Drivers Play it Safe in Friday's Daytona 500 Practices

Ryan Newman one of 22 drivers to run in Friday's late practice session

Sporting News

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — With most drivers hoping not to wreck their cars, they did little drafting during Sprint Cup practice Friday at Daytona International Speedway.

Though they still have much to learn about passing and drafting with the new Sprint Cup car, most drivers either made single-car runs or ran in small packs on Friday in preparation for Sunday’s Daytona 500.


In an uneventful two hours of practice, 31 of the 43 drivers made at least a few laps around the 2.5-mile oval.

Kevin Harvick, who won his second race of Speedweeks on Thursday, was among the 12 drivers who sat out practice Friday and must run at least one lap in practice on Saturday per NASCAR rules. Others who sat out Friday sessions include: Clint Bowyer, Joey Logano, Paul Menard, Austin Dillon, Juan Pablo Montoya and Mark Martin.

Only 14 drivers participated in the first session Friday with Aric Almirola posting the fastest speed at 196.941 mph. The second session featured 22 drivers — including only five who ran in the first practice — and was led by Tony Stewart at 197.131 mph.

Read More Here.....

LVH Super Book odds to win 2012 Daytona 500

8 drivers listed as co-favorites to win the 2012 Daytona 500 at 12-to-1 odds

DAYTONA 500
DAYTONA INT'L SPEEDWAY
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2012

JIMMIE JOHNSON 12
CARL EDWARDS 12
KYLE BUSCH 12
MATT KENSETH 20
JEFF GORDON 12
KASEY KAHNE 12
TONY STEWART 12
KEVIN HARVICK 12
DENNY HAMLIN 20
GREG BIFFLE 25
BRAD KESELOWSKI 20
KURT BUSCH 20
CLINT BOWYER 20
DALE EARNHARDT JR 12
RYAN NEWMAN 30
MARTIN TRUEX JR 30
MARK MARTIN 30
JEFF BURTON 20
JOEY LOGANO 25
JUAN MONTOYA 30
DAVID RAGAN 30
JAMIE McMURRAY 30
AJ ALLMENDINGER 30
PAUL MENARD 30
MARCOS AMBROSE 60
REGAN SMITH 50
TREVOR BAYNE 60
BOBBY LABONTE 60
RICKY STENHOUSE JR 60
MICHAEL WALTRIP 60
DAVID GILILLAND 100
DAVE BLANEY 100
DANICA PATRICK 100
FIELD 30

Odds to win the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship will be available as soon as something happens with Kurt Busch and the No. 22 car.

Ryan Newman 2011 Budweiser Shootout Preview

RYAN NEWMAN TALKS ABOUT ALL THE CHANGES WE'LL SEE IN PLAY AT DAYTONA THIS YEAR AND HOW IMPORTANT THE BUD SHOOTOUT IS FOR HIS TEAM:

Newman will use the Shootout to get answers for the Daytona 500

“I think it will be the biggest potential change of events at Daytona that we’ve ever had with the asphalt and new nose, the restrictor plate being as small as it is, the fuel cans and the lack of that extra man coming over to be the catch can man. I think there are a lot of things that have changed up in reference to the tires. If you look at what we are going to go through at Daytona, it might be two sets of tires. The things we typically did we don’t necessarily have to do, so the emphasis gets put on other areas to be better or faster.

“The new Daytona is definitely going to change the racing. It’s going to change the way we race. It’s going to change a lot of things in respect to the Daytona 500 but, in the end, there’s still going to be a victor and we’re still going to see a lot of drama and unexpected things happening, just like any other time in NASCAR. To me, just that extra grip and the way we draft is going to make it more like Talladega, but it’s still not going to be Talladega. It’s going to be Daytona.

“And the whole fuel can situation is going to be very critical this year with the way that can inserts and needs to be pulled out. So there’s emphasis this year, specifically, at Daytona and throughout the season, in areas we have not had to worry about or have not had to work on, so those are going to be the things I think can make a difference. You could see something unexpected happen.

“We tested down there, but we never got more than two or three drafting in a pack, so I think being part of the Budweiser Shootout is going to be a really big deal. Not just to see how the cars react in the draft, but also to see what happens on pit road with the new fuel can. The Shootout will be the first live action for the pit crews and, while I know they’ve been practicing with this for quite some time, now, I think they will learn a lot in the Shootout. There are still a lot of unknowns for the teams, so being part of the Budweiser Shootout is a big deal and it potentially will give us an idea of maybe what we can expect in the Duels and then again for the Daytona 500, both on the track and in the pits. To be honest, everybody talks about how excited they are to kick off the season and get to Daytona but, to me, I think everyone is anxious. We want to see how all the pieces of the puzzle are going to fit together.”


