Earnhardt Jr. excited about new package at Atlanta

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is 18/1 to win Sunday at Atlanta 

Driver: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Hometown: Kannapolis, North Carolina
Age: 41
Resides: Mooresville, North Carolina

ATLANTA VICTOR: Dale Earnhardt Jr. has one win at Atlanta Motor Speedway, which came in 2004. The Kannapolis, North Carolina, native led 55 of 325 laps, including the final 16 laps of the event, en route to victory.

TWO-TIME POLE-SITTER: Earnhardt has earned two poles at Atlanta, one in 2001 and the other in 2010. Atlanta is one of three tracks where the 41-year-old has multiple poles. He also has earned two poles at both Texas Motor Speedway and Michigan International Speedway.

NEW RULES: This weekend’s event at Atlanta will be the debut of the new base rules package that the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will run on non-superspeedway tracks in 2016. The 2016 package is based off of the low-downforce package that was used during the Cup events at Kentucky Speedway and Darlington Raceway in 2015. Earnhardt finished 21st and eighth, respectively, in those events.

TWO NEW NATIONWIDE ADS REVEALED: Nationwide Insurance debuted two of its new 2016 ad spots during the Daytona 500 on Feb. 21 featuring "Boss Man Dale" entitled “Friend Request” and “Janet's Baby.” The new ads can be viewed on Nationwide’s YouTube channel and behind-the-scenes footage of the commercial shoot can be found here. The ads will be refreshed throughout the NASCAR season.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. on racing at Atlanta
“I'm looking forward to Atlanta. I think the whole series is looking forward to going to Vegas, Atlanta and all of those places with this new package. It's going to be a whole new ballgame. Everybody is wondering where everybody is after the offseason. Every year you kind of have to get another measure of your competition because everybody kind of gets a little better in the offseason, so we’ll see how that all works out once we get to the next couple of tracks. Daytona Speedweeks has always been a little bit different – it’s not a true measuring stick of what the rest of the season might look like or who might be the dominant team.”

​

​

2016 Season 35th in standings 1 start 0 wins 0 pole positions 0 top-five finishes 0 top-10 finishes 15 laps led     Career 578 starts 26 wins 13 pole positions 143 top-five finishes 246 top-10 finishes 8,149 laps led     Track Career  28 starts 1 win 2 pole positions 9 top-five finishes 13 top-10 finishes 633 laps led

​

​

​

​

Denny Hamlin captures first Daytona 500

Denny Hamlin opened at 15/1 and closed at 10/1 in Las Vegas.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Most of the time, when an athlete talks about a "team victory," it’s nothing more than a sports cliché.

But Denny Hamlin’s win in Sunday’s Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway—by the closest margin in the history of the Great American Race—was a testament to the strength and solidarity of the Toyota teams of Joe Gibbs Racing and Furniture Row Racing, a JGR affiliate.

In a wild last lap at the 2.5-mile superspeedway, Hamlin moved into the outside lane in front of Kevin Harvick, who had gained momentum up top. Avoiding a block from JGR teammate Matt Kenseth in Turn 4, Hamlin dove to the inside and won a drag race to the finish line against Furniture Row’s Martin Truex Jr.

Leading the inside lane after Kenseth abandoned it to try to block Hamlin’s progress, Truex nosed ahead as he and Hamlin approached the stripe. But Hamlin used a last-ditch side-draft to pull even and edged ahead by .010 seconds—roughly four inches—as the cars crossed the line in a photo finish.

The victory was the first for Toyota in the Daytona 500. For JGR, it was the first Daytona 500 win since Dale Jarrett passed the late Dale Earnhardt on the last lap in 1993 to give Joe Gibbs his first triumph as a car owner.

As the race developed, the question wasn’t which car would win, but which Toyota. All told, JGR drivers and Truex led 156 of the 200 laps, with Hamlin setting the pace for 95 of those circuits. With Kyle Busch running third and Carl Edwards fifth, Toyota swept the top three spots and four of the top five.

For Hamlin, who became the fifth driver (and the first since Jarrett accomplished the feat for the second time in 2000) to sweep the Sprint Unlimited and the Daytona 500 in the same season, the final lap was a blur.

"I don’t remember it—honestly," Hamlin said. "I just remember pulling up in front of the 4 (Harvick, who finished fourth) and him giving me a push and not letting off when he was pushing, and ultimately that was the push to the victory for us. I know we got to the outside of the 18 (Kyle Busch), the 78 (Truex) ... and then the 20 (Kenseth) came up to block high, and I saw that the middle was going to be the only way I could get around both of them.

"We cleared the 20 and drag-raced with the 78. This is a total team effort from Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota, Martin Truex and those guys – all of our cars up front at the end. I said with two (laps) to go that we have to get the team victory no matter what it takes, and I essentially was trying to go up there and block the 4 to keep him from getting to those guys, but he gave me such a strong push I just went with it and we ended up with a victory."

Up until the last two feet, Truex thought he had the race won.

Denny cut inside (of Kenseth), made it three wide," said Truex, whose Furniture Row team switched from Chevrolet to Toyota this year. "Just side-drafted me off of Turn 4 all the way to the line. I felt like I had enough momentum to keep him behind me. I did all the way up until that last couple feet.

"He just shot out that last couple inches on me right before the line. Wish I would have crowded him up the track a little bit more late down the frontstretch. Those are split second decisions. He came out on the right end of it today. ...

"It's hard to make those decisions. I felt like I had the momentum, and I did till those last couple feet. So, you know, live and learn. I think if I get in that position again, I'll do it a little bit differently. First time I've ever been in that spot. I think we'll have a lot more opportunities to win races this year with race cars like that. Looking forward to getting better at taking advantage of them."

Polesitter Chase Elliott led the first three laps before giving way to teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr., but Elliott spun off Turn 4 on Lap 19, damaged his No. 24 Chevrolet during a wild slide through the infield grass and lost 40 laps while the car was being repaired. He finished 37th.

Earnhardt’s race ended in the same corner on Lap 170. Driving aggressively toward the front, Earnhardt lost control of the No. 88 Chevrolet and slammed nose-first into inside wall near the entrance to pit road. Earnhardt, who had led 15 laps early in the race, was credited with a 36th-place finish.

