin Harvick – qualified for the Chase.
In fact, NASCAR’s 10-race postseason field was comprised of just three drivers who finished among the top 10 in the season opener.

Stewart-Edwards Duel Combusts; Junior Erupts

Some experts predicted the Daytona 500 would come down to a continuation of last year’s dead-heat championship battle between Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards.
Especially when Stewart won his Gatorade Duel race and Edwards sat on the Coors Light Pole.
Things didn’t quite work out that way. Both contended early but neither was around to take a first Daytona 500 victory. Edwards, with significant body damage, rallied to finish eighth while Stewart – also the victim of several accidents – came home 16th.
For both, it’s a case of "wait ‘til next year."
The same can be said for Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s assault on his second Daytona 500 victory, but his second-place finish – his third in the event – gives Junior’s multitude of fans hope he’ll soon end a 130-race winless streak.
Five of last year’s Chase qualifiers – Kenseth, Earnhardt, Edwards, Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick – logged top-10 finishes at Daytona.

Kahne’s Able At Phoenix International Raceway

With virtually every eye in the packed house focused on the battle for second place between championship rivals Carl Edwards and Tony Stewart, Kasey Kahne sort of got lost in the shuffle as the laps wound down in November’s Kobalt Tools 500 at the newly configured Phoenix International Raceway.
Kahne obviously didn’t care – especially with Edwards and Stewart, as they say, otherwise occupied.
He took the lead on the 299th lap, when Brad Keselowski pitted, then headed the remaining 13 times around the one-mile oval to nicely cap what amounted to a lame-duck season with Team Red Bull. He posted a solid Driver Rating of 112.3.
November’s finish was Kahne’s second top 10 of the year at Phoenix, a track that hadn’t been good to the Washington driver for a number of years. Before finishing sixth in the spring race, Kahne had gone eight starts with finishes ranging from 13th to 40th.
Kahne ended the 2011 campaign with three top 10s: a victory, third in Texas and seventh in the Homestead-Miami finale.
All of which makes Kahne, now driving Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 5 Chevrolet, one of the favorites heading into Sunday’s Subway Fresh Fit 500.

Notebook: Team effort clinches Roush Fenway's milestone victory

Notebook: Team effort clinches Roush Fenway's milestone victory

Feb. 28, 2012

Special to NASCAR Wire Service

Almost lost in the shuffle of a freak jet-dryer fire, rain delays and Danica Patrick's debut on NASCAR's biggest stage was a big round number for Roush Fenway Racing, one of the sport's most storied teams.

In the end, it was a signature display of teamwork that made it happen.

Though the 54th Daytona 500 took a turn toward theater of the bizarre before it lurched to its conclusion around 1 a.m. ET Tuesday morning, it didn't stop Matt Kenseth from convincingly clinching team owner Jack Roush's 300th victory in NASCAR competition.

Of Roush's 126 wins in NASCAR's premier Sprint Cup series, 22 have come from Kenseth, who has been a full-time competitor for RFR since 2000. This most recent win -- his second in the Daytona 500 -- came in close competition with Greg Biffle, another loyal driver who has also been with Roush for his entire Cup career.

"For Matt to have the success or Greg to have had the success of bringing a 300th win would have been fitting," Roush said, "but tonight Matt had the best car, and of course Greg was unselfish and worked with him, and they pulled it off together."

Besides Kenseth's win, Roush capped a strong Speedweeks with Biffle's third-place finish and Carl Edwards' eighth-place effort after starting from the pole. The Roush veterans also took three of the top four starting spots on the grid and secured the team's first win in a Daytona qualifying race after 25 years of trying.

"It's a great start and it couldn't happen to a better guy," Edwards said. "Matt Kenseth deserves this win."

HAMLIN HELPS HIMSELF

After a winless 2011, Denny Hamlin wasn't making too many waves in the Daytona preliminaries. He saved his biggest statement for the 500 itself.

Hamlin started 31st and led the most laps (57 of 202) to come home an impressive fourth in the highest-finishing Toyota.

"We didn't qualify that well," Hamlin said, "We didn't finished that well in the Duel, but we showed that we had one of the best cars today."

KESELOWSKI: LOOK WHO'S TALKING

While most drivers were twiddling their thumbs during the two-hour stoppage, Brad Keselowski was putting his to use.

In doing so, one of NASCAR's most ardent users of Twitter added more than 100,000 followers to his social network account. NASCAR announced Tuesday that it would not punish Keselowski for his use of social media during the race, saying that safety was not compromised by his actions.

The sanctioning body also received a social-media bump during Speedweeks, with NASCAR's Twitter account growing by 23% in February alone.

JET-DRYER DRIVER UNHURT

Duane Barnes, the driver of the jet-dryer truck involved in Monday night's frightening accident in the Daytona 500, was unscathed Tuesday. Barnes, 52, was released from Halifax Medical Center after a precautionary evaluation Monday night and returned to the track to watch the conclusion of NASCAR's season opener.

The support truck driven by Barnes, who has worked on Michigan International Speedway's maintenance staff for 24 years, was struck by Juan Pablo Montoya's out-of-control car during a caution period, igniting a massive fireball on the track that halted the race.

"I appreciate everyone for taking the time to write, call and ask how I am," Barnes said. "I am OK and I am amazed at how many people have wished me well. I am also glad Juan Pablo Montoya is OK, and thank him for his concern."

Kenseth An Elite Performer - In Any Era

Kenseth An Elite Performer - In Any Era

Matt Kenseth. Under the radar no longer.
His second Daytona 500 victory, a straight-up, I’m-faster-than-you performance in arguably the most unique of the race’s 54 editions, confirms the popular Wisconsin veteran’s status among the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series elite competitors in the current era – and arguably in any era.
We should have known it all along – although Kenseth, like many racers from his home state, has always raced hard but with humility.
His post-race reaction? Typical: "I wasn’t expecting to win when I woke up this morning," said Kenseth.
That said, Kenseth has won a championship (2003), two Daytona 500s and 22 times overall. Those victories have come in 10 different seasons beginning in 2000 – his first full campaign with the Roush Fenway organization, his "home" for all but one of Kenseth’s 437 starts.
The two Daytona 500 victories alone move the Cambridge, Wis., driver into legendary territory. He becomes one of only nine drivers to win the race multiple times. Three of the other eight – Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough and Bobby Allison – are members of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, a possible destination for the 39-year-old Kenseth.
Kenseth is the first repeat Daytona 500 winner since Jeff Gordon in 2005.
Now on to Phoenix, where Kenseth won in 2002. He followed his 2009 Daytona 500 victory by winning his next start at Auto Club Speedway.
Jack Roush and Roush Fenway finally posted NASCAR national series victory No. 300. The number is unprecedented and extends the record for wins in NASCAR Sprint Cup, NASCAR Nationwide and NASCAR Camping World Truck series. "This is a special night," said Roush, who won for the first time in 1989 with Mark Martin.
Roush has won championships in all three national series.
Old school, new school – it doesn’t matter to the No. 17 crew chief Jimmy Fennig. The victory was the 34th for the 58-year-old pit road master, who guided Allison to his second Daytona 500 victory in 1988. Fennig has won with four different drivers from 1987 through the present: Kenseth, Allison, Kurt Busch and Mark Martin. He was Busch’s championship crew chief in 2004.
You can say Doug Yates has NASCAR’s new Electronic Fuel Injection system figured out. His engines powered the winner, third-place Greg Biffle and eighth-place Carl Edwards. They won the Coors Light Pole and a Gatorade Duel qualifying event. Ford won the Daytona 500 for the third time in four years.