NEWMAN TALKS ABOUT HIS DAY IN 2008 WHEN HE WON THE DAYTONA 500:

Winning the Daytona 500 was a dream come true 

“Winning at Daytona was an incredible experience. I won the ARCA race there in 2001, but nothing will ever compare to winning the 50th Running of the Daytona 500 in 2008. That was a dream-come-true. After the race, I said I could hear my dad’s teardrops over the radio while he spotted for me as I came to the start-finish line to win, and I think that shows the importance of this race and this place to me and my entire family. I always said that just competing at Daytona was an honor. When I was a kid, my dad would bring me to Daytona for the 500 and we would make fake passes with construction paper and glitter so I could sneak into the garage and meet the drivers. Winning the Daytona 500 was a dream-come-true. I still can’t put it all into words, but I would love to do it again.

“For me, it was the culmination of everything that me and my family had sacrificed for all those years of building my racing career and getting me to that moment. I still get speechless when I talk about it. But winning one Daytona isn’t the goal. You want to win every race. It’s obviously the biggest win of my career, and it was a great day. I believe Dale Jarrett had said the second one can be sweeter than the first. So I’m looking forward to getting down to Daytona and trying to get that second Daytona 500 win. But it would be pretty cool to get the other wins that I haven’t gotten there before, too. I would love to start my season with a Budweiser Shootout win.”

NEWMAN'S BUDWEISER SHOOTOUT CAR – CHASSIS NO. 39-573:
This chassis was brand new for last season’s Budweiser Shootout at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, in which Newman finished a disappointing 19th. For Newman, it was a continuation of his bad-luck streak at restrictor-plate tracks with the No. 39 team. With just a handful of laps remaining in the non-points event, Newman was making his move and charging toward the front. Unfortunately, Newman’s efforts were halted when he was caught up in an eight-car accident in turn three. While Newman’s car never actually made contact with the outside wall, the No. 39 Chevrolet made plenty of contact with other cars and suffered heavy damage all around.

Following the Shootout, the car returned to Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), where it got a new body. In December, the car went to the GM Desert Proving grounds in Yuma, Ariz., where the team tested the 2011 front fascia in preparation for this weekend’s race at Daytona. After the Arizona test, the body was updated and wind-tunnel tested on Jan. 28.

- True Speed Communications PR Release

McMurray Holds Off Junior, Wins Thriller in Daytona 500

Associated Press

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Jamie McMurray has won the Daytona 500, holding off a hard-charing Dale Earnhardt Jr. over a wild final two-lap sprint.

The race was stopped twice and delayed for more than two hours because of a pothole at Daytona International Speedway, a setback that marred the race but helped set up the thrilling finish.

Read More Here...

NASCAR Takes Bigger Action in Las Vegas Than Most Realize

by Micah Roberts
LVRJ.com

Just one week after the Super Bowl, Las Vegas sports books prepare for NASCAR’s Super Bowl, the Daytona 500. Betting on the NASCAR events pales in comparison to the NFL’s biggest game, but it still garners attention from quite a few. The South Point is even having a Daytona 500 party in their showroom Super Bowl style.

Where exactly NASCAR stands against the other top sports is hard to gauge. There is only one event per week compared to the multiple wagering opportunities daily the other sports have, but if going for the top event of the day by the books handle, it rates very high.

“The Daytona 500 will be our biggest event posted of the weekend. Between the Daytona and Las Vegas races, they take center stage in our books handle wise, “ said MGM-Mirage Race and Sports Book Director Jay Rood.

“We write a lot to the NASCAR events. If was averaged out weekly, I’d say it was close or comparable to one Thursday night NFL game.”

The bulk of the wagering will come on the odds to win indexes where there are usually up to 33 drivers listed with a field wager, meaning all others not listed. The books do well with these because many have a built in 32% theoretic hold when calculating the odds given for each driver. On most occasions, the actual hold is higher when posted, especially if one of the favorites doesn’t win.

The remainder of the action will come in the form of two-way and three-way propositions asking a variety of things like what car number or manufacturer will win. The two-way driver match-ups, putting one against another to finish better, are one of the popular NASCAR bets around town.

“So far from what I’ve seen out of the Gatordae Duel races and the early Daytona 500 write, it’s apparent that people are pretty excited about seeing NASCAR back.”

NASCAR bettors always have their favorites they bet, but they also are pretty educated with the happenings and what’s going on in practices and evidenced by some of the sharp plays on quality long shots.