Kenseth, who led 40 laps, nearly wrecked when Hamlin dove to his inside on the final lap, but the two-time Daytona 500 winner saved the car and finished 14th.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race - Daytona 500

Daytona International Speedway

Daytona Beach, Florida

Sunday, February 21, 2016

               1. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 200

               2. (28) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 200

               3. (4) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 200

               4. (9) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 200

               5. (10) Carl Edwards, Toyota, 200

               6. (5) Joey Logano, Ford, 200

               7. (14) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 200

               8. (27) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 200

               9. (21) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 200

               10. (8) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, 200

               11. (38) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 200

               12. (34) Aric Almirola, Ford, 200

               13. (13) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 200

               14. (2) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 200

               15. (39) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, 200

               16. (26) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 200

               17. (6) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 200

               18. (37) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 200

               19. (7) Ryan Blaney #, Ford, 200

               20. (25) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 200

               21. (30) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 200

               22. (19) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 200

               23. (24) Landon Cassill, Ford, 200

               24. (35) Brian Scott #, Ford, 200

               25. (12) Ty Dillon(i), Chevrolet, 200

               26. (18) Brian Vickers, Chevrolet, 200

               27. (22) Michael Annett, Chevrolet, 200

               28. (23) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 200

               29. (29) David Ragan, Toyota, 200

               30. (36) Michael Waltrip, Toyota, 200

               31. (33) Bobby Labonte, Ford, 200

               32. (32) Casey Mears, Chevrolet, 199

               33. (31) Clint Bowyer, Chevrolet, 199

               34. (15) Greg Biffle, Ford, 198

               35. (16) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet, Accident, 184

               36. (3) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, Accident, 169

               37. (1) Chase Elliott #, Chevrolet, 160

               38. (40) Robert Richardson Jr., Toyota, Engine, 135

               39. (17) Chris Buescher #, Ford, Accident, 91

               40. (20) Matt DiBenedetto, Toyota, Accident, 91

Average Speed of Race Winner:  157.549 mph.

Time of Race:  3 Hrs, 10 Mins, 25 Secs. Margin of Victory:  0.010 Seconds.

Caution Flags:  6 for 31 laps.

Lead Changes:  20 among 15 drivers.

Lap Leaders:   C. Elliott # 1-3; D. Earnhardt Jr. 4-17; Kyle Busch 18-21; D. Earnhardt Jr. 22; R. Newman 23; D. Hamlin 24-57; M. Truex Jr. 58; B. Labonte 59; J. Johnson 60-77; Kyle Busch 78-92; D. Ragan 93; M. Waltrip 94; D. Hamlin 95-119; M. Truex Jr. 120; D. Hamlin 121-155; A. Dillon 156; B. Keselowski 157; M. Annett 158; B. Scott # 159; M. Kenseth 160-199; D. Hamlin 200;.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  D. Hamlin 4 times for 95 laps; M. Kenseth 1 time for 40 laps; Kyle Busch 2 times for 19 laps; J. Johnson 1 time for 18 laps; D. Earnhardt Jr. 2 times for 15 laps; C. Elliott # 1 time for 3 laps; M. Truex Jr. 2 times for 2 laps; M. Waltrip 1 time for 1 lap; A. Dillon 1 time for 1 lap; R. Newman 1 time for 1 lap; B. Labonte 1 time for 1 lap; B. Scott # 1 time for 1 lap; M. Annett 1 time for 1 lap; B. Keselowski 1 time for 1 lap; D. Ragan 1 time for 1 lap.

Top 16 in Points: D. Hamlin - 45; M. Truex Jr. - 40; Kyle Busch - 39; K. Harvick - 37; C. Edwards - 36; J. Logano - 35; K. Larson - 34; R. Smith - 33; A. Dillon - 33; Kurt Busch - 31; R. Newman - 31; A. Almirola - 29; K. Kahne - 28; M. Kenseth - 28; M. Mcdowell - 26; J. Johnson - 26

Daytona 500 betting value lies with Hamlin, not Earnhardt Jr.

Denny Hamlin expected to be running up front.

Joe Gibbs won three Super Bowl titles in the NFL and has won four NASCAR Sprint Cup championships, but his team hasn't won a Daytona 500 in 23 years, and his manufacturer, Toyota, never has won the race. But based on recent history in plate races and action during Daytona speedweeks, Gibbs might have his best chance to end the drought today.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is favored, but as a group, the five Gibbs' Toyotas appear to have an edge. Not only have they shown great speed on the 2.5-mile high-banked layout individually, but they also look to be the major force in the draft.

Gibbs driver Denny Hamlin never has won a points-paying race at Daytona, but he did win the Sprint Unlimited on Saturday for the third time in his career. He's averaged a 3.75 finish in his past four Daytona starts, and not much has changed with the restrictor-plate package other than a 10-horsepower boost from a slightly larger hole in the plates.

Perhaps the only reason Hamlin didn't win one of the Cam-Am Duels qualifying races Thursday was because he didn't have any teammates in the first race, won by Earnhardt Jr. In the second race, a Gibbs driver — reigning Cup champion Kyle Busch — won, and teammate Carl Edwards was fourth. The other Gibbs' star, two-time Daytona 500 winner Matt Kenseth, will start from the front row.

Read More here......LVRJ

Final 2016 Daytona 500 Driver Ratings

How to stop Dale Jr. edge on Sunday is just to stay in front of him.

LAS VEGAS -- Between eight Daytona 500 practices, the Sprint Unlimited and two Can-Am 150 Duels, we’ve got plenty of data to come up with a solid rating final driver rating for Sunday’s 58th running of the Daytona 500.

The variables that stand out most for each driver is the last two years of plate racing, because not much has changed for 2016, and then how they fared in the two competition races Saturday and Thursday. The practices are relevant, but certainly not as telling as they are for tracks at Phoenix or Las Vegas. Because most teams take several of the sessions off just to avoid risk, the practices don’t give much indication of who is truly fast in the draft because they’re not in racing situations like we’ll see Sunday.

