Atlanta Motor Speedway Track Facts: 2016 Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500

Brad Keselowski won last seasons race at Atlanta.

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series 2018 Top 16 at Atlanta Motor Speedway

Rk.	Driver	Races	Poles	Wins	Top Fives	Top 10s	DNFs	Average Finish	Driver Rating
1	Ryan Blaney	2	0	0	0	0	0	21.5	69.0
2	Joey Logano	11	1	0	2	3	0	17.6	81.6
3	Austin Dillon	5	0	0	0	0	0	25.0	67.0
4	Darrell Wallace Jr.	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	0.0
5	Paul Menard	16	0	0	1	3	1	20.1	64.6
6	Michael McDowell	7	0	0	0	0	4	36.1	34.2
7	Denny Hamlin	18	1	1	3	6	3	19.1	93.9
8	Ryan Newman	25	7	0	2	9	3	17.9	77.6
9	Chris Buescher	2	0	0	0	0	0	26.0	44.8
10	Aric Almirola	7	0	0	0	1	0	19.3	64.2
11	Trevor Bayne	4	0	0	0	0	0	17.2	67.8
12	Martin Truex Jr	19	1	0	2	7	4	18.3	93.0
13	Clint Bowyer	17	0	0	0	5	2	21.5	80.0
14	Alex Bowman	2	0	0	0	0	0	29.0	46.0
15	AJ Allmendinger	12	0	0	0	3	1	17.9	71.9
16	Kurt Busch	26	1	3	6	12	3	15.6	95.2

* – Based on Loop Data from the last 19 races at Atlanta Motor Speedway (2005 – 2017).

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series 2018 Top Loop Data Leaders

Atlanta Motor Speedway

Statistical Categories:	Leaders	Loop Data
Driver Rating	Jimmie Johnson	105.4
Average Running Position	Chase Elliott	7.093
Laps Led	Kevin Harvick	912 laps
Laps In The Top 15	Jimmie Johnson	82.2% (5,109 laps)
Fastest Laps Run	Kevin Harvick	439 laps
Green Flag Passes	Jamie McMurray	1,482
Quality Passes	Martin Truex Jr.	779
Green Flag Speed	Chase Elliott	171.809 mph
* The above stats are based on Loop Data from 2005 - 2017

Atlanta Motor Speedway Data Season Race #: 2 of 36 (02-25-18) Track Size: 1.54-miles Banking/Turn 1 & 2: 24 degrees Banking/Turn 3 & 4: 24 degrees Banking/Frontstretch: 5 degrees Banking/Backstretch: 5 degrees Frontstretch Length:  2,332 feet Backstretch Length:  1,800 feet Race Length: 325 laps / 500.5 miles Stage 1 & 2: 85 Laps (each) Final Stage: 155 Laps Top 10 Driver Ratings at Atlanta Jimmie Johnson........................ 105.4 Chase Elliott............................. 105.2 Kevin Harvick............................. 97.0 Kurt Busch................................. 95.2 Denny Hamlin............................. 93.9 Martin Truex Jr........................... 93.0 Brad Keselowski......................... 92.4 Kyle Busch................................. 91.7 Kasey Kahne.............................. 85.9 Erik Jones.................................. 83.2 Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2017 races (19 total) among active drivers at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Qualifying/Race Data 2017 pole winner: Kevin Harvick, Ford 190.398 mph. 29.118 secs. 03-03-17 2017 race winner: Brad Keselowski, Ford 140.898 mph, (03:33:08), 03-05-17 Track qualifying record: Geoffrey Bodine, Ford 197.478 mph, 28.074 secs. 11-15-97 Track race record: Bobby Labonte, Pontiac 159.904 mph, (03:07:48), 11-16-97

Atlanta Motor Speedway:

HISTORY

·        Originally called Atlanta International Raceway, the track was then a 1.5-mile paved speedway.

·        The first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup race at Atlanta was on July 31, 1960, won by Fireball Roberts from the pole.

·        The track was re-measured to 1.522 miles in the spring of 1970.

·        It was renamed Atlanta Motor Speedway in 1990.

·        The track layout was reversed and the track was re-configured to 1.54 miles between the two races in 1997.

STARTS

·        There have been 110 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup races at Atlanta Motor Speedway since the first race there in 1960. Until 2010, there have been two races per year except 1961, which had three. This year marks the sixth season with only one event.

·        564 drivers have competed in at least one Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway; 381 in more than one.

·        Richard Petty leads the series in starts at Atlanta with 65. Kevin Harvick leads all active drivers with 27 starts, followed by Jimmie Johnson and Kurt Busch with 26.

·        Ryan Newman leads all active drivers in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in average starting position at Atlanta with a 7.040 in 25 starts.

·        A total of 66 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers have made their series debut at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

·        Three active Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers have posted their first career start at Atlanta Motor Speedway: Martin Truex Jr. (10/31/2004), Reed Sorenson (10/30/2005) and Ty Dillon (8/31/2014).

POLES

·        Fireball Roberts won the inaugural Pole Award at Atlanta in 1960 with a speed of 133.870 mph.  

·        50 drivers have poles at Atlanta, led by Buddy Baker and Ryan Newman with seven each.  

·        Winning consecutive poles has happened 10 times at Atlanta, among six drivers:  Fireball Roberts (1960 sweep, 1961 second & third race), Cale Yarborough (1969, 1970, 1978 sweep) Dave Marcis (1975, 1976), Buddy Baker (1979 sweep, 1980), Alan Kulwicki (1989 sweep), Ryan Newman (2003 sweep, 2004 sweep, 2005 sweep).

·        Ryan Newman holds the record for most consecutive poles at Atlanta with six; spring of 2003 through 2005.

·        Youngest Atlanta pole winner: Terry Labonte (03/15/1981 – 24 years, 3 months, 27 days).

·        Oldest Atlanta pole winner: Harry Gant (11/14/1993 – 53 years, 10 months, 4 days).

·        One active driver has posted his first career Monster Energy Series pole at Atlanta Motor Speedway: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (9/01/2013).

WINS

·        44 different Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers have won at Atlanta Motor Speedway, led by NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt with nine wins.

·        Jimmie Johnson leads all seven active series winners with five victories at Atlanta; followed by Kasey Kahne (3), Kurt Busch (3), Kyle Busch (2), Denny Hamlin (1), Kevin Harvick (1) and Brad Keselowski (1).  

·        11 drivers have won consecutive races at Atlanta in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series:

	Drivers	Seasons
1	Marvin Panch	1965 Sweep
2	Bobby Allison	1972 Sweep
3	David Pearson	1973 Sweep
4	Richard Petty	1974 Fall	1975 Spring
5	Cale Yarborough	1980 Fall	1981 Spring
6	Bill Elliott	1985 Sweep	1992 Sweep
7	Dale Earnhardt	1989 Fall	1990 Spring	1995 Fall	1996 Spring
8	Bobby Labonte	1997 Fall	1998 Spring
9	Jeff Gordon	1998 Fall	1999 Spring
10	Carl Edwards	2005 Sweep
11	Jimmie Johnson	2007 Sweep	2015	2016

·        Youngest Atlanta winner: Kyle Busch (03/09/2008 – 22 years, 10 months, 7 days).

·        Oldest Atlanta winner: Morgan Shepherd (03/20/1993 – 51 years, 5 months, 8 days).

·        The Hendrick Motorsports organization has the most wins at Atlanta in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series with 14; followed by Wood Brothers Racing with 12 and Joe Gibbs Racing with 11.

·        Nine different manufacturers have won in the Monster Energy Series at Atlanta; led by Chevrolet with 40 victories; followed by Ford (30), Pontiac (11), Dodge (nine), Mercury (eight), Buick (four), Plymouth (four), Toyota (three) and Oldsmobile (one).