“I’ve been seeing a lot of action on Brad Keselowski, who I dropped from 75 to 1 to 50 to 1, and have made a few moves lower on Kasey Kahne after the Duels, and also Dale Earnhardt Jr who we opened up at 30 to 1,” Rood said. “I’ve been shading Junior higher than most places over the last few seasons and have got away with it, but sooner of later it’ll catch up with me.”

Earnhardt Jr has always been a fan favorite with high ticket counts, but the volume decreased last year as he became less competitive on a weekly basis. You can be a fan all you want, but in betting, winning cashes tickets. Earnhardt Jr hasn’t won in 57 straight Cup races.

“By the way the public is betting on Junior, they must really feel this is the race he can turn it around. We now have him at 7 to 1 win after seeing lots of action on him, even before he sat on the front row from last weeks qualifying.“

“If there was ever a race where Junior could halt his losing streeak, Daytona would be it,” said Rood.

Rood is a fan himself and follows all the practice and qualifying with a keen eye and adjusts his odds accordingly. He’s got a few opinions on the Daytona 500 as well.

“I’ll be looking at the Hendrick drivers to do well, but I’m also looking at the Roush drivers along with Jamie McMurray who has stood out during Daytona Speedweeks.”

It sounds like pretty sound advice. Windows are open until the green flag drops at 10:19 am Sunday.

Read More on Sunday's Daytona 500 here...including My Driver Ratings

Danica-Mania Has Already Started; First Race is Saturday at Daytona

by Micah Roberts


This Saturday’s Nationwide race at Daytona can expect high ratings with lots of interested parties because that is where Indy Racing star Danica Patrick will make her official racing debut. Last week she finished sixth in the ARCA race at Daytona, the first time I have ever watched an entire ARCA race on television from start to finish.

Patrick did well in that race and finished sixth. This week will be much more of challenge especially considering she’ll be racing against Kyle Busch, Tony Stewart, and her boss, Dale Earnhardt Jr.

She doesn’t have any lofty expectations of winning the race, but will utilize the chance to race against Stewart and Earnhardt Jr, who have both taken her under their wing with advice.

Her Nationwide practice times jumped from the first session where she ran at 26th to the final session where she clocked in fifth fastest. Many of the teams were using the final session in qualifying trim making limited simulations, but fast is still fast.

She has a great team behind her and the equipment to do well if she picks things up as fast as she appears to have done.

Still, the difficulties of doing well in her first race are the opinions of many including the Las Vegas sports books. Station Casinos opened her odds to win Saturday’s race as the longest shot at 50 to 1.

Just about every NASCAR driver has a Twitter account and they tweet regularly like their in a contest of some sorts. It is apparent by some tweets that some in the NASCAR circles feel some animosity because of all the hoopla surrounding Patrick and her debut.

Regan Smith tweeted Wednesday during Nationwide practice that ESPN’s coverage of Patrick was a bit much saying, The other 50 plus drivers should have coverage for them ESPN classic.

The hype surrounding Patrick has been huge, but why not? She is a unique individual that crosses all lines by selling sex and Motorsports at the same time. Who else can look as good as she does in her bikini and commercial shoots while driving a car at the level she does?

The detractors who say she hasn’t won anything for all the attention garnered are missing the bigger picture. Sex sells in America and businesses are buying it knowing that her crossover appeal will attract attention to their product just because of the splash she makes.

Television ratings won’t match Sunday’s Daytona 500 which is expected to grab close to 17 million viewers, or a 10.0 rating, but it should be one of the most watched Nationwide races just because of ESPN promoting the race non-stop as Patrick’s NASCAR debut.

I’m hoping she does well and validates all the attention given to her while gaining respect from those on the fence. However fans feel about her, it’s safe to say many will watch just to see what happens next to create their next opinion.

For those on twitter, she is currently asking her 84,000 followers to create a nickname for her. We may have to wait a few races to get a read on her stock car personality. If it turns out to be anything like her time in the IRL with some of her outbursts and confrontations, the suggested names will be interesting.

One thing is for sure that we can all agree on is that we’ll be watching.

Gatorade Duel Preview: Hendrick Drivers Should Fare Very Well

By Micah Roberts

VegasInsider.com

The Gatorade Duel is this Thursday at Daytona and it will be the first time we get a chance to see everyone in NASCAR racing on the track this season. How the drivers finish in each of the two qualifying races will determine where they start in Sunday’s Daytona 500.

There are 54 cars entered in this year's Daytona 500 with only 43 available slots. Mark Martin and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. are locked in to this year's race by qualifying as the fastest two on Saturday. Thirty-three other drivers will be locked in because of finishing in the top-35 in points last season.

