The First Reid:
Phoenix Will Offer First Full Version Of Amped-Up Qualifying
By Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service
NASCAR Wire Service
At Daytona, fans got an appetizer.
At Phoenix International Raceway, they’ll get the full-course meal.
The
debut of NASCAR’s new knockout qualifying in Nationwide Series time
trials at Daytona International Speedway was truncated by rain. Drivers
completed the first 25-minute session,
but weather washed out the 10- and five-minute sessions that were to
follow.
Rain
wiped out NASCAR Camping World Truck Series qualifying completely. But
fans got a big enough taste of the new format to whet their appetites
for the first use of the knockout
system in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series on Feb. 28 at Phoenix.
What
was clear from the abbreviated NNS qualifying at Daytona was the
exponential increase in strategic elements both drivers and crew chiefs
must consider.
Is it
best to go out early in the first session to give your tires the maximum
time to cool, or do you go out late when you already know what the top
qualifying speed might be?
On a one-mile track, how do you pick an entry to the speedway that will give you a clean lap?
If you’re impeded on your first qualifying attempt, is it really worth sustaining additional tire wear to record a better time?
Even
though qualifying was cut short at Daytona, drivers universally agreed
that the Nationwide Series time trials packed enhanced entertainment
value into a more compact time
window.
That should be doubly true at Phoenix when the full format rolls out for the first time.
@nascarcasm
CAPTION FOR ATTACHED PHOTO: COOL KIDS:
The must-have fashion accessory of 2014? The stylish toddler fedora! Who wore it best? Keelan Harvick or Evie Johnson?
·
Despite the copious
amount of wreckage that occurred during the 2014 Daytona 500, NASCAR
would like to clarify that it wasn’t actually the “Eliminator” round of
the Chase.
·
At the moment, Dale
Earnhardt Jr. is the only driver that can say what 30 or so drivers were
able to say after Richmond last year – “I’m in the Chase!”
·
A Dale Earnhardt Daytona
500 victory means one thing and one thing only – look for a Harley J.
Earl trophy with a rather high reserve and quality described as “LIKE
NEW” to suddenly
show up for auction on EBay tomorrow.
·
With the new Chase
format firmly in place, we would like for you to comb through your
post-race quotes from drivers and bask in the glorious dearth of “Good
points day” mentions. You’re
welcome.
(Follow
@nascarcasm on Twitter and also on FOXsports.com. His unique views on
NASCAR are his own – but chances are you already knew that.)
NASCAR
NUMBERS
By Reid Spencer
3:
The number of
No. 48 Chevrolets pressed into service during Daytona Speedweeks by
Jimmie Johnson and his Hendrick Motorsports team. Johnson wrecked his
Daytona 500 backup car in the
Feb. 15 Sprint Unlimited and lost his Daytona 500 primary car in the
last-lap wreck Thursday night’s second Duel.
32:
The lap of
the Daytona 500 on which Martin Truex Jr.’s oil pump belt dislodged,
killing the engine of the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet.
Accordingly, Truex was the first driver
out of the 56th running of the 500. The car was a backup for Truex, who
had earned the second starting spot a week earlier, only to have his
car destroyed in a last-lap crash in Thursday night’s Budweiser Duel at
Daytona.
10:
The number of consecutive races
since the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series has seen a back-to-back winner at
Phoenix International Raceway. Jimmie Johnson actually won three
straight races at the one-mile track in the Sonoran Desert—the fall race
in 2007 and both races in 2008.
11:
The maximum
degree of banking through Turns 1 and 2 at Phoenix International
Raceway, after progressive banking was incorporated into the layout
during a 2011 reconfiguration. Aside
from Pocono Raceway and the road courses, Phoenix features the most
irregular configuration of tracks used in the Sprint Cup Series.
137.279:
In miles per hour, the former
track-record pole speed at Phoenix, set by Carl Edwards Feb. 25, 2011
in qualifying for the last race before the one-mile track was repaved
and reconfigured. Since the renovation, Edwards’ mark has been surpassed
three times, with Jimmie Johnson holding the
current track record (139.222 mph), set last November.
National Series Standings
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Pos Driver Points
Pos Driver Points
1 Dale Earnhardt. Jr. 48
2 Denny Hamlin 43
3 Brad Keselowski 42
4 Jeff Gordon 40
5 Jimmie Johnson 40
6 Matt Kenseth 38
7 Ricky Stenhouse. Jr. 37
8 Greg Biffle 37
9 Austin Dillon # 36
10 Casey Mears 34
11 Joey Logano 34
12 Kevin Harvick 31
13 Jamie McMurray 30
14 Bobby Labonte 29
15 Reed Sorenson 28
16 Carl Edwards 28
NASCAR Nationwide Series
Pos Driver Points
1 Regan Smith 47
2 Trevor Bayne 41
3 Elliott Sadler 39
4 Brendan Gaughan 38
5 Ty Dillon # 37
6 Dylan Kwasniewski 36
7 Joe Nemechek 32
8 Mike Wallace 31
9 Chase Elliott # 29
10 James Buescher 28
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Pos Driver Points
1 Timothy Peters 43
2 Johnny Sauter 41
3 Ron Hornaday Jr. 39
4 Ryan Blaney 38
5 Jeb Burton 37
6 Jimmy Weller III 35
7 German Quiroga 34
8 Ryan Sieg 33
9 Tyler Reddick 32
10 Matt Crafton 31
Tweets Of The Week From The Daytona 500
Clint Bowyer
@ClintBowyer
@ClintBowyer
Daytona...
5…
HUNDRED!!!!!!!!
Jenna Fryer
Associated Press
Associated Press
@JennaFryer
All this fretting about if/when it might rain ... Why not just ask Tony Stewart's leg?