Matt Kenseth holds off Earnhardt Jr., survives to win bizarre Daytona 500

Matt Kenseth holds off Earnhardt Jr., survives to win bizarre Daytona 500

Feb. 27, 2012

By Reid Spencer

NASCAR Wire Service

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Finally, nothing out of the ordinary happened.

In a Daytona 500 that featured the first postponement in its history, a ball of fire from a racecar vs. jet dryer collision under caution and a surfeit of wild action in the closing laps, Matt Kenseth won his second Daytona 500 when the tandem of Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Greg Biffle couldn't catch the race winner in a green-white-checkered-flag finish.

Earnhardt made a slingshot move around Greg Biffle to run second in the 54th running of the Great American Race at Daytona International Speedway. Biffle came home third, followed by Denny Hamlin and Jeff Burton, as a late caution necessitated two extra laps beyond the scheduled 200.

Paul Menard, Kevin Harvick, pole-sitter Carl Edwards, Joey Logano and Mark Martin completed the top 10.

Earnhardt hooked up with Biffle and pushed the No. 16 Ford after a restart on Lap 201, but the pair could not make headway against Kenseth who moved to the front of the field and stayed there.

Earnhardt expected Biffle to pull out and make a move, but the move never came.

"I was waiting and waiting," Earnhardt said. "It looked like he might have been trying to make a move on the back straightaway, but nothing materialized there. Then we came off (Turn) 4, and I kind of waited till the last minute for him to have his opportunity to try to pass Matt, and nothing was happening, so I just pulled out and went around him."

Kenseth had plenty of power at the finish, despite problems with the cooling system that plagued him early in the race.

"We had a lot of problems -- it was spewing water," said Kenseth, who notched the 22nd NASCAR Sprint Cup victory of his career. "I have to give a lot of credit to (engine builder) Doug Yates and the guys at the engine shop. We had great horsepower.

"I could get a pretty good start on the bottom and either Denny or Dale Jr. could push me for a while and then they just couldn't stay attached and I would get away from them just in time to get in front of Greg, and the two of us together could make some unbelievable speed. I have to thank Greg. We worked together really good all day long. He had a really fast car all day as well."

A multicar wreck on Lap 188 thinned the herd considerably, taking out a handful of competitive cars. Jamie McMurray spun wildly near the entrance to Turn 1, and the chain-reaction collision wiped out the cars of Brad Keselowski, Kasey Kahne and Aric Almirola and damaged the machines of Edwards and Tony Stewart.

Another melee on Lap 196 set up the overtime. After contact from Joey Logano's Toyota, the Ford of Ricky Stenhouse Jr. caromed into Stewart's Chevrolet, turning the defending Cup champion sideways and igniting a pinball-style wreck that also involved Kyle Busch and Ryan Newman.

A strange weekend that saw the first weather postponement in the history of the Daytona 500 got downright bizarre during a round of pit stops under caution late in the race.

Juan Pablo Montoya brought his No. 42 Chevrolet to pit road under caution on Lap 160, complaining of transmission issues. His car fell victim to a strong vibration when he returned to the track, and Montoya slid out of control at the entrance to Turn 3 and slammed into a jet dryer, which was against the outside wall, blowing the track.

The collision ignited the jet fuel in the dryer and set both vehicles ablaze. Montoya and the driver of the service vehicle both escaped the wreckage, but the latter -- Duane Barnes, from Michigan International Speedway -- was taken to nearby Halifax Medical Center for further evaluation.

"Something failed in the rear of the car, and the car just spun into the jet dryer," Montoya said after a visit to the care center. "I left the pits and felt a really weird vibration, and I came back in and checked the rear end and (they) said it was OK, and I got into the backstraight and we were going in fourth gear but wasn't going that fast.

"Every time I got on the gas, I could feel the rear squeezing. When I was telling the spotter to have a look how the rear was moving, the car just turned right."

NASCAR red-flagged the race as safety vehicles arrived on the scene and track workers attempted to put out the fire.

"There's going to be a big speed bump heading into Turn 3," crew chief Steve Letarte told Dale Earnhardt Jr., fearful that the blaze would melt the asphalt. "I will be shocked -- shocked -- if we can get this race restarted."

Letarte was wrong.

Safety workers cleared the scene by hoisting the remains of the jet dryer on a tow truck with a boom to prevent further damage to the asphalt. After a stoppage of two hours, five minutes and 29 seconds, the event resumed just before midnight ET.

The race was barely one lap old when contact from the front bumper of Elliott Sadler's Chevrolet turned the No. 48 Chevy of five-time champion Jimmie Johnson hard into the outside wall near the exit from the tri-oval.

Unable to avoid the wreck, David Ragan plowed into the side of Johnson's car. Neither Johnson nor Ragan was able to continue; they retired from the race in the 42nd and 43rd positions, respectively.

The cars of defending race winner Trevor Bayne, Danica Patrick and Kurt Busch were severely damaged in the melee and all three headed to the garage for extensive repairs and later returned to the track.

"The steering's off," Patrick said, as she brought the No. 10 Chevy to pit road. Her crew repaired the rear suspension, but Patrick was 62 laps down when she reappeared on Lap 66. She wound up 38th in her Sprint Cup debut.

Notes: Martin Truex Jr. won the $200,000 bonus for leading the race at the halfway point . . . The top four drivers when Juan Montoya hit the jet dryer were Dave Blaney, Landon Cassill, Tony Raines and David Gilliland, none of whom had come to pit road with the rest of the lead-lap cars. Irreparable damage to the track or an ill-timed rain cell could have made a winner of Blaney. . . . Edwards and Kyle Busch had to restart from the rear when the race resumed for removing tear-offs from their windshields under the red flag.

Daytona 500 Race Winner: Matt Kenseth

Race Fast Facts
Daytona International Speedway
54th Annual Daytona 500 
Provided by NASCAR Statistics - Tue, February 28, 2012 @ 01:10 AM Eastern
Race Winner: Matt Kenseth
Age: 39
Team : No. 17 - Best Buy Ford
Owner: John Henry
Crew Chief: Jimmy Fennig
Matt Kenseth won the 54th Annual Daytona 500 , 

his 22nd victory in 437 

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.
Kenseth is the ninth driver to win multiple

 Daytona 500s. 