The remaining positions will be up for grabs in what makes for great racing at the end of each of the races. Drivers who aren’t normally featured in any race will have the spotlight on them as they try to race their self into the race and battle for positioning.

As for the top teams, they want to win the race, but it’s more about running well, feeling out their car, and not getting into trouble. The cars they will be driving are the ones they’ll be using on Sunday. There’s no need for a driver to get racey too much in this race when they are already qualified and guaranteed a spot in the race.

Nevertheless, they still go at it pretty hard trying to win and the winners are usually the elite restrictor-plate drivers.

The first race will be Mark Martin’s group and all other odd numbered qualifiers from Saturday. This looks to be the toughest of the two groups since it features Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, and Jeff Burton.

Look for the Hendrick trio of Gordon, Johnson, and Martin to battle for the win.

Gatorade Duel No. 1 - Top 5 Finish Prediction:
1) #24 Jeff Gordon (8/1)
2) #1 Jamie McMurray (25/1)
3) #18 Kyle Busch (5/1)
4) #48 Jimmie Johnson (6/1)
5) #29 Kevin Harvick (10/1)

In the second race headed by Dale Earnhardt, Jr., it looks to be a showdown between Tony Stewart, Kurt Busch, and Junior. Because the pool of drivers in this group aren’t as a talented in plate racing as they are in race one, don’t expect too great of odds in this race.

Gatorade Duel No. 2 - Top 5 Finish Prediction:
1) #88 Dale Earnhardt Jr (5/2)
2) #2 Kurt Busch (5/1)
3) #12 Brad Keselowski (20/1)
4) #14 Tony Stewart (2/1)
5) #42 Juan Pablo Montoya (10/1)

As odd as it may seem since there are two races every year, winning one of the duel races doesn’t necessarily translate into success in the Daytona 500. It’s only happened eight times in the 51 years.

Fireball Roberts was the first to do so in 1962. Cale Yarbrough did it twice (1977 and 1984), followed by Bill Elliott (1985), Bobby Allison (1988), Sterling Marlin (1995), Dale Earnhardt (1998), and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (2004).

Earnhardt had won the Duels 12 times over his career, but it wasn’t until his 11th win that he parlayed that success into a win in the 500.

Junior blew by the field in 2004 with a car that no one could touch in either race. I look for him to equal the double-feat this year.

Check out VegasInsider.com for all kinds of stats and updates for the Daytona 500.

Daytona 500 Facts and Notes From the 51 Previous Great American Races

Compiled by Mike Forde

NASCAR Media Services

Daytona 500 Tidbits

* The 2010 edition will be the 52nd running of the Daytona 500.
* Although the first Daytona 500 was held in 1959, it has been the season-opener only since 1982.
* 510 drivers have competed in at least one Daytona 500; 300 in more than one.
* 33 drivers have won a Daytona 500.
* Eight drivers have won more than one Daytona 500, led by Richard Petty with seven victories.
* Fred Lorenzen posted a top-10 finish in eight of his nine Daytona 500s, the best percentage of drivers who have competed in more than two Daytona 500s.
* Dale Earnhardt finished in the top 10 in 16 of his 23 Daytona 500s.
* Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty each had 16 top 10s in the Daytona 500, more than any other driver.
* Dale Earnhardt had 12 top fives in the Daytona 500, more than any other driver.
* Only 13 drivers have an average finish of 10th or better in the Daytona 500, six of those competed in the Daytona 500 only once.
* Kevin Harvick has a 12.9 average finish in eight appearances, the best of the active drivers who have competed in more than one Daytona 500.
* Other than Lee Petty, who won the inaugural Daytona 500, no driver has ever won in his first appearance.
* 27 of the 33 drivers who have won, participated in at least two Daytona 500s before visiting Victory Lane.
* Dale Earnhardt competed 19 times before winning his only Daytona 500 (1998), the longest span of any of the 33 race winners.
* Six drivers made 10 or more attempts before their first Daytona 500 victory: Dale Earnhardt (19), Buddy Baker (18), Darrell Waltrip (16), Bobby Allison (14), Michael Waltrip (14) and Sterling Marlin 12). Last year’s winner, Matt Kenseth, won it in his 10th try.
* The most Daytona 500s all-time without a victory was Dave Marcis (33 races).
* Mark Martin (25) leads active drivers without a victory. He will start on the pole for this year’s race.
* Six drivers posted their career-first victory with a win in the Daytona 500: Tiny Lund (1963), Mario Andretti (1967), Pete Hamilton (1970), Derrike Cope (1990), Sterling Marlin (1994) and Michael Waltrip (2001).
* Three other drivers posted their career-first victory in (point-paying) qualifying races: Johnny Rutherford (1963), Bobby Isaac (1964) and Earl Balmer (1966).
* Only eight drivers have won the Daytona 500 more than once: Richard Petty (seven), Cale Yarborough (four), Bobby Allison (three), Dale Jarrett (three), Jeff Gordon (three), Bill Elliott (two), Sterling Marlin (two) and Michael Waltrip (two).
* A driver has won back-to-back Daytona 500s three times. Richard Petty (1973-74), Cale Yarborough (1983-84) and Sterling Marlin (1994-95)
* Kevin Harvick’s 0.020-second margin of victory over Mark Martin in the 2007 Daytona 500 is the ninth-closest overall since the advent of electronic timing in 1993, and the closest in a Daytona 500.
* 26 of the 51 Daytona 500s have been won from a top-five starting position.
* Matt Kenseth won the Daytona 500 from the 39th starting position last year, the deepest a race winner has started.
* Nine have been won from the pole. The last to do so was Dale Jarrett in 2000.
* 15 Daytona 500s have been won from the front row.