·        The most proficient starting position in the field at Atlanta Motor Speedway is the fifth starting position – it has produced more wins (16) than any other starting position.

Wins by Starting Positions at Atlanta Motor Speedway

Starting Position	Wins	Winning %	Starting Position	Wins	Winning %
1	14	13%	14	2	2%
2	12	11%	15	1	1%
3	9	8%	17	2	2%
4	10	9%	18	1	1%
5	16	15%	19	2	2%
6	4	4%	20	2	2%
7	6	5%	21	2	2%
8	6	5%	22	1	1%
9	7	6%	31	1	1%
10	2	2%	35	1	1%
11	4	4%	37	2	2%
12	1	1%	39	1	1%
13	1	1%
Stats			Winning %	Wins
Winning from the Pole:			13%	14
Winning from the Front Row:			24%	26
Winning from a Top-5 Starting Position:			55%	61
Winning from a Top-10 Starting Position:			78%	86
Winning After Starting Outside the Top 20:			7%	8

·        The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Atlanta is 39th, by Bobby Labonte in the fall of 2001.

·        No driver has swept the weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway across all three NASCAR national series. Two drivers have won in multiple NASCAR national series in the same weekend at Atlanta:

o   Carl Edwards (2005, MENCS/NXS); (fall 2008, MENCS/NXS)

o   Kyle Busch (spring 2008, MENCS/NCWTS)

·        Six of the seven active Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series winners at Atlanta Motor Speedway participated in at least one or more races before visiting Victory Lane. Kevin Harvick won at Atlanta in his first appearance (2001).

·        Denny Hamlin competed at Atlanta Motor Speedway 12 times before winning in the spring of 2012; the longest span of any of the seven active Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series winners.

·        Among the seven active Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Atlanta winners Denny Hamlin (12) is the only driver to have made 10 or more attempts before his first win.

·        Ryan Newman leads the series among active drivers with the most Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Atlanta without visiting Victory Lane at 25; followed by Jamie McMurray with 24.  

·        One active Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver posted his first career win at Atlanta Motor Speedway: Kevin Harvick (3/11/2001).

ADDITIONAL FINISHING POSITIONS

·        Dale Earnhardt and David Pearson lead the series in runner-up finishes at Atlanta with seven each; Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers with four.

·        Dale Earnhardt leads the series in top-five finishes at Atlanta with 26; Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers with 14, followed by Kasey Kahne with eight.    

·        Richard Petty leads the series in top-10 finishes at Atlanta with 33; Jimmie Johnson leads all active driverswith 16, followed by Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch with 12 each.

·        Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in average finishing position at 11.000 in 26 starts

TRACK / SPECIFIC EVENT

·        Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory (MOV) in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at Atlanta Motor Speedway is the March 11, 2001 race won by Kevin Harvick over Jeff Gordon with a MOV of 0.006 second.

·        There have been four Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races resulting in a NASCAR overtime finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway (Scheduled No. of Laps/Actual No. of Laps): fall of 2007 (325/329); spring of 2010 (325/341), fall of 2012 (325/327) and 2014 (325/335).

·        Qualifying has been cancelled due to weather conditions in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at Atlanta Motor Speedway five times: spring 1973, spring 1990, fall 2002, fall 2006 and fall 2008.    

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series – Lap Leaders – Atlanta

All-Time MENCS Top Five Lap Leaders					Active MENCS Top Five Lap Leaders
Driver	Led	Completed	Percentage		Driver	Led	Completed	Percentage
Cale Yarborough	3,283	12,891	25%		Kevin Harvick	971	8,567	11%
Dale Earnhardt	2,655	13,834	19%		Kurt Busch	749	7,786	10%
Richard Petty	1,827	17,513	10%		Jimmie Johnson	586	8,309	7%
David Pearson	1,482	9,444	16%		Kyle Busch	423	5,925	7%
Jeff Gordon	1,297	12,590	10%		Denny Hamlin	365	5,423	7%

 

FEMALE COMPETITORS

·        Three female drivers have competed at Atlanta Motor Speedway in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series: Janet Guthrie, Shawna Robinson and Danica Patrick.

Driver	Starting Position	Finishing Position	Date
Danica Patrick	24	17	3/5/2017
Danica Patrick	25	20	2/28/2016
Danica Patrick	18	16	3/1/2015
Danica Patrick	27	6	8/31/2014
Danica Patrick	21	21	9/1/2013
Danica Patrick	23	29	9/2/2012
Average	23.0	18.2
Shawna Robinson	31	34	3/10/2002
Janet Guthrie	23	10	3/19/1978
Janet Guthrie	19	16	11/6/1977
Janet Guthrie	34	30	3/20/1977
Average	25.3	18.7

NASCAR IN GEORGIA

·        There has been a total of 223 NASCAR national series races among 14 different tracks in Georgia.

Track Name	City	Total Races	Monster Energy	XFINITY	Camping World
Atlanta Motor Speedway	Hampton	154	110	26	16
Augusta International Speedway	Augusta	12	12	0	0
Lakewood Speedway	Atlanta	11	11	0	0
Savannah Speedway	Savannah	10	10	0	0
Middle Georgia Raceway	Macon	9	9	0	0
Central City Speedway	Macon	7	7	0	0
Jeffco Speedway	Jefferson	5	2	3	0
Lanier Speedway	Gainesville	5	0	5	0
Valdosta 75 Speedway	Valdosta	3	3	0	0
Oglethorpe Speedway	Savannah	2	2	0	0
Road Atlanta Speedway	Atlanta	2	0	2	0
Augusta International Raceway	Augusta	1	1	0	0
Columbus Speedway	Columbus	1	1	0	0
Hayloft Speedway	Augusta	1	1	0	0
TOTAL		223	169	36	16

·        183 drivers in NASCAR national series history have their home state recorded as Georgia.

·        15 of 183 have won at least once in one of NASCAR’s national series.

·        10 of the 183 have posted at least one victory in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. 

·        Bill Elliott (five wins) is the only Georgia native to have won at Atlanta Motor Speedway in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series 

Driver	Monster Energy	Xfinity	Camping World Truck
Bill Elliott	44	1	0
Jack Smith	21	0	0
Fonty Flock	19	0	0
Bob Flock	4	0	0
Frank Mundy	3	0	0
David Ragan	2	2	0
Gober Sosebee	2	0	0
Harold Kite	1	0	0
Sam McQuagg	1	0	0
Jody Ridley	1	0	0
Chase Elliott	0	5	2
Reed Sorenson	0	4	0
Buckshot Jones	0	2	0
Ronald Cooper	0	1	0
John Wes Townley	0	0	1

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series - Milestones
STARTS
Driver: David Ragan	Has	Needs
Milestone:	399	1
Ragan will become the 61st driver to make 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts.
Driver: Kyle Larson	Has	Needs
Milestone:	148	2
Larson will become the 166th driver to make 150 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts.
Driver: Cole Whitt	Has	Needs
Milestone:	148	2
Whitt will become the 166th driver to make 150 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts.
WINS
Driver: Jimmie Johnson	Has	Needs
Milestone:	83	1
Tie Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip for fourth on the all-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series wins list.
Driver: Kyle Busch	Has	Needs
Milestone:	43	1
Tie Bill Elliott for 16th on the all-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series wins list.
Driver: Kevin Harvick	Has	Needs
Milestone:	37	1
Break tie with Bobby Isaac for sole possession of  21st on all-time MENCS wins list.
Driver: Denny Hamlin	Has	Needs
Milestone:	31	1
To tie Dale Jarrett for 24th on the all-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series wins list.
Driver: Kurt Busch	Has	Needs
Milestone:	29	1
Tie Denny Hamlin for 25th on the all-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series wins list.
POLES
Driver: Ryan Newman	Has	Needs
Milestone:	51	3
Tie Bill Elliott for eighth on the all-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series poles list.
Driver: Jimmie Johnson	Has	Needs
Milestone:	35	1
To tie Rusty Wallace for 18th on the all-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series poles list.
Driver: Kasey Kahne	Has	Needs
Milestone:	27	2
To tie Ricky Rudd for 24th on the all-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series poles list.
Driver: Kyle Busch	Has	Needs
Milestone:	27	2
To tie Ricky Rudd for 24th on the all-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series poles list.