Bob Pockrass
The Sporting News
The Sporting News
@bobpockrass
Funny at tweetup: Parker
Kligerman said after car stopped on his hood (in practice wreck), he
realized he had his foot on the brake. Not much good.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
@DaleJr
Tonight seemed like as good a night as any to join Twitter. How is everyone doin? #2XDaytona500Champ
Jimmie Johnson
@JimmieJohnson
#BlameJJ
RT
@MartySmithESPN: Interesting. Johnson pressured Junior to join twitter.
Importance to sponsors & relevance in the current market.
Gary Sinise
@GarySinise
With the trophy at Daytona…
Darrell Wallace Jr
@BubbaWallace
Sr is smiling up there.
Michael Waltrip
@mw55
Winning this race will make you cry. Seeing #Junior win made me cry.
This Week
NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
The Race:
The Profit on CNBC 500 Presented by Small Business Fueling America
The Place:
Phoenix International Raceway
The Date/Time:
Sunday, March 2, 3 p.m.
TV: FOX
Radio:
MRN,
Sirius XM Ch. 90
_______________________
NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES
The Race:
Blue Jeans Go Green 200 presented by Cotton,
The Fabric of Our Lives
The Place:
Phoenix International Raceway
The Date/Time:
Saturday, March 1,
3:45 p.m. ET
TV: ABC
Radio: MRN,
Sirius XM Channel 90
NASCAR Etc.
Though his Daytona 500 victory didn’t guarantee a spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup,
Dale Earnhardt Jr. all but assured himself a spot in NASCAR’s
playoffs (the top 15 winners are locked in). Was a potential Chase spot
on the two-time Daytona 500 winner’s mind? You bet: "Yeah, (now) we
don't have to think about it," said Earnhardt. "If
everyone is telling the truth, and we've won a race, we're going to be
in it. ... We're going for the jugular this year." … Earnhardt became
the 11th driver to win multiple Daytona 500s. That stat has been updated
in each of the last three years, with Matt
Kenseth (2012) and Jimmie Johnson (2013) also capturing their second
win in The Great American Race. … This year, Phoenix International
Raceway celebrates its 50th anniversary (NASCAR has raced there since
1988). Throughout the year, the raceway will spotlight
the top 50 people who have influenced the track. Among the NASCAR
figures already announced are drivers
Sam Hornish Jr., Matt Kenseth, Mark Martin and Kyle Busch. Also on the list is owner
Richard Childress and former NASCAR Vice President of Corporate Communications, the late
Jim Hunter. … Last year’s two winners at Phoenix were Carl Edwards (spring) and
Kevin Harvick (fall). … Eliminator Preview: If this year’s
November winner is a championship-eligible driver, he or she will
automatically earn a berth in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship
at Homestead-Miami Speedway. … Several members of the
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series garage will make a homecoming of sorts this
weekend in Phoenix. Notables with Phoenix ties include:
Danica Patrick, Michael McDowell, Denny Hamlin and new NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Managing Director
Richard Buck. … Phoenix is the site of Alan Kulwicki’s first Polish Victory Lap, which he performed after winning the track’s inaugural NSCS race in 1988.
Tune-In: NASCAR On Television, Week of February 24-March 2
Monday, Feb. 24
4 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FOX Sports 1
5 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FOX Sports 2
5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBC Sports Network
9 p.m., NASCAR K&N Pro Series Race at New Smyrna Speedway re-air, FOX Sports 2
2 a.m. (Tue.), NASCAR Now, ESPN2
Tuesday, Feb. 25
11 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FOX Sports 1
5 p.m., FOX Sports 1 on 1: J. Johnson, FOX Sports 2
5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBC Sports Network
5:30 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FOX Sports 2
Wednesday, Feb. 26
2 a.m., NASCAR Now, ESPN2
Noon, NASCAR Race Hub, FOX Sports 1
1 p.m., FOX Sports 1 on 1: J. Johnson, FOX Sports 1
5 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FOX Sports 2
5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBC Sports Network
2 a.m. (Thu.), NASCAR Now, ESPN2
Thursday, Feb. 27
11 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FOX Sports 1
5 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FOX Sports 2
5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBC Sports Network
7 p.m., NASCAR Mexico Toyota Series Race, mun2
1:30 a.m. (Fri.), NASCAR Now, ESPN2
Friday, Feb. 28
12:30 p.m., FOX Sports 1 on 1: Jimmie Johnson, FOX Sports 1
1 p.m., NASCAR Nationwide Series Practice, FOX Sports 1
2 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Practice, FOX Sports 1
3:30 p.m., FOX Sports 1 on 1: Jimmie Johnson, FOX Sports 1
4 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FOX Sports 1
5 p.m., NASCAR Nationwide Series Practice, FOX Sports 1
6:30 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Qualifying, FOX Sports 1
8 p.m., Daytona 500 re-air, FOX Sports 1
Saturday, Mar. 1
11 a.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Practice, FOX Sports 1
Noon, NASCAR Nationwide Series Qualifying, FOX Sports 2
1:30 p.m., NASCAR Live, FOX Sports 2
2 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Final Practice, FOX Sports 2
3:30 p.m., NASCAR Nationwide Series Countdown, ABC
3:45 p.m., NASCAR Nationwide Series Race at Phoenix, ABC
9:30 p.m., NASCAR Nationwide Qualifying re-air, FOX Sports 2
11 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Practice re-air, FOX Sports 2
4 a.m. (Sun.), NASCAR Nationwide Series Race, ESPN Deportes
Sunday, Mar. 2
12 a.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Final Practice re-air, FOX Sports 2
1:30 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay, FOX Sports 1
2:30 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Pre-Race Show, FOX
3 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Race at Phoenix, FOX Deportes
8 p.m., NASCAR Victory Lane, FOX Sports 2
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