Daytona History
* Groundbreaking for Daytona International Speedway was Nov. 25, 1957. The soil underneath the banked corners was dug from the infield of the track and the hole filled with water. It is now known as Lake Lloyd.
* The first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Daytona was a 100-mile qualifying race for the Daytona 500 on Feb. 20, 1959.
* Richard Petty won his 200th career race on July 4, 1984 at Daytona.
* Lights were installed in the spring of 1998. However, the race was delayed until October that year due to thick smoke from wildfires. The second Daytona race has been held under lights ever since.

Daytona Notebook
There have been 125 NASCAR Sprint Cup races since the track hosted its first race in 1959: 51 have been 500 miles, 47 were 400 miles and four 250 miles. There were also 23 qualifier races that were point races.
* Fireball Roberts won the inaugural pole at Daytona.
* Bob Welborn won the first race at Daytona, the 100-mile qualifying race for the Daytona 500.
* Lee Petty won the inaugural Daytona 500 on Feb. 22, 1959.
* Fireball Roberts won the first 400-mile race at Daytona, the 1963 Firecracker 400.
* 52 drivers have posted poles at Daytona; 19 have more than one.
* Cale Yarborough leads all drivers with 12 poles at Daytona.
* Bill Elliott leads all active drivers with five poles at Daytona.
* 52 drivers have won at Daytona; 24 have won more than once.
* Richard Petty leads all drivers in victories at Daytona with 10.
* Jeff Gordon has six victories at Daytona, more than any other active driver.
* The Wood Brothers have won 14 races at Daytona, more than any other car owner.
* 16 full-length races at Daytona have been won from the pole, including last July’s Coke Zero 400, won by polesitter Tony Stewart.
* A driver has swept both races at Daytona only four times, most recently by Bobby Allison in 1982.

NASCAR in Florida
* There have been 162 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in Florida.
* 156 drivers in NASCAR’s three national series have their home state recorded as Florida.
* There have been nine race winners whose hometown is Florida in NASCAR’s three national series.

Daytona International Speedway Data
Race #: 1 of 36 (2-14-10)
Track Size: 2.5 miles
Race Length: 500 miles (200 laps)
Banking/Corners: 31 degrees
Banking/Straights: 3 degrees
Banking/Tri-Oval: 18 degrees

Driver Loop Rating at Daytona
Tony Stewart 108.2
Kyle Busch 101.0
Matt Kenseth 96.1
Jimmie Johnson 94.3
Kurt Busch 92.5
Jeff Gordon 91.9
Dale Earnhardt Jr. 87.3
Ryan Newman 85.9
Clint Bowyer 84.6
Jeff Burton 83.5
Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2009 races (10 total) at Daytona.

Qualifying/Race Data
2009 pole winner: Martin Truex Jr. (188.001 mph, 47.872 seconds)
2009 race winner: Matt Kenseth (132.816 mph, 2-17-08)
Qualifying record: Bill Elliott (210.364 mph, 42.783 secs., 2-9-87)
Race record: Buddy Baker (177.602 mph, 2-17-80)

Estimated Pit Window: 36-38 laps depending on fuel mileage

Daytona 500 Preview: Betting Will Be Good in Las Vegas With Lots of Props

by Micah Roberts

VegasInsider.com

NASCAR’s big show gets underway this Sunday as the 52nd running of the Daytona 500 jump-starts the season. It is NASCAR’s biggest race of the season and even though it may sound a bit off from the traditions of other sports where the biggest event is normally reserved for the end of the season, it’s so perfectly perfect. There is no bigger opener in any sport.