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series - Milestones Cont.
Top Fives
Driver: Kyle Busch	Has	Needs
Milestone:	161	2
To tie Dale Jarrett for 22nd on the all-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series top fives list.
Top 10s
Driver: Kevin Harvick	Has	Needs
Milestone:	307	1
To tie his car owner Tony Stewart for 17th on the all-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series top 10s list.
Driver: Kurt Busch	Has	Needs
Milestone:	258	2
To tie Dale Jarrett for 22nd on the all-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series top 10s list.
Laps Led
Driver: Jimmie Johnson	Has	Needs
Milestone:	18,663	337
Needs 337 laps led to become the ninth driver in the MENCS all-time to lead 19,000 laps.
Driver: Kyle Busch	Has	Needs
Milestone:	14,380	620
Needs 620 laps led to become the 10th driver in the MENCS all-time to lead 15,000 laps.
Driver: Kevin Harvick	Has	Needs
Milestone:	11,091	909
Needs 909 laps led to become the 15th driver all-time in the MENCS to lead 12,000 laps.
Driver: Kurt Busch	Has	Needs
Milestone:	8,893	107
Needs 107 laps led to become the 20th driver all-time in the MENCS to lead 9,000 laps.
Driver: Denny Hamlin	Has	Needs
Milestone:	8,865	135
Needs 135 laps led to become the 20th driver all-time in the MENCS to lead 9,000 laps.
Driver: Martin Truex Jr.	Has	Needs
Milestone:	6,523	477
Needs 477 laps led to become the 29th driver all-time in the MENCS to lead 7,000 laps.

Atlanta Betting Preview: 2018 Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500

Kevin Harvick's No. 4 SHR Ford closed out playoffs strong on 1.5s. 

Everything you saw during Daytona Speedweeks has absolutely nothing to do with what we're going to see in this Sunday's Folds of Hoor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

The set-ups are night and day between the four restrictor-plate races and what we'll see in the 11 races on 1.5-mile track this season. At Daytona and Talladega, any driver can win, but tracks like Atlanta show the real divide between the elite and cheap teams.

The perfect example of the differences is looking at the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook'sodds to at Daytona on Darrell Wallace Jr. at 50/1 compared to his 300/1 odds offered at Atlanta. The No. 43 may have made the switch to Chevrolet this season using ECR engines, but they're still light years away from winning on an intermediate track.

Not much has changed on the cars in 2018, with the exception of the new Chevrolet Camaro body. So we're likely going to see a lot of what we saw in the last third of the 2017 season, which means more Martin Truex Jr.

READ MORE HERE.....ATLANTA TOP-5 FINISH PREDICTION

Throw out everything from Daytona, Atlanta is a different animal

Brad Keselowski won last season at Atlanta.

As a Vegas bookmaker, Micah Roberts was the first to offer expanded NASCAR betting. Now he hands out NASCAR winners to his followers.

In the 2017 NASCAR playoffs, Roberts picked nine of the 10 winners. In 2016, Roberts told readers to back Denny Hamlin at 15/1 in the Daytona 500. The result? Hamlin edged Martin Truex Jr. for the checkered flag. This is the same Roberts who nailed Hamlin at 40/1 to win at Watkins Glen later that year.

With the QuikTrip 500 set for Sunday at 2:45 p.m. ET at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Roberts has analyzed the entire field and released his Top 20 finishers in order. We can tell you he's not high on Austin Dillon coming off his Daytona win, noting Dillon has averaged 25th place at Atlanta. But Roberts has a 60/1 long shot finishing in the Top 10 and a 20/1 driver who can take the checkered flag... Join SportsLine now to see the full projected QuikTrip 500 leaderboard, and see which long shots stun the racing world, all from the nation's premier NASCAR betting expert!

Here is Roberts' writeup:

The cars at Daytona drove almost as expected with them all being equal and having a chance to win, but that was a restrictor-plate race and there are only four of those each season. Throw what you saw during Speedweeks out the window and leave it there until May for Talladega.

The meat of the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the 1.5-mile tracks and the first of 11 on those types takes place Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Here's how I see things going in the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500:

READ MORE HERE...........SPORTSLINE.COM

No Atlanta wins for Truex, but he crushed the 2017 1.5-mile track season

Martin Truex Jr is 9/2 co-favorite to win at Atlanta.

DENVER, Colo. (Feb. 20, 2018) – The good news for Martin Truex Jr. and the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing team is that they are going from their worst to their best type of racetrack in the NASCAR Cup Series.

Truex, who finished 18th after being involved in a late-race multicar wreck in Sunday’s Daytona 500, has admitted that superspeedway racing such as Daytona has not been one of his strong suits.

But the next type of track Truex will be competing on — the 1.54-mile Atlanta Motor Speedway – is one of the main reasons he is the reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion.

Seven of his eight wins last season came at a 1.5-mile track, including the final race of the season at Homestead-Miami Speedway where he captured his first Cup championship.

Truex’s average finish last year in 11 races at 1.5-mile tracks was 2.4. In the last six 1.5-mile races of the season, he had five victories and one runner-up. The four 1.5-mile races he didn’t win last year were Atlanta (finished 8th), the first Charlotte race (finished 3rd) and the two Texas races (finished 8th and 2nd).

“After how we ran in Daytona, we are definitely looking forward to going to a downforce track,” said Truex. “While Daytona is the biggest and most prestigious race to win, the season actually starts – at least in our case – at a downforce track. Atlanta should give us a good indication how we fare against the competition.”

Truex has a theory why his team was so successful on the 1.5-mile tracks in 2017.

“We not only had one of the fastest cars all the time, we executed well, qualified well and got those stage points early,” explained Truex. “I just feel like across the board, from our whole team’s perspective, we executed really well. We didn’t make many mistakes. We didn’t give anybody an opportunity to pounce. There were times where guys were as fast as us and there were times when guys were faster, but they weren’t more consistent.”

Truex, who calls Atlanta one of his five favorite tracks, has been a contender the past three years in the Folds of Honor/QuikTrip 500 with top-10 finishes of sixth, seventh and eighth.

“I just can’t wait to drive our No. 78 Bass Pro Shops/5-hour ENERGY Toyota at Atlanta,” said Truex. “I am hoping we will be as strong as we were last year on the mile-and-a-half tracks.”

Truex’s crew chief, Cole Pearn, is also looking forward to Atlanta.

“Obviously Atlanta is the first real test to know where you’re at and where you stack up with everybody so it’s a pretty important race,” said Pearn. “It’s a cool track, and at the same time, really different. It has super low grip with old worn out pavement.”

Pearn added, “We’ve been close at Atlanta. We had a clutch go last year while running third. The year before we were running first or second most of the day but had a bad late restart. Overall, Atlanta has been a good track for us. But you don’t know early in the year how everything is going to go. So it’s very hard to predict.”

Clint Bowyer looking forward to worn out Atlanta surface

Bowyer is 30/1 to win at Atlanta.