However, it was still hard not to be impressed with what Joe Gibbs Racing did in Friday’s afternoon practice session when they had all five of its cars -- including Martin Truex Jr. affiliation -- timing in with the first five fastest laps. Team Penske with Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski and affiliation with Ryan Blaney -- also looked good as a team throughout the past week in practice.

It’s in that team concept that Denny Hamlin got the top rating. Having four other solid drafting teammates to push him wherever he’s on the track gives Hamlin the slight edge over the favored Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hamlin has lots of recent plate racing success and he also appears to have one of the best cars as well.

Because this is such a volatile race and the driver ratings don’t hold as much value as a Phoenix or Las Vegas, you probably should be betting only half your regular weekly NASCAR bankroll. The match-ups and props are tougher than anywhere because of the randomness of a top driver getting into trouble. One wreck can take out over a dozen unsuspecting drivers, and it happens a couple times a race.

However, this is the Daytona 500 and its hard not to be excited with the wagering and so many options available. Good luck and enjoy the race.

Read More here....TheLinemakers.com
 

Micah Roberts’ Top-10 Driver Ratings
58th Daytona 500
Daytona International Speedway
Sunday, February 21, 2016 -  10:31 am (PT)

RATING    DRIVER   ODDS           2015 500*  UNLIMITED**  150’S**     PRAC 7 
 1. Denny Hamlin 10/1              4th            1st            5th            1st 
Three top-fives in past four Daytona starts (3.75 avg.); 2014 500 runner-up. He’s real fast this week, really fast!
 2. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 4/1         2nd          15th           1st           11th  
Four-time winner (500s: 2004, 2014); has won three of the past eight restrictor-plate races (led 367 laps) -- using same car.
 3. Joey Logano 8/1                  1st            2nd           2nd           7th 
2015 500 winner -- won two of the four plate races last season. Sterling Marlin last to go back-to-back (1995).
 4. Matt Kenseth 10/1              35th          12th         16th            5th 
2009, 2012 500 winner. His car is almost as good as Hamlin’s and will be very strong in draft.
 5. Brad Keselowski 12/1        41st            9th          13th          15th 
Three wins at Talladega, but none at Daytona -- third in 2014 500. Penske very good in draft.
 6. Jimmie Johnson 10/1          5th           22nd         13th          12th  
Three-time winner including 2013 season sweep; tandem with teammate Earnhardt Jr. makes him good candidate to be up front.
 7. Kevin Harvick 12/1             2nd           25th           4th          DNP
Two-time winner, including 2007 500. Second and fourth in 2015 Daytona races; smart and has plenty of friends who trust him.
 8. Kyle Busch 12/1                DNP         17th           1st            2nd  
2008 summer winner. Only five reigning Cup champs have won the 500 in next season -- Dale Jarrett the last in 2000.
 9. Kurt Busch 15/1                 DNP           7th           3rd          DNP
Impressive 18 top-five finishes in 59 career plates races, but never a win. Last three Daytona starts: 9.67 avg. finish.
10. Carl Edwards 15/1            23rd          16th           4th           19th 
No plate wins in 45 starts, but his Joe Gibbs’ Toyota will give him best opportunity for first win on Sunday.

* Results from 2015 Daytona 500 which featured 27 lead changes among 12 drivers and seven cautions for 26 laps. The results are relevant to 2016 because the cars are almost the same.

** Results from Saturday’s Sprint Unlimited (79 laps) and Thursday’s two Cam-Am Duel 150 qualifying races -- both are great indicator to how Sunday‘s race will be run.

Odds courtesy of the Westgate Las Vegas Super Book

Updated 2016 Daytona 500 odds: Gibbs' stable has odds slashed

No driver has won back-to-back Daytona 500's since 1995 (Sterling Marlin).

LAS VEGAS -- After getting a sneak peak in Saturday's Sprint Unlimited of how the racing might be in Sunday's 58th running of the Daytona 500, the odds board in Las Vegas have been adjusted accordingly. The biggest movers on the board were the quartet of Joe Gibbs Racing drivers, who all had their odds slashed.

Denny Hamlin's win Saturday gave JGR wins in four of the past five Sprint Unlimited's, and his odds have gone from 15-to-1 to 10-to-1. However, JGR hasn't won the Daytona 500 since 1993 when Dale Jarrett cruised to victory in a Chevrolet. Also, a Toyota hasn't won the Daytona 500. Winning the Sprint Unlimited has only translated to the Daytona 500 five times, the last coming in 2000 with Jarrett.

The thing that stood out the most Saturday night was that it seemed harder than ever to pass and the extra 10 horsepower in this years restrictor-plate package makes the leader is even more invincible with clean air. Only three drivers led a lap and there were seven cautions — 23 of the 25 cars had damage.

MORE: Are there any futures bets worth making on the Sprint Cup?

Despite the JGR, Penske Racing and Chip Ganassi Racing all looking strong Saturday night, the best way to approach Sunday's Daytona 500 is to not count anyone out. Everyone has a chance. Well, maybe only 38 drivers have chance, but that's a ton compared to only about 12 drivers that have a legitimate shot to win on the 1.5-mile tracks.

Let's take a look at all the drivers odds and chances from the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook with last weeks odds in parenthesis: 

 
Daytona 500 betting odds, picks

DALE EARNHARDT JR 6/1 - With Jeff Gordon retired, his 10 restrictor-plate wins are the most among active drivers and three of the wins came in the past two seasons, including the 2014 Daytona 500. Even though we didn't get to see what he was really capable of Saturday night after damaging his car early, you know he's going to be battling up front with the leaders late if he can keep his car healthy for all 200 laps. Not much has changed with the plate package this year from the past two years and Junior's 9.8 average finish in the eight plate races over that span is the best in the series. He's a deserving favorite.

Read More Here....all drivers odds listed on TheLinemakers.com

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Q&A with Daytona media Thursday

Earnhardt Jr. has won Daytona 500 twice (2004 & 2014).