We just saw the NFL season end with hundreds of propositions available for that game. This week for the Daytona 500, the Las Vegas sports books will do the same. There are only two races a season that are treated like Super Bowls by the books, Daytona and Las Vegas.

The handle for those two races are the best all season and because of that volume, the books will offer several props that aren’t normally seen from week to week.

Winning car number, number of Ford’s in the top 10, over-under driver finishes, and head-to-head driver match-ups are just a few of the things that will be available at most places that aren’t for the other 34 races on the season.

The sports books have had odds on this race since the available since last season ended when the NASCAR award ceremonies were in Las Vegas. Kyle Busch was installed as the early 8/1 favorite by the Las Vegas Hilton Super Book, followed by a bunch of drivers getting double-digit odds or higher.

Busch has had the best restrictor-plate car over his last two seasons with Joe Gibbs Racing. The Las Vegas native only has two wins in eight attempts, but should have had a few more, including last year's Daytona 500.

The one thing about Daytona is that the favorite rarely wins. Because of the nature of the draft and so many cars being close together as the finish nears, it really is a crapshoot to who will win, unlike many of the other races where the possible winners are narrowed to about seven legitimate candidates.

Read More Here...for the Top 5 selections

Mark Martin Wins First Career Daytona 500 Pole Position

by Jeff Wackerlin

MotorRacingNetwork.com

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Mark Martin secured his first career pole for the Daytona 500 on Saturday when he topped a 54 car field to earn the top spot for the 52nd running of "The Great American Race."


Martin, who started second in last year's Daytona 500 with Hendrick Motorsports, posted a lap of 191.188 mph for his 49th career pole. He also became the oldest driver to win a pole for the 500 at 51 years, 27 days, and it was his first at the speedway since taking the top spot for the 1989 July race with Roush Racing.

"I'd like to thank Alan Gustafson (crew chief), the GoDaddy.com team and Hendrick Motorsports," Martin said. "I was just out there riding really fast. It sure is fun. It's quite an opportunity to get to drive their stuff here."

Martin will be joined on the front row by Hendrick Motorsports teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. to mark the first time one team swept the top two Daytona 500 qualifying positions since Yates Racing in 2007.

"Man, it is fun to drive a car that performs like that," said Earnhardt Jr. who matched his best Daytona 500 qualifying effort (qualified second in 2003). "We have a little bit different wind situation but we were able to put down a pretty good lap. It was hitting the ground a little bit yesterday and that is slowing it down some. Was hoping to get that fixed. We ran so much faster, we got such a good tail wind down the back straightaway today that we didn't do it enough. It hit the ground a little bit in three and four and slowed it down some."

Read More Here....

NASCAR's 2010 Daytona Speedweeks Schedule

SPEEDWEEKS 2010 SCHEDULE
NSCS=NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
NNS=NASCAR Nationwide Series
NCWTS=NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
ARCA=ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards

Thursday, February 4TH
Noon - 4:50 PM ARCA PRACTICE
5:00 PM 5:45 PM NSCS BUDWEISER SHOOTOUT PRACTICE
6:00 PM ARCA GARAGE CLOSES
6:30 PM 7:30 PM NSCS FINAL BUDWEISER SHOOTOUT PRACTICE
8:00 PM DRAWING FOR BUDWEISER SHOOTOUT LOCATED OUTSIDE TURN FOUR ON THE SPEED STAGE

Friday, February 5TH
11:00 AM ARCA QUALIFYING (TWO LAPS, ALL POSITIONS)
2:10 PM 3:30 PM NSCS PRACTICE
4:00 PM 5:30 PM NSCS PRACTICE
5:40 PM 6:30 PM ARCA FINAL PRACTICE

Saturday, February 6th
10:00 AM ARCA GARAGE OPENS
1:05 PM DAYTONA 500 QUALIFYING PRESENTED BY KROGER (TWO LAPS, TWO POSITIONS)
2:30 PM ARCA DRIVERS MEETING
4:00 PM ARCA DRIVER INTRODUCTIONS
4:30 PM LUCAS OIL SLICK MIST 200 ARCA RACING SERIES PRESENTED BY RE/MAX AND MENARDS RACE (80 LAPS, 200 MILES)
7:50 PM NSCS BUDWEISER SHOOTOUT DRIVER INTRODUCTIONS
8:10 PM NSCS BUDWEISER SHOOTOUT (75 LAPS, 187.5 MILES)