KANNAPOLIS, North Carolina (Feb. 20, 2018) - Racetracks across the Monster Energy NASCAR Sprint Cup circuit have embarked on ambitious capital improvement projects in recent years to make the country’s most popular form of motorsports even more entertaining for fans and competitors.

Tracks committed tens of millions of dollars toward more comfortable stands, track reconfigurations, new fan zones, better cellular and Wi-Fi signals and improved traffic to make for the ultimate experience. 

So it’s funny when No. 14 Haas Automation Ford driver Clint Bowyer said drivers and the 70,000 fans attending Sunday’s 500-mile race at Atlanta Motor Speedway will be the biggest winners from an action the track’s management decided not to do in 2018 – repaving the 21-year-old racing surface. 

“I thought it was a great idea to patch the up girl and hold on as long as possible because a lot of us aren’t fans of repaves,” said Bowyer who speaks for a majority of the drivers when it comes to a vote on whether to repave the 1.54-mile track in Hampton, Georgia. “Ever since I have been in the sport it seems like Atlanta is the most worn-out track but always produced some of the best racing.” 

New track surfaces usually create much better grip and faster speeds that often result in a one-groove race track where passing is difficult resulting in single file racing – something Bowyer says neither drivers or fans enjoy for 500 miles. He says the Atlanta track where the Cup Series will battle on Sunday is just the opposite. It’s slick surface is hard to navigate, but offers several grooves and plenty of passing opportunities. Bowyer said it doesn’t take long to remember he is racing at Atlanta. 

“Atlanta is just one of those places where you get on the track and after the first lap you are like ‘oh my something is drastically wrong’ and you almost want to pit. Then you look up and you are like third on the board and it felt like 53rd. It’s crazy how wore out the track is, but that is what makes for good racing and it puts on such a great show for a long time.” 

Bowyer and Stewart-Haas Racing’s (SHR) No. 14 team led by crew chief Mike Bugarewicz hope to improve upon their 15th-place finish the team posted at last weekend’s Daytona 500 where Bowyer suffered engine issues midway through the race. Bowyer showed his No. 14 Ford was one of the fastest on the track and after avoiding two multicar accidents appeared ready to race for the lead in the final stages. 

“That’s last week and we are on to Atlanta now,” said Bowyer. “It’s a very long season but we’re confident. We had a good Speed Weeks in Daytona and I think that will continue this weekend in Atlanta and on the West Coast swing in the coming weeks.” 

Bowyer is still looking for his first top-five at Atlanta, but that isn’t indicative of his performance history at the track. He led 52 laps at Atlanta during the March 2008 race before finishing sixth. The most heartbreaking moment there came in September 2013, when he led 48 of the first 192 laps before engine failure. In total, Bowyer has led 115 laps at Atlanta but only has four sixth-place finishes to show for the effort. 

Last year he started 25th at Atlanta but quickly showed he had one of the fastest cars on the track by driving to third with just 85 laps remaining. Fender damage led to a cut tire and a brush with the wall with 50 laps remaining. Bowyer dropped to 15th but climbed to 11th by the time the checkered flag fell. With the combination of SHR, Ford and a strong No. 14 team, Bowyer is a good bet to better that finish Sunday. 

“We showed speed last year. If we are that fast again then I think we’ll have something for them.” 

CLINT BOWYER, Driver of the No. 14 Haas Automation Ford for Stewart-Haas Racing: 

What is the mindset of drivers and team after leaving Daytona? 

“Once we get the Daytona 500 out of the way it’s Atlanta and it’s down to business time. I know that’s weird to say that. Yes, the Daytona 500 is the first race of the year and certainly the biggest race of the year, but it’s so unique from any other race track. We get to Atlanta and it’s that mile-and-a-half fast track, but even it is very unique because it is so wore out and we don’t have anything like that anywhere we go anymore. We just have to get through that, have a good balance on your race car cause it’s so slick you can’t afford to be tight loose or anything else. We’ll just go and hopefully have another good run there.” 

Will stage racing be more important at Atlanta? 

“I think once we get down to business and get over the Daytona 500 – our crown jewel event – we all learn the importance of stage points. We will be full bore on getting as many stage points as possible. We saw how (Martin Truex Jr.) did that last year and we’ll try to do the same this year.” 

Are you ready to win? 

“I have always wanted to win. Once you get a taste of that, there is no going back from that. Last year, it was disappointing. My disappointment last year came from a lack of consistency. That has always been my m.o. and how I was always able to make playoffs if I did or compete for a championship if we did. It was through consistency and knocking on the door and not having bad runs. We were spraying it all over the place last year. We would have good runs and bad runs and I really look for Stewart-Haas to smooth those things out. That manufacturer change was the best thing, in my opinion, that they have done in a long time. You are going to have growing pains because you have to learn a whole new everything. From your database to the aero platform to all that stuff. To have that behind us, the winter, the off-season has been way easier. It was pretty chaotic last year. I think we have weathered that storm and we are ready.”

- True Speed Communications

Odds to win 2018 Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta

Kevin Harvick led 292 of the 325 Atlanta laps last season.

WESTGATE LAS VEGAS SUPERBOOK
ODDS TO WIN FOLDS OF HONOR QUICKTRIP 500
ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2018 - 2:16 PM ET

Martin TRUEX JR 9/2
Kyle LARSON 9/2
Kevin HARVICK 9/2
Kyle BUSCH 6/1
Chase ELLIOTT 8/1
Denny HAMLIN 12/1
Brad KESELOWSKI 12/1
Jimmie JOHNSON 12/1
Joey LOGANO 12/1
Erik JONES 20/1
Ryan BLANEY 25/1
Clint BOWYER 30/1
Kurt BUSCH 30/1
Alex BOWMAN 30/1
Jamie McMURRAY 60/1
William BYRON 60/1
Daniel SUAREZ 60/1
Aric ALMIROLA 60/1
Ricky STENHOUSE JR 100/1
Austin DILLON 100/1
Ryan NEWMAN 100/1
Paul MENARD 200/1
Trevor BAYNE 300/1
Darrell WALLACE JR 300/1
Ty DILLON 300/1
Kasey KAHNE 500/1
AJ ALLMENDINGER 500/1
Chris BUESCHER 1000/1
Michael McDOWELL 5000/1
FIELD (all others) 500/1

DRIVER VS DRIVER MATCH-UPS

Martin TRUEX JR - 110
Kyle LARSON - 110

Martin TRUEX JR - 110
Kevin HARVICK - 110

Martin TRUEX JR - 130
Kyle BUSCH +110

Martin TRUEX JR - 150
Chase ELLIOTT +130

Kyle LARSON - 110
Kevin HARVICK - 110

Kyle LARSON - 130
Kyle BUSCH +110

Kyle LARSON - 150
Chase ELLIOTT +130

Kyle BUSCH +110
Kevin HARVICK - 130

Kyle BUSCH - 130
Chase ELLIOTT +110

Kevin HARVICK - 150
Chase ELLIOTT +130

Denny HAMLIN - 110
Brad KESELOWSKI - 110

Denny HAMLIN - 130
Jimmie JOHNSON +110

Denny HAMLIN - 130
Joey LOGANO +110

Brad KESELOWSKI - 130
Jimmie JOHNSON +110

Brad KESELOWSKI - 130
Joey LOGANO +110

Jimmie JOHNSON - 110
Joey LOGANO - 110

Erik JONES - 120
Ryan BLANEY EVEN

Clint BOWYER - 110
Kurt BUSCH - 110

Clint BOWYER - 110
Alex BOWMAN - 110

Kurt BUSCH - 110
Alex BOWMAN - 110

Dillon's Daytona 500 win popular with fans, but TV ratings plummet

Austin Dillon had 50-to-1 odds in Las Vegas to win Daytona 500.