DALE EARNHARDT JR., NO. 88 NATIONWIDE CHEVROLET SS:

DALE EARNHARDT JR.: — yeah, I mean, I didn’t get to steal anything, but I wanted to carry all the tapes out of there, all the video, and go catalog it myself. I got room if they would like to store it where I’m at.

So that would be pretty cool to be in charge of the archives, all the video. There’s some cool photo stuff in there, too. There was a lot of interesting stuff that I saw from way back on the beach days. All that stuff’s kind of got to be in a certain environment and so forth. It’s pretty neat.

Q. Seems like the last couple years that the people that are out in front know what they’re doing. Is it really not a crapshoot anymore?

DALE EARNHARDT JR.: No, the style of plate racing, it’s always changing. In my opinion I think it’s gotten a little bit closer to how it used to be back in 2001 to 2005 when we were very successful, the style of the draft and how the draft works. It’s really more similar to that kind of racing, which I think suits me much better.

The tandem stuff was nothing I never liked and never enjoyed. I didn’t feel like that was racing, to really have to commit yourself to another guy and know you’re going to run second just made no sense to me.

That was a challenging time to be involved in the sport, to be honest with you, when we were tandem drafting in the plate races. It was hard to have any kind of not really confidence, yet it’s hard to get excited about it and want to go do it. Kind of just dreaded those events.

Now that the package is as it is, I think we’re racing again where you’re just out for yourself, being very selfish. You can be very aggressive. I think it suits my style, suits some other guys’ styles as well. The people that I see up there, the guys that I tend to expect to see up there.

Q. What is Chase Elliott facing coming in with a famous dad?

DALE EARNHARDT JR.: You know, I don’t really think he’s going to face any difficult challenges as far as being in the shadow of his father and whatever that entails. It could be different for him.

But that’s not really a challenge. I mean, there’s some advantages to that, as well. You sort of take the good with the bad as that goes.

The only thing that I think I struggled with was just the amount of work you’re doing. That significantly ramps up when you go from the XFINITY Series to the Sprint Cup Series. He’s going to be asked to be in all these places not related to driving racecars. You’re like, Man, you know, I don’t want to do this, I want to drive the car. I came to drive. I’m here to race.

He’s going to find that he’s going to be busy these Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. There’s going to be weeks that will be running in a blur. You’re going to be flying here, flying there. It’s going to be a lot of inconvenience. You’re going to be in situations where you’re talking in front of people that you don’t know, you don’t know why you’re there, what you’re supposed to be talking about.

Yeah, I mean, they just kind of put you out there in these situations where you’re very uncomfortable, and it’s very stressful. Your wheelhouse is racing and driving cars. When you’re up in front of these certain crowds, certain individuals, you don’t even know why you’re there or why they’re there, you know, it can be very nerve-wracking. None of us are born as public speakers and ready for the crowds and so forth.

That part I think is something that will be more challenging than anything else, trying to juggle all the things that you’re going to do during the week. That first year especially, as that goes on, have that energy at the end of the year, not be worn down, worn out.

You know, my first year we came in, we won some races. We had an awful season after the Winston when we won the All-Star Race. We had a terrible year from that point on. With 10 races to go, I was ready for it to end. That’s not good. For a racecar driver, you want the racing season to keep continuing because you’re enjoying it so much.

But that first year, you just run so hard coming in. You’re exciting, you’re pumped up, you’re exerting all this energy for nothing early. You kind of can wear yourself down. You don’t realize you need to pace yourself emotionally and mentally for all the things you’re doing away from the track.

That’s probably the biggest hurdle. You learn throughout the years to do that better and enjoy it. I was looking forward to today. I was looking forward to yesterday going and doing the car wash. I remember when I was first told I had to do the car wash. It sounded like the worst thing ever, to go do seven, eight hours of media.

But you learn to enjoy it. He’ll do the same.

Q. He doesn’t look like he’s enjoying it at all. He didn’t celebrate.

DALE EARNHARDT JR.: I think the one thing that he’s probably worried about is perception. I think when I see a driver make those style of comments, he’s just trying to say the right thing. He doesn’t want to step on anybody’s toes or give anybody the wrong idea.

He’s very focused. He wants people to know he’s very focused. We’ve seen his interviews. When he doesn’t do well in the XFINITY Series, he puts it on his shoulders. He’s really, really way too hard on himself.

But he just wants people to understand that he’s committed, he’s a hard worker, and he’s here to accomplish his dreams and goals and win races and championships. He doesn’t want people to lose sight of that or make assumptions that he’s taking things for granted, I guess.

And he’s young. He doesn’t know how to celebrate yet in terms of, you know, going out and hanging out and partying with his friends. I mean, hell, maybe he’ll be a late-bloomer as far as that goes. I was, too. I didn’t really start ripping and tearing until I was about 25 or 26. I didn’t know how to celebrate either at that age.

Q. Who has the most firepower?

DALE EARNHARDT JR.: Five, 10 years, any of these guys could be running the headlines of the sport, driving the sport as far as that goes, the spotlight and so forth. Any of these guys have that potential.

We’ll get to learn their personalities. The young guys are really fun because just watching on social media, Bubba Wallace and Blaney, those guys, they really just put themselves out there. They make fun of themselves. That’s very refreshing.

I think the sport has a great future from that aspect of personalities, the drivers being themselves, having some color and energy with them.

I think Chase understates it because of who he is, having that last name. Maybe he doesn’t want as much attention just yet because he wants to kind of maybe just focus on his driving and doesn’t want all that pressure that comes with it.

I think he understates it on purpose, intentionally. He’s a very modest individual. I think his father raised him to be modest, not boisterous and things like that, so…

I think he just wants to tone down the level of excitement. I saw something on Twitter yesterday from I think it was NBC, NASCAR on NBC. Will Chase live up to the hype in the Daytona 500? I thought that was the most ridiculous thing I’d read, that day at least.

Give the kid a break. I think that would be a reason why I think he makes the comments he does. He wants to temper expectations. Like, Whoa, whoa, whoa, let’s be realistic about this. We got a lot of work to do, ta-da, ta-da, ta-da. He toes the company line. That’s the thing, he’ll eventually get more comfortable. When he wins, he certainly comes out of his shell. We’ve seen that.