Wednesday, February 10TH
12:00 PM 1:30 PM NSCS PRACTICE
2:00 PM 2:50 PM NSCS PRACTICE (FINAL PRACTICE BEFORE GATORADE DUEL AT DAYTONA)
3:00 PM 5:00 PM NNS PRACTICE
6:00 PM 7:30 PM NCWTS PRACTICE

Thursday, February 11TH
9:00 AM 11:00 AM NCWTS FINAL PRACTICE
11:30 AM 1:00 PM NNS FINAL PRACTICE
1:40 PM NSCS DRIVERS INTRODUCTIONS
2:00 PM NSCS GATORADE 150 MILE QUALIFYING RACES (60 LAPS-150 MILES, EACH
RACE)
6:10 PM NCWTS QUALIFYING (TWO LAPS, ALL POSITIONS)

Friday, February 12TH
1:10 PM NSCS “HOT PASS” IN EFFECT
1:40 PM 2:40 PM NSCS PRACTICE
3:10 PM NNS QUALIFYING (TWO LAPS, ALL POSITIONS)
7:30 PM N CWTS DRIVER INTRODUCTIONS
8:00 PM NCWTS NEXTERA ENERGY RESOURCES 250 RACE (100 LAPS, 250 MILES)

Saturday, February 13TH
10:00 AM NSCS “HOT PASS” IN EFFECT

10:30 AM 11:55 AM NSCS FINAL PRACTICE FOR THE DAYTONA 500

12:45 PM NNS DRIVER INTRODUCTIONS

1:15 PM NNS CAMPING WORLD 300 RACE (120 LAPS, 300 MILES)

Sunday, February 14th

11:00 AM NSCS DRIVER / CREW CHIEF MEETING

12:00 PM NSCS “HOT PASS” IN EFFECT UNTIL ONE HOUR AFTER RACE
12:15 PM NSCS DRIVER INTRODUCTIONS
1:00 PM NSCS DAYTONA 500 (200 LAPS, 500 MILES)

ALL TIMES EASTERN & TENTATIVE, SUBJECT TO CHANGE

How About NASCAR Finishing a Season Like It Starts, at Daytona!

by M Roberts

It would be nice if the season could end with a more volatile type of race to close out the season to add a little more drama to the Chase.


The perfect way to do it is add another restrictor plate race into the mix, preferably Daytona. Starting and ending the season at Daytona makes perfect sense—almost too much sense.

If we’re going to go nostalgic about the July Daytona race and its history, that argument shouldn’t stand in the way. Moving Darlington’s Southern 500 after being NASCAR’s ultimate historical race means that anything can be done.

Somehow, Miami to close out the year just doesn’t get the NASCAR juices flowing. Maybe it’s all that NASCAR history they have there or maybe it’s just all the Cuban sandwiches, not sure.

But I do know that it doesn’t feel like NASCAR and it definitely shouldn’t be the closer.

We start the NASCAR season with such pageantry and hoopla surrounding the sport's biggest race as opposed to how most sports have their grand finale to close out the year. Nothing will be bigger than the Daytona 500, but a night race with all the marbles on the line and so many variables to decide the outcome of the season could make the season finale truly go out with a bang.

The current network deal has six years remaining and with the way ratings have declined the last year, it’s likely NASCAR may be up to any kind of positive change in the sport as evident by some of the recent knee-jerk reaction in making sudden changes such as the double-file restarts.

Ratings are what it’s all about to the networks and when money talks, NASCAR listens. As far as the fans are concerned, it’s not known how well they would receive a change like moving Daytona to close out the year, but there are plenty of moans and groans about how the Chase has ended the last few years.

The July Daytona race always gets fans pumped up and the ratings are always high. It’s not about what stage it is in the season, it’s simply because it’s Daytona and all fans take notice and mark off the calendars.

The 2010 season is set, but it would be nice to hear some kind of discussion being made. NASCAR/ISC would have to weigh out all their pie-charts and forecasts to see if the move would be a positive financially for both their facilities—Homestead-Miami and Daytona. I think it’s safe to say that it would be a win-win for both tracks and NASCAR in the long run.

Even if Miami showed a small loss, it still would be a winner by the gains of their sister track in Daytona, not to mention the overall increase in ratings which would make NASCAR happy, especially when year 2015 comes inching closer for a new TV deal.

The Miami race doesn’t get hardly a blip of attention despite it being the finale because it’s going against the NFL on Sunday and Saturday has pivotal College Football conference games.

Daytona alone would change that and alter some of the viewer destinations for that weekend, both from their living rooms and for others, a possible vacation.

The Gator, Bulldog, and Game Cock fans would definitely have something to mull over for that weekend and Daytona likely wins the decision because simply, it's Daytona.