Fox’s broadcast of Sunday’s Daytona 500 saw a ratings dip of about 23 percent compared to last year’s broadcast of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series opener.

Ratings for the race won by Austin Dillon averaged a 5.1 in metered markets with an 11 share, Fox Sports announced on Monday. Last year’s broadcast had a 6.6 overnight rating with a 15 share. The share estimates the percentage televisions in use tuned to a specific channel.

Sunday’s rating is less than half of what NBC pulled in a dozen years ago.

NBC scored an 11.3 rating for the 2006 Daytona 500, although that race did serve the lead-in to the Winter Olympics that year. This time, Fox is competing with NBC and its Olympic programming, although none were broadcast live at the time the Daytona 500 took place.

READ MORE HERE...USA TODAY

50-to-1 long shot Austin Dillon wins 2018 Daytona 500

It was 20 years ago Dale Earnhardt's No. 3 finally won the Daytona 500.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla -- Twenty years ago, Dale Earnhardt won the 1998 Daytona 500 in his famed No. 3 car. Three years later, Earnhardt tragically died on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500.

Many thought that Earnhardt's No. 3 would never race again in the NASCAR Cup Series ... until Austin Dillon showed up. Dillon, the grandson of Earnhardt's team owner Richard Childress, was tabbed as the man for the job in 2014 and was met with mixed feelings from fans.

"My grandfather has done everything for me and everybody knows it," Dillon said after the race via AP. "There's a lot of pressure on me to perform because I've had a little bit of everything. But I like that pressure, the same with the No. 3, there's a lot of pressure behind it, but I'm willing to take it and go with it."

Dillon was just 7 years old when Earnhardt won that Daytona 500 in 1998 and was in Victory Lane to watch his idol wave the checkered flag. Fast-forward 20 years later and Dillon is the 2018 Daytona 500 champion while driving his idol's No. 3.

READ MORE HERE......CBS SPORTS

Elliott wins Can-Am Duel for second straight year

How many point races will Chase Elliott win in 2018?

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Chase Elliott still doesn't have an official victory on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup circuit, but he has won two Can-Am Duels in a row.

Elliott, driving the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro, took the lead from his old nemesis, Denny Hamlin, on lap 26 and stayed ahead of the field the rest of the way, winning the 60-lap Can-Am Duel No. 2 Thursday night at Daytona International Speedway.

With the victory, Elliott will start fourth, on the second row in Sunday's 60th Daytona 500. The son of NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott has never started lower than fourth in the 500. Ryan Blaney won the first Duel and will start third.

"We did this last year. We got the big one to go on Sunday. That’s the big thing," Elliott said. "To be honest with you, I was kind of trying a bunch of stuff. This new (aerodynamic) package is a lot different. This package is strange compared to what we had in the past. I think we’re all trying to learn and figure out what the best position is to be in and when you want to be there."

READ MORE HERE....USA TODAY

Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott wins the Can-Am Duels

Expect some big things out of Ryan Blaney this season.  

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Ryan Blaney edged teammate Joey Logano to win Thursday night’s first Can-Am Duel qualifying race for the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway.

The 150-miler changed the face of Sunday’s race, the first and biggest Monster Energy NASCAR Cup event of the year. Jimmie Johnson, William Byron and Brad Keselowski all were involved in major accidents in the 62-lap race, putting their teams to work on backup cars for Sunday.

Blaney, who moved to Team Penske this season after driving for the Wood Brothers, drafted with Darrell Wallace Jr., his best friend in the garage, at the front over the closing laps. Logano, who had dominated the race, edged Wallace for second at the line.

The victory earned Blaney the third starting spot in the 500. Alex Bowman won the pole Sunday, and Denny Hamlin will start second. The results of Thursday night’s first qualifying race completed the inside-lane portion of the starting lineup for Sunday’s race.

Read More Here.....USA Today

Can-Am Duel Race 1 Results

Can-Am Duel Race 2 Results

Denny Hamlin 2018 Daytona 500 Preview

Denny Hamlin is 10/1 to win Daytona 500.

Denny Hamlin
#11 FedEx Express Toyota
Joe Gibbs Racing

Race Info:
Race: Daytona 500
Date/Time: Feb. 18/2:30 p.m. ET
Distance: 200 laps/500 miles
Track Length: 2.5 miles
Track Shape: Tri-Oval
Banking: 31 degrees
2017 Winner: Kurt Busch

Express Notes:

Press Kit: Download the 2018 FedEx Racing press materials at www.fedexracing.com/presskit, including bios for Denny Hamlin, Mike Wheeler and Joe Gibbs Racing leadership, program highlights and statistics.

Daytona Success: The Series kicks off its regular season this Sunday with the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Hamlin will start the event from the front row alongside Alex Bowman after posting the second fastest lap time (46.132) during single-car qualifying Sunday, and it will be his sixth top-five start in 25 races at the 2.5-mile tri-oval. In addition to claiming the title of “2016 Daytona 500 Champion,” Hamlin has also led a total of 385 laps on the high banks of Daytona, and notched six top-five and seven top-10 finishes in 24 career starts.

Delivering Laps for FedEx Cares Returns: FedEx is bringing back Delivering Laps for FedEx Cares for the 2018 NASCAR season, a program that ties the on-track performance of the #11 FedEx Toyota to FedEx’s efforts to improve road safety by donating $111 for each lap Hamlin leads and $11,000 for each race victory to Safe Kids Worldwide, a nonprofit working to protect kids on the road, at home and at play. If the #11 team wins the 2018 NASCAR championship, FedEx will also contribute $111,000 to Safe Kids. In the program’s inaugural year, FedEx donated more $100,810 as a result of Denny’s 710 laps led and two race wins.

NEW for 2018 — Delivering Laps for FedEx Cares: New for the upcoming season – starting with Sunday’s Daytona 500 – The Denny Hamlin Foundation will match the total FedEx donation to Safe Kids Worldwide as a part of this year’s Delivering Laps for FedEx Cares initiative.

Hamlin Statistics:

Track: Daytona International Speedway
Races: 24
Wins: 1 (2016 Daytona 500)
Top-5: 6
Top-10: 7
Laps Led: 385
Avg. Start: 17.7
Avg. Finish 17.4

Hamlin Conversation:

How do you feel heading into Daytona 500 race weekend, especially now that you’ve qualified on the front row?
“I’m ready to race. This car is ready to race. It’s handling well and we’re looking forward to Thursday (Duel), especially now that we’ve locked in our spot on the front row to start the (Daytona) 500. I’m so proud of FedEx and TRD (Toyota Racing Development), and all of the hard work that the fab shop at JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing) has done. I couldn’t be prouder to represent them and hopefully we’ll get us another Daytona 500 next Sunday.”

Tell us more about Delivering Laps for FedEx Cares and your match this season.
“I’ve shared so many successes on and off the track with FedEx, and I’m glad that I can continue to be directly involved with their FedEx Cares programs. Delivering Laps for FedEx Cares is one program that allows me to do that, and this year, I’m really excited to share that The Denny Hamlin Foundation is going to match FedEx’s donation to Safe Kids Worldwide as a part of it. Being able to connect their cause with my (Denny Hamlin) Foundation is a natural fit, and I’m looking forward to leading laps and winning a lot of races this season.”

Safe Kids Worldwide Along for the Ride at Daytona: FedEx is a recognizing Safe Kids Worldwide, a nonprofit working to protect kids on the road, at home and at play, during Speedweeks at Daytona International Speedway by featuring the letters “SKW” on the b-post of the #11 FedEx Express Toyota.

For more than 18 years, FedEx has been working with nonprofits such as Safe Kids Worldwide to help advance road safety in the U.S., and just last year in 2017, FedEx introduced the Delivering Laps for FedEx Cares program which ties the on-track success of the #11 FedEx Racing team to charitable donations for Safe Kids.