Q. Do you remember that your rookie season, expectations?

DALE EARNHARDT JR.: Yeah, I mean, you’re almost embarrassed by the attention because you don’t feel like it’s really deserved because you haven’t done anything yet, in your mind. You haven’t accomplished these things.

You see the level of attention that drivers get when you’re growing up and you’re around the sport as a young kid. You see what they do to get that attention. Then you come in and it just seems like it’s more than you deserve.

I think that’s why you kind of shy away from it or try to talk the media off the shelf a little bit and talk things down. You want to back up and reel it in a little bit because you just don’t feel like you deserve it. You don’t want people to put these expectations up there that are unreasonable ’cause it makes the pressure a lot more difficult to understand and handle.

Q. How long did you work in the dealership?

DALE EARNHARDT JR.: My goodness. I think I was there for a couple years maybe, yeah.

Q. Have you ever run into anybody, now that you’ve become popular and successful, that say, You changed the oil in my ’79 Nova or anything like that?

DALE EARNHARDT JR.: No. I don’t think they would have let me change the oil in a ’79 Nova (laughter). I changed a lot of oil, I know that. I had a lot of fun doing that. I think I was there for two and a half years. It was a fun time.

No, I haven’t really run across anybody that has said, You used to change oil in my car back then.

I didn’t run the alignment machine. I was a quick lube guy. I got moved to a couple different positions for a couple months at a time, but always kind of ended up back at the quick lube machine. That was strictly my job. They had that 29 minutes or less deal. It was fun.

I got put on commission for a week, I made too much money, they took me off commission because I was doing them in eight minutes.

Q. What was your record?

DALE EARNHARDT JR.: I was doing ’em pretty fast when I learned I could make money doing it. I was going through ’em pretty quick.

One time I drove out of the lot without the filter on my car, ran all the oil out of it right through the parking lot. It was hilarious.

Q. One of the spotters, after the Unlimited, said there used to be a day you could kind of move around the track, but everybody wasn’t as good at restrictor plate racing. Now maybe people are getting better at it. Today Joey Logano, somebody compared him to your talent. He said, I’m not as good as Dale, but you can’t luck into it anymore. Are the drivers getting better at restrictor plate racing?

DALE EARNHARDT JR.: Yeah, I see different drivers that are successful at plate tracks. Denny, and McMurray’s a guy that’s always up there. There’s a long list. Joey is very good at it. He’s always up there. Each one of them has a different style. Some are aggressive, some maybe not so much. They find a way to be there and have opportunities to win those races.

I don’t know if it’s exactly one style that actually works and no other style works. Me and Denny I think are really similar: real aggressive, moving left to right. A lot of times we make moves to get a run or something without even contemplating whether there’s a car around us that we may crash into.

Sometimes I make moves and I go, Man, I didn’t even really look both ways before I crossed the street, so to speak.

You can’t think about it like that. You just got to go on instinct and hope that you don’t, you know, make a mistake.

Q. Are you on the drivers council still? What do you hope to get accomplished?

DALE EARNHARDT JR.: Yeah, there’s a few guys that are on it from last year. There are some new guys that are on it from this year. Kyle Busch and Brad are new. But they’re already doing some great things.

Everybody works really well together. We all communicate almost daily as a group. We all participate in the discussions. We have bullet points about things we are discussing currently from last year, a lot of things that bled over that we haven’t got solutions to or haven’t kind of hit a solution, finalized that discussion.

We started out last year butting heads, so to speak, the two groups, the drivers and NASCAR. By the end of the year we were doing some awesome stuff. The last meeting we had at the end of last season was awesome. We came out of there with a lot of confidence. The relationship between the drivers and NASCAR, the communication, was awesome, both sides really giving and taking and working together.

We’ve already had our first meeting this year. You know, the council is going to do great things. It’s starting to show its potential. I think trying to get all the other drivers to understand that it is important is crucial. The council that we have, they’re not the nine smartest guys, they’re just the guys that drivers voted for to represent them, because we need a small group so that the voice is clear instead of having 43 drivers in there or whatever. That would be pretty noisy and messy.

These are just the nine guys that they said, Here, you go, handle these issues. It will be even more credible and have more potential as soon as all the drivers start to get in the discussions and add ideas.

The green-white-checkered rule was a collaboration between NASCAR and the drivers. As O’Donnell said, Is that the final decision? Is that the end point? Is that the perfect way to do it? We don’t know. But the fact that we came to that solution together was a great thing, I thought.

If another driver who’s not on the council has an even better idea that we need to communicate, get the drivers to understand that, Man, this council can do some great things. Let me get in there, throw my ideas on the table, let them try to take that to NASCAR.
I’m really excited about it. I love being a part of it. My hope is that the council is still around 15 or 20 years from now and it’s very effective.

Q. Is there anything you or your team have to do different this year to get yourself in position so when you go to Homestead, there is something on the line?

DALE EARNHARDT JR.: Yeah, I think we can get better at the mile-and-a-half’s for sure. We got a new rule package. That could go in our favor at that particular style of track. We’ll just have to see. We haven’t had a chance to test. Jimmie thinks our stuff was pretty good at Vegas. Excited about his comments from that.

As a team, I mean, I think we do great on the short tracks and the plate tracks. The mile-and-a-half’s are a big part of the series. We can improve there.

Q. Does it boggle your mind that after all the races you’ve won that the points championship you haven’t won?

DALE EARNHARDT JR.: No. It’s hard to win. It’s hard to win. Some guys come in this sport and have great careers without winning the championship. I think I got some good years left to have the opportunity at it. We’re working really hard to try to make that happen.

I know that’s pretty much assumed. We just got to keep showing up and see if it works.

FastScripts by ASAP Sports

- Team Chevy

2016 Daytona 500 Preview: Riding with Hamlin again

Will racing Sunday be like Saturday?

LAS VEGAS -- Only four drivers have won the Daytona 500 after winning the Sprint Unlimited the week prior. No Toyota has ever won the Daytona 500 and Joe Gibbs Racing hasn't won the Daytona 500 since Dale Jarrett sailed through to the 1993 win in a Chevrolet with his dad cheering in the broadcast booth.