His first Daytona 500 victory came in the 

rain-shortened 2009 event.
This is Roush Fenway Racing's 300th NASCAR

 national Series victory

 (126 wins in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series; 124 in the 

NASCAR Nationwide Series;

 50 in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series).
Kenseth also won his Gatorade Duel at Daytona race. 

The last driver to win both a Duel and the Daytona 500

 was Dale Earnhardt Jr. 

in 2004.
This is his second victory and 12th top-10 finish 

in 25 races at

 Daytona International Speedway.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. (second) posted his 14th top-10 finish 

in 25 races at

 Daytona International Speedway. 
Greg Biffle (third) posted his fifth top-10 finish in

 19 races at

 Daytona International Speedway.

JUAN MONTOYA LOSES CONTROL RUNS INTO JET DRYER ON CAUTION,HEAVY FIRE DAMAGE TO HIS CAR AND DRYER [JET FUEL FIRE] NO ONE HURT TRACK ONGHT BE DAMAGED .RIGHT NOW BOTTOM TIER DRIVERS IN FRONT ONE WILL BE WINER IF RACE CALLED --MORE LATER

500 RED FLAGGED

JUAN MONTOYA RAN INTO JET DRYER CAUSING FIRE ,NO ONE HURT ,ITS A MESS

Rain forces first-ever Daytona 500 postponement; green flag at noon ET Monday

Rain forces first-ever Daytona 500 postponement; green flag at noon ET Monday

Feb. 26, 2012

By Reid Spencer

NASCAR Wire Service

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Persistent rain washed out the 54th running of the Daytona 500, forcing a postponement of the Great American Race for the first time in its history.

After a storm cell negated track-drying efforts at approximately 5 p.m. ET, NASCAR and Daytona International Speedway announced the postponement until noon ET Monday. The race will be broadcast live on FOX.

On four occasions, the most recent in 2009, rain has shortened the Daytona 500, but until Sunday, inclement weather had never prevented the field from taking the green flag on the appointed day.

The Sprint Cup garage will open at 9 a.m. ET Monday.

In addition to rain-shortened races in 1965, 1966, 2003 and 2009, rain has affected four other Daytona 500s, the most notable the watershed 1979 event in which CBS gave viewers the first live flag-to-flag coverage of a NASCAR race.

The battle between Donnie Allison and Cale Yarborough on the racetrack, followed by the televised fistfight between Yarborough and the Allison brothers in the infield, is part of NASCAR lore. Fewer fans remember that the first 16 laps of that race were run under caution because of rain.

Carl Edwards won the pole for the Daytona 500 in last Sunday's qualifying session and will lead the field to the green flag a day later than planned.

"This is one of the toughest things for us drivers," Edwards said of the postponement. "When you put that off for another day, it's who can stay focused -- not just the drivers, but the pit crews and teams."

Because the rain has washed rubber from the racetrack, Edwards won't be surprised if NASCAR calls a competition caution early in the race.

"The rain will make the track a little more abrasive at the start," he said.

Open letter to NASCAR fans from Brian France

By Official Release
February 26, 2012 8:32 AM, EST

Dear NASCAR fans,
With the Daytona 500 now upon us, I hope you are as excited as I am to see the greatest drivers in the world competing at Daytona International Speedway later Sunday.
NASCAR is in a very good place right now and our entire industry is working very hard for you, the fans, as we continually seek to improve and grow our sport. Indeed, we are listening to you, as several enhancements that have been put in place in recent years were a direct result of your input.
Thank you for your ongoing support and enthusiasm, the way you wholeheartedly embrace NASCAR and how you share your passion for our sport with family, friends and others you encounter each and every day. We certainly were encouraged by the excitement generated by our 2011 season and look forward to enjoying this season together as one NASCAR Nation.
On behalf of the France family, I want to personally express our appreciation for your support, and join you in anticipation of the thrilling ride ahead.
Best Regards,
Brian France

Notebook: Danica Patrick rues the wreck of her pole-winning car

Notebook: Danica Patrick rues the wreck of her pole-winning car

Feb. 25, 2012

By Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Based on her roller-coaster ride during Speedweeks, Sunday's Daytona 500 ought to be a stellar outing for Danica Patrick.

On Thursday, she wrecked hard on the last lap of the first Gatorade Duel 150 qualifying race at Daytona International Speedway.

On Friday, she won the pole for the Drive4COPD 300 Nationwide Series race.

On Saturday, on Lap 49 of that event, Patrick wrecked in Turn 3 after a hard bump from JR Motorsports teammate Cole Whitt. Patrick fought to regain control of her car but nosed into the outside wall.

"What the (expletive)?" Patrick exclaimed as she drove her crippled No. 7 Chevrolet to pit road. "What the hell is he thinking?"

"Yeah, he (expletive) wrecked the (expletive) out of you," said spotter Mark Robertson.

Patrick's crew rolled the car to the garage to make extensive repairs that included replacing the radiator, the right-front suspension, the nose and the hood.

Doubtless, there will be a conversation between the JR Motorsports teammates before they're on the track together next Saturday at Phoenix.

"I don't think it's ever great when teammates come together," Patrick said after the race. "So we'll have to figure out what happened and move forward."

Patrick's biggest regret was wasting her pole-winning car.

"My car was really, really fast," she said. "Even when guys were tandem racing right in front of me, I was able to hang right with 'em. The bummer of it is that, not only is it the start to the championship -- and now I'm in the championship and every race matters and every point matters, which is why we got out there again -- but there are so many other days when your car isn't perfect or isn't great or isn't super fast and nothing happens to you.

"And you think 'Why on the days when I have a really fast car does it have to happen today?' But it did, and we'll move on."

Specifically, Patrick will move on to the Daytona 500, where she'll start from the rear of the field in her backup car. The way her week has been going, though, Sunday promises to be a better day.

BUILT TO LAST

If durability is a decisive factor in the Daytona 500, the Fords may have an edge. The FR9 engine is generally acknowledged to have a cooling package superior to that under the hoods of other car makers' products.

"It seems like we are definitely doing a better job than our competitors in the cooling area," acknowledged Doug Yates, president of Roush Yates Engines. "We saw last year with this engine that it does a really nice job. In a perfect world, I think we would prefer the weather to be hot like it was earlier in the week.

"Who knows what we will get tomorrow with the rain coming in and everything? Either way, there is kind of a delta there and an offset between us and our competitors right now that we seem to enjoy today and hopefully can keep pressing forward on and keep that for a while."

Sunday's weather is expected to be overcast, with a 50-percent chance of rain and temperatures in the mid-60s.

FORGET PRACTICE -- LET'S RACE

In Saturday morning's Sprint Cup practice session, 36 of 43 drivers performed final shakedowns of their cars. With the notable exception of the Busch brothers, however, no one spent much time on the racetrack.