__________________________________________________________

Toyota Racing – Denny Hamlin
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS)
Daytona Media Day – February 14, 2018

Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin was made available to the media in Daytona:

DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

How crazy would it get if NASCAR put that in every race?
“Just your teammates or ‑‑”

Anybody, you could dial any number.
“I see where you’re going with this, but no, it would not be cool. No. That’s like giving ‑‑ being able to dial into someone else’s channel on the other side line of a football game to cuss them out or something. I don’t know, I think it’s your radio, your time.”

Would it be distracting?
“Sure, it would be distracting. Not only that, you’d also have interference. People would be just keying up on the mic just to screw up somebody else’s radio.”

How much has racing evolved or changed throughout your career?
“I think it’s evolved quite a bit. You look at old races from 10, 12 years ago ‑‑ I actually saw a highlight from like the 2008 or 2009 Clash, and I watched myself, I was in third, and I was like, okay, just move down here, and I just made the worst moves ever, and it ended up getting me crashed, when I really should have won the race. It’s crazy how much more knowledge you have now eight, nine years later than what you had in the past. Everyone has that knowledge. People look back at races, and they become smarter every time they race in a race or watch it back, and the drivers today would crush anyone 10 years ago in the same race.”

Who of the younger drivers do you see becoming the next big thing in NASCAR?
“It’s really tough to say who is the superstar. I think the superstar comes from whoever performs the best. I think that they become very popular because of success, and then fans are going to have to relate to them or like their personalities. I think everyone has likable personalities between all the young guys. I mean, some are more eccentric than others, but ultimately, if you don’t cut it on the racetrack, popularity and superstar status will only go so far.”

Could Chase Elliott or Bubba Wallace fit the fan popularity vote?
“Yeah, but so is Clint Bowyer. Clint has never been like the most popular guy. He’s a funny guy and people love him, but he’s a cut‑up, and I don’t know that he’s ever reached that superstar status. Like I say, everything has to happen just right. Usually you see the most popular drivers are guys like Chase, where they’re leading a legacy that preceded or followed before them.”

When you see somebody like Bubba who’s had some success on different levels, do you feel like that’s sort of a precursor to possibly having some success?
“Yeah, the one thing I’ll say about the young guys today is that they all earned their way. I mean, you look at ‑‑ I’m not going to give their résumé for them, but they won at the levels before they got to the Cup Series. Nobody is given anything. And even though some are inheriting a ride from a driver that is retiring, they’re all well‑deserving, and if I had to think of anyone in any other series that I would pick if that was my car and I had someone that I would pick to take over for me, the four or five guys that are coming in would be on that list of guys that I would want to take over for me. So they’ve earned their way. I think they’ve all got great talent, and obviously we’re going to see probably at least three or four of them in the playoffs this year contending on a regular basis.”

Why are specific guys winning plate races, like yourself, on a regular basis, looking beyond the car’s capabilities?
“I think me and Brad (Keselowski) have similar driving styles on the superspeedways in how they do things. I think there’s other things that make bold moves, and it looks good for a highlight reel, but it’s not always great for winning a race. And so I think there is a difference, and it just ‑‑ for whatever reason, our styles have morphed into kind of the same driver on these types of racetracks, and it’s really just ‑‑ for whatever reason, it’s made us successful.”

Is there an art to knowing when to make a move and kind of being able to assess a situation and saying, now is the time, now is not the time?
“Correct. I think that early in my career I always thought I had to be the one to go get out of line and make the move. Like I had to be the one that punches the hole, and now that’s not the case in the way that the pack works nowadays. It is very different, and it just took me, I mean, probably seven, eight years to really understand that.

I was as bad as they could get statistically on superspeedways for the first probably six years of my career. I was not very good. Now, I won the Clash or whatever in my rookie season, but that was more probably luck and push from a teammate than anything.”

Can you discuss the moves and performance in the Clash?
“It was kind of a perfect storm, and really, I thought that that move in particular was very similar to when me and (Kevin) Harvick got together on the final lap of the 2016 Daytona 500. He went from fourth to first, and I went from fourth to first. We kind of found a perfect storm there, and I think that that’s something that ‑‑ it was a learning experience for me, and it’s something I can file away and try to repeat once we get to Sunday.”

Even though you know that, how hard is it to replicate it?
“It’s impossible to replicate it. You have to just see that situation come up again and then put yourself back in the position to make that move. Literally you just can’t fabricate it. You have to see it happening in front, the hole opening for you to make the move, and then you have to place your car in the right spot to do it.”

What’s it like to be in that position?
“I mean, you almost want to key the radio and say, watch this, here it comes, because you can see it starting to build, and then obviously when we ‑‑ me and Chase (Elliott) linked together, it was crazy. It looked like our cars were faster than the entire field by twice the speed.”

Could you stay as sharp as you need to be running just Cup races?
“I think I’m okay running just Cup. I run a very limited Xfinity schedule. Three years ago, statistics said that every time I ran Xfinity, I was better on Sunday. I don’t know whether I really believe that, or is it just weird stats. But I prefer running just Sundays. I think that Saturdays can kind of take away a little bit from your time and your focus on Sunday. Just for me personally, that’s what works best for me. Other drivers I think it works best for them to get more laps and understand the track more on Saturday.”

Have you and Chase Elliott made up in the off‑season?
“I mean, we have talked very limited, but we chatted briefly after the Clash.”

Do you guys feel you’re even after Martinsville and Phoenix?
“I mean, we both had a negative result to the playoffs. We both had our races ruined by the other. Yeah, if you want to try to keep score, then sure.”

Will you race tomorrow night with the idea of sort of protecting your race car, starting position?
“I don’t know. I don’t know what the right thing to do tomorrow. I mean, there are points at stake. We won last year in the Duel, and we got 10 points. It’s good to start the year with 10 points before the 500 even starts. I think I have to try to win the race, but if I catch myself in a tough spot in the middle, three wide with three to go, I’ve got to try to get out of it. It’s not worth five points and then getting a wreck and taking away our best car.”

Is there still stuff to learn about how to pass for Sunday?
“Yeah, there’s a ton to learn. That’s what I’m most looking forward to is still ‑‑ to me I have to get out there and practice to learn more. I’ve never had the approach of ‑‑ like Jimmie (Johnson) and Chad (Knaus) had from so many years of just running by themselves and then able to go into a race and run. I need repetitions to be better. I need as many laps on the racetrack in different situations to try to find those special moments that I was talking about with does continue to try to replicate those moments. I just need more information in my head to kind of log that and more on‑track time helps that.”

Do you literally see that moment forming with three laps ahead at this track?
“Usually to me it starts probably 15 seconds ahead of when the move actually happens. That’s when I can typically see it. But you can start to see little signs of those special moments a lap or two ahead.”

Are there any similarities with what you see on an interstate, on a highway when you see one lane is going better than another? Any similarities?
“Yeah, I mean, it’s so funny when you watch people on the highway, right, one lane moves, and then people dart over to that lane, and they don’t realize, well, that lane is about to stop, and your lane is about to go. It’s always a balance, and so ‑‑ yeah, I mean, if you look far enough ahead, you can try to plan better and make the better move, but like I say, none of us have perfected it. There’s just some that have figured out ‑‑ that can see things a little different than others.”

Is plate racing something you feel like you’ve really worked on to get to this point? Is it natural ability?
“I’ve worked on it a lot. I’ve really spent a lot of time working on it, watching a lot of film, looking at data, and TRD gives us a lot of great analytics when it comes to these things. I just use all the information at hand to try to be better. I mean, it’s not easy trying to compete with these guys, and so you try to find every edge that you can, and I work within all the margins.”