However, like I say four times a year in the restrictor-plate races, anything can happen. And in the case of choosing Denny Hamlin to win the 58th running of the Daytona 500 on Sunday, there's a lot of logical backing involved besides stats and trends, but he's got those too.

The first thing to review in Hamlin's case is what happened Saturday in the Sprint Unlimited where he was one of only three drivers to lead a lap. His Joe Gibbs Racing teammates, Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards, helped push Hamlin to the front and then no one could pass him. Hamlin has become a very accomplished plate racer the past three years, which includes a Talladega win. He's won the Sprint Unlimited three times at Daytona, but a points-paying race win there has eluded him.

“We have certainly shown that we have the speed in the car that we need to win at Daytona," Hamlin said. "It’s just a matter of putting it all together in the big race on Sunday. We have put ourselves in position to win the Daytona 500 the last few years, but it hasn’t all come together yet. There are so many other variables involved that need to go your way to win the 500, and hopefully they will come together for our FedEx team this weekend."

Some of those variables involve having all his teammates ready to push him and also getting a few of his top competitors to have some poor luck with a short day. Saturday night he got a little both with his teammates hanging around and also having the favorites of Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson get involved in wrecks.

Over the past four Daytona races, Hamlin has finished sixth or better for a 3.75 average finish. His team is strong, he's trending upward and he's also in a contract year. He's got all the motivation needed to win and the means to do it within the JGR stable. Even at 10/1 odds (Bet $100 to win $1,0000), down from 15/1 before Saturday's win, Hamlin still presents value.

Read More Here....Top-5 Finish Prediction on VegasInsider.com

Daytona International Speedway Track Facts: 2016 Daytona 500

Joe Gibbs Racing hasn't won Daytona 500 since 1993 with Dale Jarrett.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Final 2015 Top 16 at Daytona International Speedway

	Driver	Races	Poles	Wins	Top Fives	Top 10s	DNFs	Average Finish	Driver Rating
1	Kyle Busch	21	1	1	5	6	5	19	94.4
2	Kevin Harvick	29	1	2	8	13	3	15.8	82.4
4	Martin Truex Jr	21	1	0	0	2	5	23.2	77.2
5	Carl Edwards	22	1	0	4	8	3	20.2	80.2
6	Joey Logano	14	0	1	3	4	2	18.6	83.4
7	Brad Keselowski	13	0	0	2	3	4	22.3	74.9
8	Kurt Busch	29	0	0	12	15	1	17.1	90.3
9	Denny Hamlin	20	0	0	5	6	1	18	88.7
10	Jimmie Johnson	28	2	3	11	14	6	16.9	89.2
11	Ryan Newman	28	0	1	4	7	5	20.5	77.2
12	Dale Earnhardt Jr	32	1	4	13	19	3	12.7	93.7
13	Jamie McMurray	26	0	2	3	5	8	23.3	79.7
14	Paul Menard	17	1	0	0	3	2	20	71.8
15	Matt Kenseth	32	1	2	6	14	5	18	89.5
16	Clint Bowyer	20	0	0	3	10	3	15.2	83.4

Note: Driver Rating from races at Daytona International Speedway from 2005-2015.

Daytona International Speedway Data

Race #: 1 of 36 (2-21-16)

Track Size: 2.5 miles

Race Length: 500 miles (200 laps)

Banking/Corners: 31 degrees

Banking/Straights: 3 degrees

Banking/Tri-Oval: 18 degrees

Top 10 Driver Ratings at Daytona

Kyle Busch                   94.4     

Dale Earnhardt Jr.         93.7

Kurt Busch                    90.3

Matt Kenseth                 89.5

Jimmie Johnson            89.2

Denny Hamlin                88.7

Clint Bowyer                  83.4

Joey Logano                 83.4

Kasey Kahne                 83.0

Kevin Harvick                82.4

Note: Driver Ratings are compiled from 2005-2015 races (22 total) at Daytona (active drivers only).

Qualifying/Race Data

2015 pole winner: Jeff Gordon

(201.293 mph, 44.711 seconds)

2015 race winner: Joey Logano (161.939 mph, 2-22-15)

Qualifying record: Bill Elliott

(210.364 mph, 42.783 secs. 2-9-87)

Race record: Buddy Baker

(177.602 mph, 2-17-80)

Daytona 500 Tidbits

·         The 2016 edition will be the 58th running of the Daytona 500.

·         Although the first Daytona 500 was held in 1959, it has been the season-opener only since 1982.

Starts

·         533 drivers have competed in at least one Daytona 500; 318 in more than one.

·         Dave Marcis leads the series all-time in Daytona 500 starts with 33; followed by NASCAR Hall of FamersRichard Petty (32) and Terry Labonte (32).

·         Michael Waltrip leads all active NSCS drivers in Daytona 500 starts with 28; followed by Tony Stewart (17),Dale Earnhardt Jr. (16) and Matt Kenseth (16).

·         Dale Earnhardt Jr. leads the series among active drivers in average starting position (6.063).

·         12 different manufacturers have made at least one start in the Daytona 500: Chevrolet, Ford, Dodge, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Buick, Toyota, Plymouth, Mercury, Chrysler, American Motors Company and Studebaker

Poles

·         40 different drivers have won a Coors Light pole for the Daytona 500; led by Bill Elliott, Cale Yarborough andBuddy Baker with four each.

·         Only nine drivers have posted more than one Coors Light pole for the Daytona 500; Jimmie Johnson (two) is the only active driver with more than one Daytona 500 pole.

·         Chase Elliott has become the youngest Daytona 500 pole winner at the age of 20 years, 2 months, 17 days.

·         Hendrick Motorsports has won 10 Daytona 500 poles, the series most: Ken Schrader (1988, 1989, 1990), Jeff Gordon (1999, 2015), Jimmie Johnson (2002, 2008), Mark Martin (2010), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2011) and Chase Elliott (2016).

·         Chevrolet leads the series in Daytona 500 poles with 24.

Wins

·         36 different drivers have won a Daytona 500.