Approximately 50 minutes into the 90-minute session, Kurt and Kyle Busch hooked up in a two-car draft. Later, both made single-car runs. Kurt's 37 laps run were high for the session, with Kyle second at 34 laps.

The Fords of David Gilliland and defending winner Trevor Bayne teamed up to post the fastest laps during Saturday's practice, with Gilliland topping the speed chart at 200.138 mph and Bayne second at 200.129 mph. They were the only two drivers to post laps at 200 mph or higher.

James Buescher grabs first Nationwide win in wild finish at Daytona

James Buescher grabs first Nationwide win in wild finish at Daytona

Feb. 25, 2012

By Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- In a weekend of unlikely winners, James Buescher took the checkered flag under caution in Saturday's Drive4COPD 300 Nationwide Series race with wreckage from the cars of the likely winners strewn behind him in Turn 4 at Daytona International Speedway.

Buescher, a first-time winner in the series, took advantage of a last-lap wreck involving front-runners Trevor Bayne, Tony Stewart, Elliott Sadler, Joey Logano, Kurt Busch, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Kyle Busch to score the victory, one day after rookie John King won his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race in his first trip to Daytona.

Brad Keselowski dodged the wreck to finish second, with Elliott Sadler coming home third in the unofficial results.

A race that had been peppered with minor incidents produced a huge one on Lap 104, when the front of the field accordioned in Turn 4, and cars began checking up and wrecking mid-pack. All told, 20 cars were involved in the crash, including the machines of Denny Hamlin, Kenny Wallace and Justin Allgaier.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. ducked to the bottom of the track to avoid the wreck and sustained minor damage to the right side of his Chevrolet. After a four-minute stoppage to pry the splitter from Wallace's wrecked car from the Turn 4 wall, Earnhardt restarted 14th on Lap 113.

But Earnhardt fell victim to a 14-car pileup one lap later when contact from David Ragan's Ford turned Sam Hornish's Dodge to trigger the multicar wreck.

Pole-sitter Danica Patrick exited the race on Lap 49, after a hard tap from Cole Whitt, her teammate at JR Motorsports, knocked Patrick's No. 7 Chevrolet out of control and into the Turn 3 wall.

Patrick's team pushed the car to the garage for extensive repairs, losing 48 laps in the process. She returned to the track on Lap 98 and finished 38th, an inauspicious start to a championship campaign.

King wins Daytona truck race in three overtimes

King wins Daytona truck race in three overtimes

By Reid Spencer

NASCAR Wire Service

Feb. 24, 2012

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.—Count 'em. John King now has three victories.

The first two came on rural short tracks in Virginia. The third was a shocker -- Friday night's improbable victory in the NextEra Energy Resources 250 at Daytona International Speedway.

It took three attempts at a green-white-checkered-flag finish for King to win his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race in his eighth start in the series and his first on a superspeedway.

King was in the lead in the third overtime when Joey Coulter's Chevrolet flew into the catch fence on the frontstretch after James Buescher's Chevy turned sideways from contact with the truck of Ron Hornaday Jr. Coulter walked away from the wreck.

The resulting caution froze the field and made a winner of King, who still seemed amazed at his accomplishment when he talked to reporters after the race.

"This is feature win No. 3 for me -- in my whole career," King said. "It's unbelievable. I couldn't imagine being here, and we're here."

A hard crash on Lap 104 -- four laps into overtime at the 2.5-mile track -- took out race leader Johnny Sauter, who turned into the outside wall in the tri-oval off the bumper of King, igniting a multicar melee behind them.

"Golly, I flat freakin' wrecked him," King lamented on his radio after NASCAR red-flagged the race to clean up debris from the wreck.

Five laps and an 11-minute stoppage later, after a torrent of reassuring words from crew chief Chad Kendrick, King was in victory lane. Timothy Peters, King's Red Horse Racing teammate came home second. Justin Lofton was credited with a third-place finish, followed by Travis Kvapil and Jason White.

"All I know was, the closing rate was real fast, and I couldn't get off of him," King said of the contact with Sauter's car. "I'm a rookie, and I've never pushed (another car in the draft) in my life, and this is my first time at Daytona Speedway or any superspeedway.

"I apologize to him from the bottom of my heart. It wasn't my intention at all."

A caution on Lap 61 for a crash involving John King, Cale Gale and Mike Skinner provided a window for drivers to make their final pit stops. The trip down pit road failed to break up the dominant combination of Turner Motorsports drivers Buescher and polesitter Miguel Paludo.

Nelson Piquet Jr., the third of the Turner drivers, took the lead soon after a restart on Lap 69, and the Turner Chevrolets ran 1-2-3 as the race closed in on the 75-lap mark. To that point, Turner drivers had led every green-flag lap.

Lap after lap they maintained that order, Piquet leading Paludo and Buescher, all three trucks hugging the yellow line at the bottom of the track until White led a surge in the outside lane and grabbed the lead from Paludo on Lap 84.

As the trucks approached the stripe on that circuit, Paludo's Chevy turned sideways and slammed nose-first into the inside wall, bring an abrupt end to the Turner triumvirate.

White led the field to the subsequent restart on Lap 91, with Piquet in second, Sauter third and Buescher fourth. White stayed out front until Parker Kilgerman's Dodge spun sideways on Lap 95, scattering the back half of the field and damaging the trucks of David Starr, Ross Chastain, Dusty Davis and Bryan Silas.

Notes: Ward Burton finished eighth in his first start in any of NASCAR's top three series since 2007… Paulie Harraka, who triggered an early wreck, got five straight "lucky dogs" (free passes to regain lost laps) as the highest-scored lapped car. He finished 19th in his first start in the series.

The Budweiser Shootout no longer will be the Budweiser Shootout.

The Budweiser Shootout no longer will be the Budweiser Shootout.
A 34-year supporter of racing at Daytona, Budweiser is both shifting and enhancing its commitment. Starting next season, Budweiser will sponsor both Speedweeks as a whole and the Thursday afternoon Duel 150 qualifying races for the Daytona 500.
The Duel will be rebranded the Budweiser Duel at Daytona, encompassing both races.
"Budweiser is the longest running active partner with Daytona International Speedway, and we are incredibly excited to enter this new chapter with them in 2013," speedway president Joie Chitwood said. "The opportunities created by this enhanced partnership are compelling, and our fans will benefit the most.
"The intensity and fun atmosphere that Budweiser brought to the Shootout for so many years will be taken up several notches as they assume a much broader role during Speedweeks and the Great American Race."
The obvious open question involves sponsorship of the Shootout, eligibility for which will revert in 2013 to Coors Light pole award winners from this season and previous Shootout winners who try to qualify for at least one Sprint Cup race in 2012.
The conflicting beer sponsorships led to some awkward eligibility rules over the past few years. Chitwood says he is pursuing several leads for potential title sponsors for the Shootout, but Coors Light is not one of them.
Budweiser's exclusivity with the Speedway precludes a rival beer maker from naming the season-opening exhibition race.