Does it go beyond just saying ‘I’m good at plate tracks?’
“Yeah, you just can’t do that nowadays, especially with the plate races being in the playoffs. You have to be good at every type of racetrack. Now you can’t even throw the road course races away. We used to ‑‑ I know personally within our organization and myself personally, I never ‑‑ championships don’t run through road courses, so why should I focus extra effort on those. You know, we’ve been super successful on the road courses over the last few years, and that gives me encouragement now that they’ve moved one into the playoffs. I think now as a race car driver you have to be good every single place ‑‑ well, not just good, you have to be great at every racetrack to be a champion.”

What do you make of just 40 cars? Are you alarmed by that? Does it bother you?
“You know, I’m not really alarmed because really with the way the charter system was mapped out a long time ago, they’re going to reward guys that show in week in and week out, so it’s less lucrative for those that just show up and try to make the Daytona 500 to earn a paycheck. The ones that you have racing in this race is going to be guys that you’ll see on a weekly basis, and I really have no problem with that.”

Are you on the Drivers’ Council?
“I am not.”

What will that be like? It’s always been very important.
“Yeah, I think that there’s issues that I like to have a voice on, but I still have that voice internally with NASCAR and still get invited to plenty of private meetings with them on issues. Not a whole lot will change as far as my role.”

You’ll still be heard?
“Correct.”

Joey Logano feeling confident about his Penske Ford at Daytona

Joey Logano is 10/1 to win Daytona 500.

JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford Fusion — HOW EXCITED WERE YOU TO SEE LAST SEASON END AND THIS YEAR START GIVEN YOUR STRUGGLES LAST YEAR? “Very. Last year was more of a struggle than any of us expected for sure. I thought toward the end of the year that we started to make some speed back in our race car. We started to run good, had a good run at Miami and Texas and those places. That was encouraging. To get down here and have a good run in the Clash and have all three Penske cars up front was fun to see. Making sure one of us at least won it – I was hoping it was me – but to have a 1-2 finish for Team Penske was great.”

I ASKED BRAD KESELOWSKI HOW YOUR MOOD WAS LAST YEAR. THE QUOTE HE USED WAS THAT YOU COULD KICK JOEY IN THE BALLS AND HE WOULD STILL SMILE. IS THAT TRUE? “When I don’t have a helmet on, yes. There are two Joey’s. Joey with a helmet and Joey without a helmet. I think every driver would tell you there is a big difference. I think there needs to be. I think to be successful you have to be that way. I enjoy life. Even in tough years like we had last year. It is just one season. We will get through it. We are strong enough. You have to be mentally strong enough to stay confident in yourself and your race team to fight through it and know that you are a championship caliber team. We just have to fight through the rough patch. I guess you have to stay positive and enjoy the opportunity you have. Even in the toughest year, it is still an opportunity people would kill to have.”

WHAT WAS IT THAT CLICKED FOR YOU GUYS AT THE END OF LAST YEAR? “I can’t tell you that.”

FORD WON ALL FOUR PLATE RACES LAST YEAR. IS THE CLASH A SIGN OF MORE TO COME? “I hope so. We do try to work together as much as we can, especially at these superspeedways. The Ford drivers are all on the same program. We get it that we need to work together to win. We get that. We all want to win. We all want to be the one hosting the trophy at the end but if we don’t work together, none of us will. It is really good that the drivers work together, the teams work together, the crew chiefs work together. That has been a big positive for us at these racetracks, especially with the segments and stage racing now. It is good to have that alliance out there.”

WHICH ONE OF THOSE UNDER-25 DRIVERS DO YOU THINK MIGHT ASCEND TO SUPERSTAR STATUS? “I think there are a few of them that will be superstars in our sport. It is hard to say exactly which ones, but I think two or three of them will end up being really good. The pressure that is on them is pretty large. If you are in your second or third year it is your, ‘you gotta go’, years. You have a grace period of a year or two to learn and then it is game on. There is a lot of opportunity for those guys, a lot of personality which is great for our sport. It is nice that they are coming in together. When I started I was a Lone Ranger coming in. There weren’t any other rookies really. Rookie of the Year wasn’t a huge deal because there weren’t many people to compete against. Now there is. That is exciting for our sport. Going through that transition with some of the greats retiring, there is a lot of young good talent. We aren’t just filling seats just to fill seats. There are good young drivers coming in. That is important for our sport to continue going.”

INAUDIBLE: “Darrell is great for the sport. We need him to be successful. It would be important for all of us to see that. It would be something that is historic for our sport that we haven’t really seen before. As a competitor, I want to beat him and that is normal but I also see from a global view of the industry and what we do every day that to have an African American driver be successful on the race track and in contention to win races would be very important for the growth of our sport outside of the fans we have right now.”

MANY TEAMS THAT HAVE A BAD YEAR LIKE YOU GUYS DID WILL MAKE CHANGES. DID YOU GUYS THINK ABOUT THAT OR DID YOU FEEL WHAT YOU HAD WAS STILL WORKING? “We were focused on working together and staying a team. It may be different if we never had success. That may be a different story. For us as a race team, ever since I have been at Team Penske, all but last year we have been in the playoffs, won multiple races and put ourselves in position to win championships multiple times. Three years in a row really, up to last year. Does anything really need to be changed? Maybe the way we look at things and move forward as a team. Do we need to change the team up? No, I don’t’ think so. We are still a competitive race team that is capable of winning multiple championships. We just have to get back to that. We are on that road right now. We are getting closer and closer back to where we were.”

BY THE END OF THE SEASON DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU GOT OVER THE TOP? “There are still stressful moments. There has to be. When you are winning everything is great and you are happy and joking around. When you are not winning it is definitely a reality check all the way through. That is when you have to have the tough conversations about yourself as a driver or him as a crew chief, strengths and weaknesses of the team and how you get better. As long as we realize we are still confident in each other it is easy to have those conversations. You have to have them. Without tough conversations, your relationships never grow. It is the same thing in your marriage. You can put things to the side over and over again and eventually the little things blow up and the relationship goes to hell. It is the same with a driver and crew chief. You have to ask the tough questions and maybe not feel comfortable but you have to talk about it to get through it.”

DID YOUR WRECKS AT TALLADEGA AND KANSAS HAVE AN AFFECT LAST YEAR? “Not on me personally but I think it took the momentum away from the team. It was one thing after another and then you have your back against the wall. You have no speed in the car which leads to more crashes. You feel like you have to do something to make the playoffs. It snowballed the wrong way. We learned a lot from it. It wasn’t much fun but we learned a lot. I feel like every time I have gone through something like that in my career or life in general, God has taught me something more valuable than winning a championship. I have gone through something like this in my life before and I got an opportunity with a great race team and almost winning a few championships. Now I feel like I am going through something similar, a little harder to get through, and I learned a lot last year that will help me into my future for the next 20 years. I you have to give up one for 20, I think everyone would do that.”

DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOUR SUGGESTIONS OR IDEAS OR OPINIONS HAVE HAD ANY INFLUENCE WHEN IT COMES TO NASCAR EXECUTIVES? “Yes, it does. I don’t know there that question would stem from but I do feel like it has some weight for sure. I am in constant communication with a lot of the executives at NASCAR. Now it is more transparent than ever. Are there some communication gaps, yes. We can work on that. They are willing to work on that. There are so many different things in our sport that have to work together for us to move forward. There is TV and the media, the race tracks, drivers, owners, everything. Everyone has to be on the same page to move forward and the communication needs to be open for us to get through. We may miss something. That is part of it. There are so many different ways but we can be better at it. We are way better than we have ever been before as far as being transparent to each other and understanding we are all in the same boat and as a sport we can work together to grow and on the race track we can still be competitors and want to win and be selfish on the race track but be selfless when we are away from the track to grow our sport and keep it thriving. I think that is important for us and I see that all the way through the industry.”