·         Lee Petty won the inaugural Daytona 500 on Feb. 22, 1959; he led 38 laps and won by 2 feet.

·         Youngest Daytona 500 winner: Trevor Bayne (02/20/2011 - 20 years, 0 months, 1 days)

·         Oldest Daytona 500 winner: Bobby Allison (02/14/1988 - 50 years, 2 months, 11 days)

·         Seven drivers posted their career-first NASCAR Sprint Cup victory with a win in the Daytona 500.

Drivers	Seasons
Tiny Lund	1963
Mario Andretti	1967
Pete Hamilton	1970
Derrike Cope	1990
Sterling Marlin	1994
Michael Waltrip	2001
Trevor Bayne	2011

·         Three other drivers posted their career-first victory in (points-paying) qualifying races: Johnny Rutherford (1963),Bobby Isaac (1964) and Earl Balmer (1966).

·         Lee Petty, who won the inaugural Daytona 500, and Trevor Bayne, 2011 Daytona 500 champion, are the only two drivers to win the Daytona 500 in their first appearance.

·         11 drivers have won more than one Daytona 500, led by Richard Petty with seven victories.

The 11 Drivers With Multiple Daytona 500 Wins
No. of Wins	Drivers	Seasons
7	Richard Petty	1964	1966	1971	1973	1974	1979	1981
4	Cale Yarborough	1968	1977	1983	1984
3	Bobby Allison	1978	1982	1988
3	Dale Jarrett	1993	1996	2000
3	Jeff Gordon	1997	1999	2005
2	Bill Elliott	1985	1987
2	Sterling Marlin	1994	1995
2	Michael Waltrip	2001	2003
2	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	2004	2014
2	Jimmie Johnson	2006	2013
2	Matt Kenseth	2009	2012

·         A driver has won back-to-back Daytona 500s three times. Richard Petty (1973-74), Cale Yarborough (1983-84) and Sterling Marlin (1994-95).

·         Active Daytona 500 winners and the number of NSCS starts in their careers when they won:

No. of Wins	Drivers	Seasons	Career Start
2	Michael Waltrip	2001	463
		2003	535
2	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	2004	148
		2014	506
2	Jimmie Johnson	2006	148
		2013	400
2	Matt Kenseth	2009	329
		2012	437
1	Kevin Harvick	2007	215
1	Ryan Newman	2008	225
1	Jamie McMurray	2010	259
1	Trevor Bayne	2011	2
1	Joey Logano	2015	220

·         The Daytona 500 has been won from the pole position nine times; Bill Elliott (1985, 1987) and Cale Yarborough(1968, 1984) are the only two drivers to accomplish the feat more than once. Dale Jarrett was the most recent driver to win from the pole in 2000.

Season	Driver
1962	Fireball Roberts
1966	Richard Petty
1968	Cale Yarborough
1980	Buddy Baker
1984	Cale Yarborough
1985	Bill Elliott
1987	Bill Elliott
1999	Jeff Gordon
2000	Dale Jarrett

Wins

·         The pole position is the most proficient starting position in the Daytona 500 field, producing more winners (nine) than any other position; followed by second-place (seven wins) and fourth-place (seven wins).

·         16 of the 57 Daytona 500s (28.1%) have been won from the front row; nine from the pole position and seven from the second-place position.

·         28 of the 57 Daytona 500s (49.1%) have been won from a top five starting position.

·         42 of the 57 Daytona 500s (73.6%) have been won from a top 10 starting position

·         Five of the 57 Daytona 500s (.08%) have been won from a starting position outside the top 20.

·         Matt Kenseth won the Daytona 500 from the 39th starting position in 2009, the deepest a race winner has started.

·         Five reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champions have gone on to win the Daytona 500 the following season:Lee Petty (1959), Richard Petty (1973), Cale Yarborough (1977), Jeff Gordon (1999) and Dale Jarrett (2000).

Five Drivers Have Won the Daytona 500 and the       NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship In The Same Season
Drivers	Seasons
Richard Petty	1964	1971	1974	1979
Jimmie Johnson	2006	2013
Lee Petty	1959
Cale Yarborough	1977
Jeff Gordon	1997

·         A driver has swept both the Daytona 500 and the July race only five times at Daytona International Speedway:Jimmie Johnson (2013), Bobby Allison (1982), LeeRoy Yarborough (1969), Cale Yarborough (1968) andFireball Roberts (1962).

·         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).

·         The driver with the all-time most Daytona 500 starts without a victory is Dave Marcis with 33 races; Tony Stewart (17), Kurt Busch (14) and Greg Biffle (13) lead all active drivers with the most Daytona 500 starts without a Daytona 500 win.  

·         Driver Ratings for Winners – Pre-Race Daytona 500 Driver Ratings heading into 2016 for past Daytona 500 winners (past 5 years)

Driver – Year – Driver Rating

o    Joey Logano – 2015 – 82.5

o    Dale Earnhardt Jr – 2014 – 89.7

o    Jimmie Johnson – 2013 – 82.8

o    Matt Kenseth – 2012 – 89.0

o    Trevor Bayne – 2011 – 68.9

Wins

·         Drivers who have won the Daytona 500 in more than one car manufacturer:

Driver – Manufacturer (Number of wins in that manufacturer)

o    Richard Petty – Plymouth (3), Dodge (2), Oldsmobile (1) and Buick (1)

o    Cale Yarborough – Chevrolet (2), Mercury (1) and Pontiac (1)

o    Bobby Allison – Buick (2) and Ford (1)

o    Dale Jarrett – Ford (2) and Chevrolet (1)

·         Drivers who have won The Sprint Unlimited and the Daytona 500 in the same season:

Driver – (Year)

o    Bobby Allison (1982)

o    Bill Elliott (1987)

o    Dale Jarrett (1996 and 2000)

o    Jeff Gordon (1997)

·         Car Numbers that have produced three or more Daytona 500 victories:

Car Number – Drivers – (Years)

o    No. 43 – Richard Petty (1964, ’66, ’71, ’73, ’74, ’79, ‘81)

o    No. 21 – Tiny Lund (1963), Cale Yarborough (1968), A.J. Foyt (1972), David Pearson (1976) and Trevor Bayne (2011)

o    No. 28 – Fred Lorenzen (1965), Buddy Baker (1980), Cale Yarborough (1983 and 1984) and Davey Allison (1992)

o    No. 4 – Ernie Irvan (1991), Sterling Marlin (1994 and 1995)

o    No. 15 – Bobby Allison (1978), Michael Waltrip (2001 and 2003)

o    No. 17 – Darrell Waltrip (1989), Matt Kenseth (2009 and 2012)

o    No. 88 – Bobby Allison (1982), Dale Jarrett (1996 and 2000) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2014)

o    No. 24 – Jeff Gordon (1997, 1999 and 2005)

Additional Finishing Positions

·         Dale Earnhardt leads the series in runner-up finishes in the Daytona 500 with five; Dale Earnhardt Jr. leads all active drivers with four (Earnhardt Jr. is tied with NASCAR Hall of Famer Cale Yarborough for second most all-time with four).

·         Dale Earnhardt had 12 top fives in his 23 Daytona 500 starts, more than any other driver.

·         Dale Earnhardt Jr. leads all active drivers in Daytona 500 top-five finishes with eight (Earnhardt Jr. is tied withBenny Parsons, Bobby Allison and Buddy Baker for fifth most-all-time).

·         Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty each posted a series leading 16 top 10s in the Daytona 500.

·         Dale Earnhardt Jr. leads all active drivers in Daytona 500 top-10 finishes with 10.

·         Dale Earnhardt Jr. leads all active drivers in average finish in the Daytona 500 with a 12.1 (16 appearances)

Female Competitors

·         Danica Patrick on Sunday, Feb. 19, 2013 became the first female in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series history to win a Coors Light pole for the Daytona 500 posting a speed of 196.434 mph.

·         Janet Guthrie previously held the record for top starting position by a female NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver, starting ninth twice in 1977 - at Talladega Superspeedway on Aug. 7, 1977 and at Bristol Motor Speedway on Aug. 28, 1977.

·         In 2012, Danica Patrick became the third female driver to compete in a Daytona 500 joining Janet Guthrie andShawna Robinson. Below are the previous female driver performances in the Daytona 500.

Race	Season	Driver	Start	Finish
Daytona 500	1977	Janet Guthrie	39	12
Daytona 500	1980	Janet Guthrie	18	11
Daytona 500	2002	Shawna Robinson	36	24
Daytona 500	2012	Danica Patrick	29	38
Daytona 500	2013	Danica Patrick	1	8
Daytona 500	2014	Danica Patrick	27	40
Daytona 500	2015	Danica Patrick	20	21

Track / Daytona 500 Specific Stats

·         Kevin Harvick’s 0.020-second margin of victory over Mark Martin in the 2007 Daytona 500 is the 12th-closest overall since the advent of electronic scoring in 1993, and the closest in a Daytona 500.

·         NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty has led the most laps in a single Daytona 500; leading 184 laps in the 1964 Daytona 500.

·         Jamie McMurray has led the fewest laps in a Daytona 500 and won - in 2010, McMurray only led two laps on his way to win the Daytona 500.

·         2011 Daytona 500 had the most all-time lead changes with 74.

·         2011 Daytona 500 had the most all-time leaders with 22.

·         2011 Daytona 500 had the most all-time Cautions with 16.

·         1968 and 2011 Daytona 500s had the most all-time Caution Laps with 60 laps each.

·         The Daytona 500 has finished under Green/White/Checkered conditions seven times: 2015, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2007, 2006 and 2005.

·         Due to the overtime rules in NASCAR the longest Daytona 500 ever run was the 2010 and 2011 Daytona 500s both went 208 laps/520 miles – eight laps and 20 miles more than the scheduled distance.

·         The largest field to compete in the Daytona 500 was 68 cars in the 1960 race.

Statistical Look At Daytona International Speedway

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 July race was delayed until October that year due to thick smoke from wildfires. The second Daytona race has been held under the lights ever since.

·         The track underwent a repave in 2010.

·         2016 will mark the next phase in the existence of Daytona International Speedway as the Daytona Rising project is completed, ushering in the first ‘motorsports stadium’, a 400-million dollar project.

Notebook

·         There have been 137 NASCAR Sprint Cup races since the track hosted its first race in 1959: 57 have been 500 miles, 53 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.

·         Fireball Roberts won the first 400-mile race at Daytona, the 1963 Firecracker 400.

·         59 drivers have posted poles at Daytona – including Chase Elliott 2016 Daytona 500 pole winner.

·         Cale Yarborough leads all drivers with 12 poles at Daytona.

·         Jimmie Johnson and Bobby Labonte lead all active drivers with two poles at Daytona.

·         58 different drivers have won at Daytona.

·         Richard Petty leads all drivers in points-paying victories at Daytona with 10.

·         The Wood Brothers have won 15 races at Daytona, more than any other car owner.

·         18 full-length races at Daytona have been won from the pole; the last to do it was Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the 2015 July race.

NASCAR in Florida

·         There have been 180 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races among eight race tracks held in the state of Florida.

Track Name	City	NSCS
Daytona International Speedway	Daytona Beach	137
Homestead-Miami Speedway	Homestead	17
Daytona Beach & Road Course	Daytona Beach	10
Palm Beach Speedway	W. Palm Beach	7
Speedway Park	Jacksonville	6
Five Flags Speedway	Pensacola	1
Golden Gate Speedway	Tampa	1
Titusville-Cocoa Speedway	Titusville	1

·         163 drivers in NASCAR’s three national series have their home state recorded as Florida.

·         There have been 10 race winners with their home state recorded as Florida in NASCAR’s three national series:

Driver	NSCS	NXS	NCWTS
Fireball Roberts	33	0	0
LeeRoy Yarbrough	14	0	0
Marshall Teague	7	0	0
Joe Nemechek	4	16	0
Bobby Johns	2	0	0
David Reutimann	2	1	1
Aric Almirola	1	1	2
Shorty Rollins	1	0	0
Rick Wilson	0	2	0
Joey Coulter	0	0	1