NASCAR WIRE SERVICE

Patrick wins pole for NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Daytona

Patrick wins pole for NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Daytona

By Reid Spencer

NASCAR Wire Service

Feb. 24, 2012

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- A day after a jarring crash took her out of the first Gatorade Duel 150 qualifying race at Daytona International Speedway, Danica Patrick stormed back to win the pole for Saturday's Drive4COPD Nationwide Series race at the 2.5-mile track.

The Coors Light Pole Award was Patrick's first in 26 attempts and the first for a female driver since Shawna Robinson started on the pole at Atlanta in March of 1994. Robinson is the only other woman to win a pole in any of NASCAR's top three national series.

The 35th of 50 drivers to make a qualifying attempt, Patrick posted a lap at 182.741 mph and waited as drivers who had been faster in practice attempted to unseat her.

That didn't happen. Dale Earnhardt Jr. couldn't knock her off. Nor could Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch or any of the other drivers who followed her in the qualifying order.

To Patrick, the wait for 15 cars seemed interminable.

"Gosh it seemed like a hundred, didn't it?" Patrick told the NASCAR Wire Service. "I didn't even know the qualifying order. I had no idea how many people were going after me. One of the engineers was writing down lap times as he heard 'em, and he was like, 'All right, we dodged that bullet.'

"We've got this one -- this one's going to be a big one. All right, we got that one.' And I'm like, 'It seems like every car is a big one. Of course it is -- they're all faster than me (in practice). That's why they're qualifying after me.'

"I definitely didn't know it was the pole until the last car crossed the line."

Trevor Bayne qualified on the outside of the front row at 182.715 mph, just .007 seconds slower than Patrick. Elliott Sadler, Earnhardt and 2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion Austin Dillon completed the top five.

Afterwards, Sadler paid Patrick a strong compliment.

"In the last 24 months, I think she's the most improved driver we've had, in all three series," Sadler said.

Danica Patrick: 'I got the big crash out of the way'

Danica Patrick: 'I got the big crash out of the way'

By Reid Spencer

NASCAR Wire Service

Feb. 24, 2012

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.—Doubtless Danica Patrick hopes she's a big hit in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

Certainly, however, she'll hope to avoid the sort of hit she took late in Thursday's first Gatorade Duel 150 qualifying race at Daytona International Speedway.

With half a lap left in the race, contact from Aric Almirola's Ford sent Patrick's Chevrolet sliding out of control toward the inside wall on the backstretch at the 2.5-mile speedway. Patrick hit the SAFER barrier at approximately 150 mph with an impact that lifted all four wheels off the pavement.

Knowing she had no chance to save the car, Patrick took her hands off the wheel before the car hit the wall—as all IndyCar Series drivers are trained to do.

"Obviously, I tried to save it and thought 'There is nothing happening here so I might as well let go,'" Patrick explained during a question-and-answer

session with reporters on Friday. "Again, that is an IndyCar thing. I don't see any point in keeping my hands tangled up with anything that is going to be moving.  

"I was just talking to medical on the way in here, actually, and he was giving me some 'Atta-girl' on doing that, because all kinds of things can happen the more you connect yourself with stuff."

Though Patrick was sore from the impact, she got help from her husband, Paul Hospenthal, a physical therapist. Emotionally, Patrick was surprisingly sanguine in the aftermath of the accident.

"That's why I'm excited about this," said Patrick, who shook down her backup car in Friday's second practice session. "Get the first big accident out of the way on my first IndyCar race (at Homestead in 2005). Get the first big accident out of the way in my first Sprint Cup race.

"I actually said that before I went to bed last night. I said 'Honey it's just going to be finishing from here.'"

Because of the switch to the backup car, Patrick will start Sunday's Daytona 500—her first Sprint Cup points race—from the rear of the field.

PASTRANA ANNOUNCES 7-RACE NATIONWIDE SCHEDULE

Motorcycle star Travis Pastrana, whose foray into NASCAR's Nationwide Series was KO'd by an accident in last year's X-Games, announced a seven-race

Nationwide schedule Friday at Daytona International Speedway.

Pastrana will open his 2012 campaign April 27 at Richmond and already has races booked at Darlington (May 11), Charlotte (May 26), New Hampshire (July 14), Chicagoland (July 22), Indianapolis (July 28) and Atlanta (Sept. 1).

The 11-time X-Games gold medalist also plans to run 11 races in NASCAR's K&N Pro Series, with his first appearance coming Mar. 17 at Bristol. Pastrana would like to race as many as 20 times in the Nationwide Series this season, pending sponsorship.

"The reason that we've chosen the races we have is just to get as much diversity as we possibly can," Pastrana told the NASCAR Wire Service. "I'm definitely looking forward to running a road course -- trying to get the funding to at least do a K&N West as well, trying to get on as many different tracks as possible.  Of course, tracks like Darlington is something that I've looked forward to running for a very long period of time."

Until he shattered his ankle in the X-Games in July, Pastrana was slated to make his Nationwide debut at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis. This year, the series moves from the short track to Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

"Indianapolis--last year I thought it was going to be a lot of fun because it was more of a flatter, shorter

track, (where) I can slide a car--I've been doing that my whole life," Pastrana said. "I just have to figure out how to not slide a car now, and we'll see how that works out. 

"Just trying to get as much diversity as we can in the races that we're guaranteed to do.  Have great sponsorship lined up for the start, but I said, 'Let's try to pick the best tracks we can, let's do the best that we can with what we've got guaranteed and let's keep looking.' I want to be racing every single weekend.  If we get 20 races or 25 races, that's what I need to get seat time."

BUDWEISER RATCHETS UP DAYTONA COMMITMENT

The Budweiser Shootout no longer will be the Budweiser Shootout.

A 34-year supporter of racing at Daytona, Budweiser is both shifting and enhancing its commitment. Starting next season, Budweiser will sponsor both Speedweeks as a whole and the Thursday afternoon Duel 150 qualifying races for the Daytona 500.

The Duels will be re-branded the Budweiser Duel at Daytona, encompassing both races.

"Budweiser is the longest running active partner with Daytona International Speedway, and we are incredibly excited to enter this new chapter with them in 2013," speedway president Joie Chitwood said. "The opportunities created by this enhanced partnership are compelling, and our fans will benefit the most.

"The intensity and fun atmosphere that Budweiser brought to the Shootout for so many years will be taken up several notches as they assume a much broader role during Speedweeks and the Great American Race."

The obvious open question involves sponsorship of the Shootout, eligibility for which will revert in 2013 to Coors Light pole award winners from this season and previous Shootout winners who try to qualify for at least one Sprint Cup race in 2012.

