NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES – DAYTONA 500, SUNDAY, FEB. 24, 1 P.M. ON FOX
Patrick Makes NASCAR, Daytona 500 History
Danica Patrick makes history Sunday when she leads the field to the green flag in the 55th Daytona 500 (1 p.m. ET on FOX, FOX Deportes, Motor Racing Network Radio and SiriusXM Satellite Radio). Patrick, driver of the Stewart-Haas Racing’s No. 10 Chevrolet, became the first female to win a Coors Light Pole in Feb. 17’s Daytona 500 qualifying recording a lap of 196.434 mph (45.817 seconds) at Daytona International Speedway. Patrick shattered the previous record for a top starting spot by a female NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver. Janet Guthrie previously held the mark, twice starting ninth in 1997. Guthrie was the previous highest qualifying female driver for the Daytona 500, starting 18th in 1980.
Budweiser Duel Final Non-Points Test For Gen-6 Car
Patrick and No. 2 qualifier Jeff Gordon are the only drivers who know their starting position in Sunday’s Daytona 500 – the first points race for the new, Gen-6 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car. Next up for Gen-6: Thursday’s Budweiser Duel (2 p.m. ET on SPEED, MRN, SiriusXM), a pair of 150-mile, 60-lap races that will set the majority of the field for the Daytona 500. Kevin Harvick won the Gen-6 debut, his Chevrolet SS edging the Ford Fusion of Greg Biffle in the Feb. 16 Sprint Unlimited. The top 15 finishers in each Duel claim positions three-32. The next fastest unqualified drivers from Sunday’s time trials are assigned positions 33-36 followed by the six highest unqualified teams from 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series owner points. The 43rd position is reserved for an eligible past NASCAR Sprint Cup champion. If there is no eligible past champion, it will go to the seventh highest in 2012 owner points.
Kenseth Eyes Two Straight In New Ride
Matt Kenseth is the defending winner of the Daytona 500, a race he previously won in 2009. The last back-to-back winner of the “Great American Race” was Sterling Marlin in 1994-95. Kenseth will make his debut in the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.
Milestone 400th Start for Johnson In ‘Great American Race’
Jimmie Johnson, the 2006 Daytona 500 winner, makes his 400th NASCAR Sprint Cup start on Sunday. Two of Johnson’s Hendrick Motorsports teammates also are Daytona 500 winners: Gordon in 1995, 1997 and 2005 and Dale Earnhardt Jr., 2004.
New Car, New Driver For Penske Racing In 2013
It’s an all-new look at Penske Racing in 2013 as NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Brad Keselowski and newcomer Joey Logano line up for the Daytona 500 in Fords. The organization, a Dodge team a year ago, last competed for Ford in 2002. The last reigning champion to win the next year’s Daytona 500? That would be Dale Jarrett, 1999-2000.
Nationwide Champion Stenhouse Shifts Gears
Ricky Stenhouse Jr., the 2011-12 NASCAR Nationwide Series champion, moves to Roush Fenway Racing’s iconic No. 17 Ford this season to compete for NASCAR Sprint Cup Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors.
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