Thursday, February 20, 2014

2014 Daytona 500 Driver Chassis Selections: Johnson Using Winning Car from July

Johnson is using winning chassis from July Daytona race last year
#2-Brad Keselowski: Primary Chassis for Daytona is PRS-657, which is a new chassis. The backup chassis is PRS-649 which is a new chassis.

#3-Austin Dillon: will pilot chassis No. 440 in the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. This is the same Chevrolet SS that Dillon utilized during January testing, where he topped the speed charts. Dillon will lead the 43-car starting field to the green flag on Sunday afternoon after earning his career-first Sprint Cup Series pole award with a lap of 196.019 mph (45.914 seconds). It marks the fourth time the #3 has won the pole for the Daytona 500, and its 67th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series pole, overall.

#4-Kevin Harvick will pilot Chassis No. 834 in Sunday's race. This is a new car from the Stewart-Haas Racing shop. Harvick has 25 starts at DIS and has raced his way to Victory Lane twice at the 2.5-mile superspeedway. In February 2007, Harvick hoisted the coveted Harley J. Earl trophy following his win in the Daytona 500 and three years later he won the July event at the track. He has earned six top fives and 11 top 10s, and has an average start of 15.7 and an average finish of 16.0 at DIS.

#5-Kasey Kahne: Crew chief Kenny Francis will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-768 for the Feb. 23 Daytona 500. Kahne raced this chassis in all four 2013 restrictor-plate races and drove it in the second 2013 Daytona Duel to a runner-up finish.

#10-Danica Patrick will pilot Chassis No. 10-835 is a new car that has only been tested in the wind tunnel since being built. The Backup Racecar is Chassis No. 10-757 which has never been driven but was available as a backup car during the 2013 season in July at Daytona and in October at Talladega.

#14-Tony Stewart: Chassis No. 14-844: is a brand-new racecar that has never turned a wheel on the racetrack, but it has been wind-tunnel tested numerous times.

#15-Clint Bowyer: Primary chassis No. 752 finished fourth in July 2013 at Daytona and 10th in October 2013 at Talladega. Chassis No. 754 serves as the back up chassis. The chassis raced in October at Talladega, finishing eighth, driven by Martin Truex Jr.

#16-Greg Biffle: and the Matt Puccia led #16 3M team will bring primary chassis RK-798 first hit the track in 2012 at Talladega, earning a sixth-place finish. This is the same chassis Biffle crossed the finish line 17th last July at Daytona. The backup chassis is RK-852 which last ran Talladega and finished 11th. Biffle has 11 career Daytona 500 starts, earning two top-five and four top-10 finishes. The 2014 season will mark the seventh season 3M has been the primary sponsor of Greg Biffle and the #16. Post-it brand made the debut for 3M in 2005 and in 2006 3M could be seen on the hood in the Nationwide Series with Biffle. After sponsoring a few races in 2007, they moved up to full time in 2008.

#17-Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: and the #17 Nationwide team will be using primary chassis Chassis RK-830 was raced at all superspeedway races in 2013 by the #17 team. It was last raced at Talladega where Stenhouse claimed a third-place finish, his first top-five finish of his rookie season. The backup chassis is RK-872, a new chassis. Stenhouse has three career starts at DIS, completing 563 of 563 laps (100%) with an average starting position of 19.3 and average finishing position of 14.3.

#22-Joey Logano: Primary Chassis is PRS-654 for Daytona, which last raced at Talladega. The Backup Chassis is PRS-658 which is a new chassis.

#24-Jeff Gordon: crew chief Alan Gustafson and the #24 team will unload a new car, Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 24-855, for the season-opening Daytona 500. This is a new chassis that has not been raced.

#27-Paul Menard will pilot chassis No. 447 for both the Budweiser Duel and Daytona 500. This #27 PEAK/Menards Chevrolet SS is a new addition to the Richard Childress Racing stable this season. Menard has 13 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Daytona International Speedway. His best start of first came in July 2008 and his best finish of sixth came in the 2012 Daytona 500. The Wisconsin native has completed 2,156 of 2,309 laps attempted at the 2.5-mile superspeedway, leading 38 of them.

#31-Ryan Newman will race chassis No. 446 in Sunday's Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. This #31 Caterpillar Chevrolet SS is brand new and will take to the track for the first time on Wednesday for the two scheduled practice sessions. Newman is the proud owner of a Harley J. Earl trophy by winning the 50th running of the Daytona 500 in 2008. In total, the South Bend, Ind., native has 25 starts at the 2.5-mile superspeedway as well as four top-five and six top-10 finishes. His average start is 20th, average finish is 20th and he's led 101 laps of completion.

#33-Brian Scott will pilot chassis No. 442 for Sunday's 56th running of the Daytona 500. This is a new chassis that was utilized for the first time during January testing at Daytona International Speedway.

#41-Kurt Busch will pilot Chassis No. 606, which has seven previous starts in restrictor-plate races, all as the #39 Chevrolet for SHR - four starts at Talladega and three at Daytona. In its seven previous starts, its best results have come at Daytona - a pair of fifth-place finishes. Chassis No. 606 last saw action in October at the Camping World RV Sales 500 at Talladega, where it finished ninth. Since then, Chassis No. 606 has undergone repairs and visited the wind tunnel in preparation for its maiden voyage as a #41 Haas Automation Chevrolet SS for the 56th running of the Daytona 500.

#48-Jimmie Johnson: Crew chief Chad Knaus has selected Chassis No. 48-764. Johnson raced this car twice at Talladega Superspeedway in 2013 and drove it to win the 400-mile event at Daytona last July. The backup car is Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 48-853, which is a brand new Chevy SS.

#55-Brian Vickers: Primary Chassis 753 Michael Waltrip finished 5th at Daytona in July in this chassis.

#66-Michael Waltrip: Primary 748- Martin Truex Jr. finished 9th in the 2013 Sprint Unlimited at Daytona.

#88-Dale Earnhardt Jr.: crew chief Steve Letarte and the #88 team has selected Chassis No. 88-854. This is a new chassis that has not been raced and will feature the National Guard scheme.

#99-Carl Edwards the #99 Fastenal blue team will unload Chassis RK-797 was last run in Talladega in 2013, finishing 17th. Edwards has 18 Sprint Cup starts at Daytona International Speedway with an average finish of 18.2.

- compiled by Jayski.com

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