The conflicting beer sponsorships led to some awkward eligibility rules over the past few years. Chitwood says he is pursuing several leads for potential title sponsors for the Shootout, but Coors Light is not one of them.

Budweiser's exclusivity with the Speedway precludes a rival beer maker from naming the season-opening exhibition race.

Weekend preview: Roush Fenway makes case for Daytona power play Weekend preview: Roush Fenway makes case for Daytona power play

Weekend preview: Roush Fenway makes case for Daytona power play

Feb. 23, 2012

 
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- For all the talk about tandem racing leading up to Daytona's Speedweeks, Roush Fenway Racing may have the ultimate three-car push in store for Sunday's Daytona 500.

Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle will occupy the first two spots when the green flag falls on the 54th running of The Great American Race. Matt Kenseth earned the fourth starting position by winning the second Gatorade Duel qualifying race Thursday. Tony Stewart won the other qualifier, making him the only non-Roush driver in the first two rows.

With close proximity among Ford stablemates at the start of the race, teamwork would seem to be in order. After bypassing Biffle for his Duel win, Kenseth said that's not necessarily so.

"Certainly, I think you race all day. You just race to try to have yourself in the best position," Kenseth said. "Like always, you're going to try the best you can to take care of your teammates as good as you can.

"Obviously, if it's multiple choice at the end, you're going to get the same answer for yourself. Obviously, you're going to go with a teammate instead of going somewhere else when it comes down to the end of the race."

Daytona International Speedway has produced an odd lot of results for longtime team owner Jack Roush. His cars have won five times in points-paying races, but just once in the Daytona 500 when Kenseth scored a rain-shortened victory in 2009. Roush also has four runner-up finishes in the 500, the most recent coming last year when Edwards ran second to Trevor Bayne.

Kenseth's win marked the first qualifying race triumph for Roush in 25 years of trying, leading the car owner to feign embarrassment over his lack of success in the Thursday preliminary.

If any of Roush's drivers plan to make it to Victory Lane in Sunday's main event, they'll have to be mindful of keeping their engines cool with their choice of drafting tactics. In Thursday's Duels, drivers reported water temperatures inching toward the perilous 300-degree mark -- the product of NASCAR's rules limiting engine cooling in an effort to curb two-car tandem racing.
While the reviews of the rules were mixed among drivers, Roush seemed pleased that his motors were able to withstand the heat.

"Whatever they do is fine," Roush said. "It's the same for everybody. I hope it's not a lot different than what we had today. Today was a good dry run."

STEWART SHOOTS FOR FIVE STRAIGHT IN 300

Tony Stewart's forays into the NASCAR Nationwide Series have been sporadic in recent years, but the common theme has been winning the season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway.

Stewart will take aim for his fifth consecutive victory -- and the sixth in the last seven years -- in Saturday's Drive4COPD 300, which kicks off the 31st season of Nationwide competition. When he takes the green flag, he'll be doing so for his fourth car owner in five years.

Stewart, who has won the season opener for Joe Gibbs, Rick Hendrick and Kevin Harvick, will take the reins for Richard Childress Racing in the No. 33 Chevrolet. It's the same team he beat by a bumper in 2011 with Clint Bowyer at the wheel in a 1-2 finish for Kevin Harvick Inc.; Childress since absorbed the assets of Harvick's team in the offseason.

"I've had three really good car owners to drive for," Stewart said. "It's neat to be able to say that I got to drive for Richard and I'm looking forward to the race. It's one that we've had a lot of good luck in."

While Stewart's wins have spoken to his Daytona dominance, none of the victories in his streak have been runaways. The total margin of victory in his four-race run is .643 of a second, including an ultra-slim seven thousandths of a second in last year's photo finish.

Stewart is among 19 drivers entered in both Saturday's 300-miler and Sunday's Daytona 500. Also on that list is defending Nationwide champion Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who will make just his second Sprint Cup start Sunday.

Stenhouse finished eighth in the season opener last year, but has yet to win on a track larger than a mile. While a subpar finish Saturday won't necessarily derail his title defense, he'd rather not have a deficit to make up after Daytona.

"The first race of the season, we came into it last year saying that if we can get a top-10, we'll take it and move on," Stenhouse said. "We've got Phoenix, Vegas, Bristol and Fontana coming up where we ran really, really strong last year. We feel like we can really get our season going these first five races."

HORNADAY HUNGRY FOR TRUCK TRIUMPH

For all the accomplishments in Ron Hornaday Jr.'s decorated, 300-start NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career, one gold star on his resume has eluded him -- a win at Daytona International Speedway.

Hornaday will try to fill that void in Friday night's season-opening NextEra Energy 250 after an offseason of change. The 53-year-old veteran has moved to Joe Denette Motorsports after seven successful years with Kevin Harvick Inc., which closed its doors in the offseason. While the development left him with some anxious moments concerning his job security, he remains focused for his 15th season in truck competition.

"I don't think we will miss a beat," Hornaday said. "I've been very fortunate to drive for some great people and win races. . . . We've got to go out and win at least five or six more just so I can keep my job for next year."

The 2012 workload begins with a race that Hornaday wants most but has struggled at in the past. In eight truck efforts at the 2.5-mile track, the four-time series champ has just one top-five finish.

"I don't care if it's on a bicycle or whatever, but I want to win Daytona," Hornaday said. "It's just one of those races everybody wants to win. I don't care what you win it on."

Neither the race nor the series have a defending champion. Michael Waltrip, last year's race winner, is not entered in Friday's 250-miler; Austin Dillon, who won the truck crown last season, has moved up to the Nationwide Series for 2012.

In his place is another Dillon ready to make his mark in NASCAR. Younger brother Ty Dillon, the 19-year-old who marched to the ARCA championship last season, embarks on his rookie season in the Richard Childress Racing No. 3.

"I'm super anxious," Dillon said. "I've been over at the dirt track all week running my dirt car. I've been down here racing, but I'm ready to get on the big-time track."

Tony Stewart, Matt Kenseth win Duel qualifying races at Daytona

Tony Stewart, Matt Kenseth win Duel qualifying races at Daytona

Feb. 23, 2012

By Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Escaping an attempted block from Roush Fenway Racing teammate Greg Biffle, Matt Kenseth took the lead on the final lap of the second of two Gatorade Duel 150-mile qualifying races Thursday at Daytona International Speedway and held off Regan Smith for the win.

Tony Stewart won the first Duel under caution, a half-lap after Danica Patrick took a vicious hit against the inside wall on the backstretch.

In a caution-free race, Kenseth, the 2009 Daytona 500 winner, claimed the first Duel victory ever for Roush Fenway. Smith came home second, followed by Jimmie Johnson, Elliott Sadler and pole-sitter Greg Biffle.

