Richard & Kyle Petty Dedicate Muscle Cars Forever Stamps: Raw power will get a stamp of its own when seven-time NASCAR National Champion Richard Petty will dedicate new America on the Move: Muscle Cars Forever stamps. On Friday, Feb 22nd at 2pm/et, Petty, joined by son Kyle, will dedicate the limited-edition stamps at the Daytona International Speedway where "King Richard" won a record seven Daytona 500 Championships. Typically equipped with big, powerful engines, these high-performance vehicles began roaring across America in the 1960s. The stamps feature five iconic muscle cars: the '66 Pontiac GTO, the '67 Shelby GT-500, the '69 Dodge Charger Daytona, the '70 Plymouth Hemi 'Cuda and the '70 Chevelle SS. Three classic muscle cars, '67 Shelby GT-500, '70 Plymouth Hemi 'Cuda and '69 Dodge Charger Daytona will be in the Sprint FANZONE on Friday!
Bayne to use Brand-New Back-Up Ford Fusion for Daytona 500: The scene in the Motorcraft/Quick Lane garage area at Daytona International Speedway on Thursday was a tale of two race cars. On one side of the aisle, there was a battered #21 Ford Fusion, one that led more than half of the first of two Budweiser Duel qualifying races, but was later wiped out in a crash. On the other side sat a brand-new Fusion, one that had never even been rolled on asphalt before it was unloaded from the Wood Brothers' hauler. The first car, despite the damage, did its job. It was third fastest in qualifying, assuring Trevor Bayne and the team a starting spot for Sunday's Daytona 500. Bayne will start 33rd, one spot worse than he started in 2011 when he won the 500. The other car now is poised to pick up where the first one left off. First, there's plenty of preparation to be done by crew chief Donnie Wingo and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane crew. "We may not even practice on Friday, but that's OK," said team co-owner Eddie Wood. "We didn't practice on Friday in 2011, and we won that race." There also is a final practice session set for Saturday, and Wood said he was confident the new car would be race ready by then. Despite the battered car in the background on Thursday, Wood and the rest of the Motorcraft crew seemed upbeat. "You can't be disappointed when you lead more that half the race," he said.(Wood Brothers Racing)(2-22-2013)
Front row starters don't win Daytona 500 often: In the 54 previous runnings of the Daytona 500, only seven drivers have won from the pole position. Only two of these drivers accomplished the feat more than once -- Cale Yarborough (1968, 1984) and Bill Elliott (1985, 1987). Dale Jarrett was the most recent polesitter to capture the Harley J. Earl Trophy when he won the event in 2000. The other drivers to win the Daytona 500 from the pole were Fireball Roberts (1962), Richard Petty (1966), Buddy Baker (1980) and Gordon (1999).
Winning the Daytona 500 from the outside of the front row is even rarer. Only six drivers have accomplished this feat, with Richard Petty the only one with more than one victory in the race from the second starting position. The most recent driver to win from this spot was once again Jarrett, in 1993, Gordon's first full-time season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. A.J. Foyt (1962), Geoffrey Bodine (1986), Darrell Waltrip (1989) and Ernie Irvan (1991) are the four other drivers.(NASCAR Wire Service)(2-22-2013)
** Wheels Editors note starting positions of 500 winners list 25 drivers winning from the pole **
No Cup Champs as winner of Daytona 500 in a while: If #2-Brad Keselowski wins the Daytona 500 on Sunday, he'll be the first defending Cup champion in 13 years to accomplish the feat. The last man to do it was Dale Jarrett in 2000, three months after winning the 1999 title.(ESPN)(2-21-2013)
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