Las Vegas Hilton SuperBook Releases First Odds to Win 2010 Daytona & Sprint Cup Title

by Micah Roberts

The Las Vegas Hilton SuperBook became the first Sports Book to open odds for the 2010 Daytona 500 and Sprint Cup Championship.

Over the last four seasons there has been little drama in the Chase for the Championship that has seen Jimmie Johnson win an unprecedented four straight titles. Despite the streak, the Las Vegas Hilton haven’t over-adjusted on what seems to be as sure of a sure thing there is in NASCAR by opening Johnson as the 5 to 2 favorite, a price that has been on par with Johnson at the beginning of each of his last three seasons.

For whatever reason, the public -- knowing that Johnson is going to be tough to beat, would rather bet a little amount to win big which takes Johnson completely out of many betting equations, that is until Johnson wins and you lose. But that’s where the fun of wagering this early in the season comes into play.

People want to root for an underdog. Some folks bet a new driver to win the title every year when they visit Vegas giving them action and someone new to root for throughout the season.

The real value, or at least appearance of the value, lies within the drivers who be looking to stop Johnsons’ reign. Mark Martin (7/1), Kyle Busch (8/1), and Jeff Gordon (8/1) round out the top four favorites to win the Championship.

Should you want to go deeper with a long-shot possibility, Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin, and Carl Edwards are 10 to 1 and Juan Pablo Montoya is 12 to 1.

The interesting drivers to keep an eye on in the Championship Chase in 2010 will be the Childress drivers led by Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton who are both listed at 30 to 1. Even though neither made the Chase last season, they both came on strong during the Chase races closing out the season on a positive note for what had been an exhausting year for both.

Dale Earnhardt Jr’s third season with Rick Hendrick has him starting the season with his highest odds ever to win a Championship at 30 to 1. Junior always fell into the supply and demand category in Las Vegas betting which always made his odds lower. The Bookmakers used to set his odds lower just because the majority of the public would bet Junior weighing out the scales of risk on him for a race or Championship.

This time around, the Junior Nation has seen enough and don‘t believe in him anymore. Last season he barely got a blip of attention from NASCAR bettors who saw that things weren’t right in the No. 88 camp.

But it may be a little early to jump off the bandwagon. Junior will be coming into a full season with Hendrick Motorsports cars made and set up the Hendrick way. The last two seasons Tony Eury Jr had tinkered with his own set-up on the Hendrick cars counteracting the edge that had seen teammates Johnson, Gordon, and Martin excel with.

According to the odds, the Daytona 500 should be wide open. Only one driver, Kyle Busch at 8 to 1, is listed at odds lower than 12 to 1. After Busch, there are seven drivers listed at 12 to 1.

Busch has been the most consistently dominant restrictor-plate driver over the last two seasons, but we‘ve seen a transformation in plate racing that has brought so many more teams to an equal level. Who can forget the decade long Chevy reign that saw DEI or Hendrick win just about every plate race where it was almost a foregone conclusion that Ford or Dodge had no chance.

Now it’s quite the opposite. Last season we saw Jack Roush win his first Daytona 500 with Matt Kenseth and then go to Talladega and win with Jamie McMurray in the fall. In the first Talladega race, a rookie, Brad Keselowski, won the race with a team that was a part time operation.

2010 should be no different and beginning with Daytona your guess is as good as anyone to who will win kicking off the season. Pretty cool that you can almost smell the high octane fuel, burnt tires, and asphalt before Christmas.

Odds to Win 2010 Daytona 500 (courtesy of Las Vegas Hilton SuperBook)
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Kyle Busch 8/1
Jimmie Johnson 12/1
Mark Martin 12/1
Jeff Gordon 12/1
Denny Hamlin 12/1
Dale Earnhardt Jr 12/1
Tony Stewart 12/1
Kurt Busch 12/1
Juan Pablo Montoya 15/1
Carl Edwards 15/1
Kevin Harvick 20/1
Matt Kenseth 25/1
Clint Bowyer 25/1
Ryan Newman 25/1
Jamie McMurray 25/1
David Ragan 25/1
Kasey Kahne 30/1
Jeff Burton 30/1
Brian Vickers 30/1
Joey Logano 30/1
Martin Truex Jr 30/1
David Reutimann 30/1
Greg Biffle 40/1
Brad Keselowski 40/1
Marcos Ambrose 50/1
Sam Hornish Jr 50/1
AJ Allmenindinger 50/1
Michael Waltrip 50/1
Casey Mears 60/1
Elliott Sadler 60/1
Bobby Labonte 60/1
Paul Menard 60/1
Scott Speed 100/1
Field (All Others ) 25/1