Stewart's 15th victory at Daytona in NASCAR's top two series combined, including three in Duels, three in the Budweiser Shootout, three in the July Sprint Cup race and and six in the Nationwide Series. Counting two wins in IROC competition, Stewart has 17 stock-car wins at Daytona, second on the all-time list.

Stewart, the reigning Cup champion, will attempt to win the Daytona 500 for the first time on Sunday. Thursday's victory was his first with crew chief Steve Addington, who joined Stewart-Haas Racing during the offseason.

The caution flew after Stewart had led the field to the white flag, with race runner-up Dale Earnhardt Jr. in hot pursuit. Contact from Aric Almirola's Ford launched Patrick's Chevrolet toward the inside SAFER barrier on the backstretch, and impact with the wall was hard enough to lift all four wheels of Patrick's car off the pavement.

Dave Blaney and Joe Nemechek transferred into the Daytona 500 with 12th and 17th-place finishes in the second Duel. Michael McDowell and Robby Gordon finished sixth and ninth, respectively, in the first qualifying race to earn spots in Sunday's 54th running of The Great American Race.

Marcos Ambrose ran third in the first Duel after regaining a lost lap under a late caution, followed by Jeff Burton in fourth with pole-sitter Carl Edwards coming home fifth.

Stewart had led 10 straight laps when Michael Waltrip, returning to the track after pitting for a splash of fuel, shot up the banking and into the Turn 2 wall on Lap 53, simultaneously destroying his No. 40 Toyota and his prospects of racing in his 26th straight Daytona 500.

Stewart will start third in the 500, with Earnhardt set to roll off fifth. Patrick will start from the rear of the field in a backup car. Kenseth earned the fourth starting position on the Daytona 500 grid, with Smith set to take the green flag from the sixth position.

Tony Stewart wins first Duel as Danica Patrick crashes on final lap

Tony Stewart wins first Duel as Danica Patrick crashes on final lap

Feb. 23, 2012

By Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Tony Stewart won the first of two Gatorade Duel 150-mile qualifying races under caution Thursday at Daytona International Speedway, a half-lap after Danica Patrick took a vicious hit against the inside wall on the backstretch.

The caution flew after Stewart had led the field to the white flag, with race runner-up Dale Earnhardt Jr. in hot pursuit. Contact from Aric Almirola's Ford launched Patrick's Chevrolet toward the inside SAFER barrier on the backstretch, and impact with the wall was hard enough to lift all four wheels of Patrick's car off the pavement.

Michael McDowell and Robby Gordon finished sixth and ninth, respectively, to race their way into Sunday's 54th Daytona 500.

Marcos Ambrose ran third after regaining a lost lap under a late caution, followed by Jeff Burton in fourth with pole-sitter Carl Edwards coming home fifth.

Stewart had led 10 straight laps when Michael Waltrip, returning to the track after pitting for a splash of fuel, shot up the banking and into the Turn 2 wall, simultaneously destroying his No. 40 Toyota and his prospects of racing in his 26th straight Daytona 500.

Stewart, the defending NASCAR Sprint Cup champion, will start third in the 500, with Earnhardt set to roll off fifth. Patrick will start from the rear of the field in a backup car.

STEWART WINS DUEL 1 -JUNIOR 2ND

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Tony Stewart won the first of two Gatorade Duel 150-mile qualifying races under caution Thursday at Daytona International Speedway, a half-lap after Danica Patrick took a vicious hit against the inside wall on the backstretch.

The caution flew after Stewart had led the field to the white flag, with race runner-up Dale Earnhardt Jr. in hot pursuit. Contact from Aric Almirola's Ford launched Patrick's Chevrolet toward the inside SAFER barrier on the backstretch, and impact with the wall was hard enough to lift all four wheels of Patrick's car off the pavement.

Michael McDowell and Robby Gordon finished sixth and ninth, respectively, to race their way into Sunday's 54th Daytona 500.

Marcos Ambrose ran third after regaining a lost lap under a late caution, followed by Jeff Burton in fourth with pole-sitter Carl Edwards coming home fifth.

Stewart had led 10 consecutive laps when Michael Waltrip, returning to the track after pitting for a splash of fuel, shot up the banking and into the Turn 2 wall, simultaneously destroying his No. 40 Toyota and his prospects of racing in his 26th consecutive Daytona 500.

Stewart, the defending Sprint Cup champion, will start third in the 500, with Earnhardt set to roll off fifth. Patrick will start from the rear of the field in a backup car.

Notebook: Brad Keselowski survives scare in Daytona 500 practice

Notebook: Brad Keselowski survives scare in Daytona 500 practice

Feb. 22, 2012

By Reid Spencer

NASCAR Wire Service

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Brad Keselowski survived a close call on Wednesday, one that almost made mincemeat of his Budweiser Shootout strategy.

Early in Wednesday's first practice session for Daytona 500 cars, Keselowski's No. 2 Dodge spun off the backstretch after contact from Clint Bowyer's No. 15 Toyota, as Keselowski was trying to make room for Ryan Newman's Chevrolet in front of him. After a high-speed slide through the infield grass, Keselowski brought his car to the garage.

Fortunately for the Penske Racing team, the damage was minimal. After the crew cleaned the grass and dirt from the undercarriage, Keselowski was back on the track, thankful that his efforts to save his carduring Saturday's Shootout had not gone for naught.

Both Keselowski and teammate AJ Allmendinger ran conservatively in the back of the pack on Saturday, after both lost their primary Shootout cars in a crash during practice on Friday.

"For us, we destroyed a good racecar in practice," Keselowski told the NASCAR Wire Service after the Shootout. "Obviously, that put us behind in our car rotation. It was very, very important that webrought a car home from the Shootout, between AJ and I. It's our backup car for the 500.

"So, basically, without having that car available, if something was to happen in the next few days, we'd be out of bullets. That's not good. So we had to make sure we had cars left at the end of (Saturday's) race. We were in kind of a unique position."

Keselowski came home unscathed and finished fourth in the Shootout. Allmendinger wasn't as fortunate, falling victim to a late wreck also involving Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch, Jamie McMurray and Carl Edwards.

Keselowski and Allmendinger both hope to survive Thursday's Gatorade Duels 150-mile qualifying races with their primary cars intact, but in a worst-case scenario, Penske Racing has two cars ready to transport from North Carolina to Daytona.

EARNHARDT: 'I JUST WANT TO WIN'

Yes, Dale Earnhardt Jr. would love to win the Daytona 500, break a 129-race drought and give team owner Rick Hendrick his 200th Sprint Cup victory.

More than winning the 500 specifically, however, Earnhardt simply wants to win a race -- any race.

"I just want to win -- anywhere," said Earnhardt, whose last victory came at Michigan in June 2008, during the Bush administration. "I just want to go ahead and get that done, so I can think about the next one and get the streak over with and get back to victory lane.

"We lost a million dollars by not being in the Winner's Circle program last year for the company (Hendrick Motorsports). They could use that money. There are just so many benefits to getting in the Winner's Circle. It'll help our team. It'll validate what me and (crew chief) Steve (Letarte) have been trying to do the last couple years.

"It is the Daytona 500. It's the biggest race of the season. It would be pretty spectacular for me personally to win it, but it would do so many other things that I can't even list right now, for the team and the company going forward. It would be awesome."

KAHNE TO BACKUP CAR

Kasey Kahne's slide through the tri-oval grass in Wednesday's second session wasn't as benign as Keselowski's adventure on the backstretch in the first.

Kahne ripped the left-front fender off his No. 5 Chevrolet, forcing the team to go to the backup car. Consequently, Kahne will start from the rear of the field in Thursday's second Duel.

Only 25 teams participated in the second practice. Unwilling to risk damage to their cars before the Duels, 24 drivers stayed off the track during the 90-minute session.

KNAUS FACING NASCAR SANCTIONS

Life without Chad Knaus? Jimmie Johnson would prefer not to think about that prospect.

NASCAR president Mike Helton has made it abundantly clear that the No. 48 team will incur penalties for the outside-the-box modifications to the "C" posts of Johnson's Chevrolet. How severe those penalties will be remains to be seen, but a suspension to Johnson's crew chief is among the possible sanctions.

NASCAR confiscated the offending "C" posts, which connect the rear of the roof to the rear quarter panels, during Friday's opening-day inspection and required the team to replace them.

Though Johnson won two races, including the Daytona 500, during a four-race suspension Knaus served in 2006, he'd prefer to have hiscrew chief on the box.

"It's not good for any team that goes through it," Johnson said of the impending penalties. "It certainly puts a tough wrinkle on things, but at this point, I would be purely speculating.

"I'm hopeful and want to be optimistic that (suspension) wouldn't be the case, but I don't have any more news. So, we're going to have to wait until Tuesday (when penalty announcements are expected) to see where things shake out."

DIVERSITY AWARDS CELEBRATE 5th YEAR

At its fifth annual Diversity Affairs Awards Luncheon on Wednesday at the Daytona 500 Club, NASCAR recognized six participants and partners who have played significant roles in helping to promote a diverse environment throughout NASCAR racing.

Those recognized were: Walter Thomas III (Young Racer); Darrell Wallace Jr. (Drive for Diversity Participant); Perron Jones (Diversity Internship Program); Steve deSouza, Joe Gibbs Racing (Industry Ambassador);International Speedway Corporation (NASCAR Partner); and Hampton University(Educational Institution).

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NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES

99 Has No Problems On Pole Day

After turning the fastest lap in Daytona 500 pole qualifying since 1999, Carl Edwards will attempt to become the 10th driver to win the Daytona 500 from the pole and first since Dale Jarrett in 2000. Edwards finished second last year in The Great American Race and had a ninth-place finish in 2010.

Edwards leads an all-Ford front row, as Roush Fenway Racing teammate Greg Biffle captured the second spot). A win would be the manufacturer's third Daytona 500 victory in four seasons and the second in four years for Roush Fenway Racing, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this season.

Roush Fenway Racing’s next victory – be it in Saturday NASCAR Nationwide race or in the Daytona 500 – would be the team’s 300^th in NASCAR national series competition.

The first and second starting positions have accounted for the most wins in Daytona 500 history with nine and seven respectively, combining for 30 percent of the victories in the previous 53 events.

Bayne Locked In And Loaded For Great American Repeat

With the fastest time among drivers not in the top 35, Trevor Bayne locked himself into the 54th running of the Daytona 500 along with Tony Raines, David Stremme and Terry Labonte, who can use a past champion’s provisional.

Bayne, who turned 21 on Sunday, will attempt to join Richard Petty (1973-74), Cale Yarborough (1983-84) and fellow Tennessean Sterling Marlin (1994-95) as the only drivers to win back-to-back Daytona 500s. A win would extend 2012 NASCAR Hall of Famer Glen Wood's win record at Daytona to 16.

Champ Seeks First 500 Win On His Own

Three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart has three Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola wins, three Budweiser Shootout crowns, two Gatorade Duel wins and two triumphs in IROC cars. His six DRIVE4COPD 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series wins (including the last four consecutive victories) is second only to Dale Earnhardt's seven, and Stewart is also tied for second with Bobby Allison on the all-time victory leader list at Daytona with 16 behind Earnhardt, who had 34.

In 13 previous starts, Stewart has three top-five finishes, including a runner-up run in 2004.

Danica Makes Highly Anticipated Debut

When the green flag flies on FOX at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, Danica Patrick will become the third woman to start the Daytona 500, following Janet Guthrie (1977, 1980) and Shawna Robinson (2002). She'll also attempt to join last year's race winner Trevor Bayne as the eighth driver to win her first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race in the 500. The club consists of Tiny Lund (1963), Mario Andretti (1967), Pete Hamilton (1970), Derrike Cope (1990), Sterling Marlin (1994), Michael Waltrip (2001) and Bayne (2011).

Of the two women who have raced before her in the Daytona 500, neither has a top-10 finish with Guthrie coming home 12th in 1977 and 11th in 1980 and Robinson finishing 24th in 2002.

Not Old, But Experienced: Martin Looks To Make History

In his 28th Daytona 500 and 25th consecutive Great American Race, Mark Martin is back in his quest to win his first Daytona 500. Turning 53 on January 9, Martin would not only break NASCAR Hall of Famer Bobby Allison's record as the oldest driver to win the 500, but become the oldest winner in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series history. The current oldest winner is Harry Gant at 52 years, seven months and six days.

It's the fifth anniversary of his loss at the line to Kevin Harvick as Martin begins a new chapter in his career with Michael Waltrip Racing. A win for Martin would break Dale Earnhardt's record of 20 races before his first win in the Daytona 500.

Junior Gaining Steam Heading Into 500

Dale Earnhardt Jr., owner of a 129-race wins drought, has the feel of someone who appears on the verge of a breakthrough.

Before getting caught up in an accident in Saturday night’s Shootout, Earnhardt led 12 laps, bringing the fans to their feet with each one.

On Sunday, Earnhardt narrowly missed sitting on the front row of the Daytona 500 for the second consecutive year, turning the third fastest lap in qualifying.

A win in the Daytona 500 would be Earnhardt’s second, joining his trophy from 2004.

This Time, It IS Go Or Go Home

Thursday’s Gatorade Duel at Daytona races mean everything to a select 10 drivers.

Those who have yet to secure a spot in the Daytona 500: Kenny Wallace, Dave Blaney, Michael Waltrip, Michael McDowell, Joe Nemechek, Bill Elliott, Mike Wallace, Robert Richardson Jr., JJ Yeley and Robby Gordon.

They’ll need to race their way in on Thursday. The top two “non-35 drivers” in each Gatorade Duel make Sunday’s Daytona 500.