CAN OTHER SPORTS TAKE A LESSON FROM THAT? “I don’t know. I don’t know about other sports. I don’t watch other sports. I care about NASCAR racing.”

IS IT FAIR TO SAY THAT YOU AND BRAD WORK REALLY WELL ON THE SUPERSPEEDWAYS? “We do always seem to be together don’t we? I think our mental thoughts inside the cars are similar. We spend a lot of time together. We are friends. There is a trust level. I know that he isn’t going to leave me hanging or bail on me to do something or do something that hurts both of us. I think we both understand that. We don’t talk about it anymore. We used to before speedway races. Now it is just kind of like, ‘alright, see you out there.’ You know it is going to happen. He started last in the Clash and I started third and I knew that we would find each other and work around each other and then eventually we ended up racing each other for the win which was great.”

IS THERE A CONCENTRATED EFFOR TO PROTECT EACH OTHER AND NOT PUT EACH OTHER IN A BAD SPOT? “I think we have a solid understanding that says I will help you as long as it doesn’t hurt me. That is kind of the recipe that we use a lot. We talk about it. If it is going to hurt you, don’t help me. That would be unfair. But if the opportunity is there to go one way or another and one is going to hurt me, then help me and I will do the same for you.”

WHO WILL BE THE NEXT MOST POPULAR DRIVER NOW THAT JUNIOR HAS RETIRED? “Joey Logano. Maybe. We will have to wait and see. Honestly I think it is out there for anyone for the taking at this point. It is a tough question. There are a lot of good personalities that are coming in that are new and a lot that have been here a long time that are pretty exciting that we know pretty well. I guess it is for whoever wants it. If you go out there and do the extra effort and things to try to become that, go for it. It is a great accomplishment to have. Something special. There are only a few drivers that have ever won it. It seems like once a guy wins it they win it over and over. If we could win it once, that would be great.”

WHAT IS MORE IMPORTANT TOMORROW NIGHT? WINNING THE RACE? COLLECTING POINTS? OR KEEPING YOUR CAR INTACT? “D, all of the above. I am going to go with winning. Then my car would be in one piece, I would have the points and I would have the trophy.”

DO YOU WORRY ABOUT CONCUSSIONS? “I am probably not as well educated on concussions as some others are. I do think it is something that nobody completely understands yet. We have done a lot of things to try to diagnose it better as a sport. We do the baseline test and do all these exams after you crash. That is great. I am all about it. If you tell me I am not supposed to be in the car, I want to know. I don’t want to do something that can hurt myself and not know any better. Our sport has done a good job at trying to diagnose it soon and before we do any more damage. I don’t know much about them and I don’t think anyone really knows the answers but I like the effort that is being put forward.”

WHAT IS THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE IN THE CAR FROM LAST YEAR THAT YOU CAN TELL SO FAR? “Speed is up but the lack of stability down the straightaways is probably the most challenging part for most cars out there that I see. We saw the crash with Larson into one and the 48 car getting pushed on the backstretch and how unstable those cars were. And I know where my car was. I think the lack of downforce has kind of changed the game quite a bit. I think the way the runs come and what you can do with them has changed as well with the bigger spoiler and lower tails. It has kind of changed that whole part of the game as well. It was fun to be a part of it because you are learning so much. It is still a Cup car and still drafts like a Cup car but there are little minor tweak that are different in the way we race now.”

INAUDIBLE: “What am I going to do? I just get to the front and hopefully they crash behind you. Other drivers may run around the back and wait for the crash. That has never been my way of doing it. I try to get up there and race up front and that way you know what your car is going to do and if it works it works, if something happens, something happens. That is my attitude. I want to race up front and lead every lap if I can.”

HOW HAVE YOU SEEN THE DRIVERS COUNCIL GROWN IN YOUR TIME ON IT? “We have come a long way from the beginning. Originally it was a way to figure out how we could all come together and have one voice to have more influence in our sport. You know how drivers are. There are 40 of them with different opinions. It is hard to all get on one page. It is a way to communicate to the other drivers, a way to communicate to NASCAR on what we see from the competition and marketing side, from the security side, how we all feel as drivers. It is a way for us to be one voice. It has been very valuable. The thing we all have to realize is that what may work for us doesn’t work for TV, doesn’t work for the race tracks, doesn’t work for the race teams. We all have to realize that and vice versa. The more transparent we can be, that is the next step for us. How can all the councils work together closer? Once of the best things we did so far was this whole stage racing. That is probably the biggest win of not just the drivers council, but all the councils coming together to make that change. A huge change. Biggest in years. I think it was a great success. Amazing. I think it is the way racing will be for years and years to come.

IS IT AWKWARD TO BE IN A ROOM WITH DRIVERS MAYBE AFTER YOU HAVE HAD ISSUES ON THE TRACK, AND HAVE TO WORK TOGETHER OFF THE TRACK? “Sometimes. It could be. I think all of us are mature enough to know that we are in those meetings, working together as one team, with NASCAR as one team to grow our sport. If we grow our sport, all of us are going to do better. It is good for everybody in the industry. We also know that when we leave that room we become competitors again. We want to beat each other. I think that is said without being said. I think it is something that as a driver on the council, you need to understand that we are here to work together. We can work out our differences later.

Is Aric Almirola a live dog at 30/1 odds driving for SHR?

Aric Almirola's only Cup win came at Daytona in July, 2014. 

ARIC ALMIROLA, Driver of the No. 10 Smithfield Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing:

How do you feel going into this season with a new team? 

“I’ve been through six full seasons in the Cup Series and they’ve been average, so I’ve got a new opportunity and a new chance in my career to go out and prove what I’m capable of. I’m so excited about this opportunity with Stewart-Haas Racing and having Smithfield as the sponsor, and continuing to drive Ford Fusions. I’m so fired up about my opportunity to go out this year and perform at a high level every week.” 

You have a little history working with your new No. 10 team crew chief, John Klausmeier. Can you provide background on that relationship?

“I had the opportunity to work a lot with Johnny at Dale Earnhardt Inc. He kind of headed up the engineering group for all of the tests. We would go and test what seemed to be like every week back when you could test all the time. I’ve had a relationship with him that dates all the way back to 2007. For us to come full circle is neat, and for him to get this opportunity to be a full-time crew chief, he certainly deserves it. He’s a very smart, talented engineer and has a passion for racing. I’m excited for him as much as I’m excited about my opportunity. We get along great, we’re young, we’re like-minded people and we both enjoy similar things and each other’s company.” 

You’ve worked with Tony Stewart before. How does it feel to work with a legend and under his leadership? 

“Tony has been great to me. From the time I moved to North Carolina in 2004 – he really took me under his wing. I started driving a Late Model for Joe Gibbs Racing and he was someone that I really looked up to, and he befriended me. At 19 years old, he took me under his wing and would let me go test his Cup car with Greg Zipadelli as his crew chief. He really got me started driving the stock cars and gave me the confidence that I could do it. He believed in me and that was big for me. Through the years our friendship has really grown and, finally, we now have the opportunity to work together again. I’ve been wanting to drive for Stewart-Haas Racing for a while now. They’ve won championships and a lot of races in their short existence as a team.” 

How has the transition been for you to Stewart-Haas Racing? 

“The transition to Stewart-Haas Racing has been really easy. They have so many talented people that they just make the transition easy. Everybody from the marketing and PR side to the personnel on the shop floor and the guys on the team. It has been great. That transition has been fun. It has been easy, fun, all of the above. I have just been really looking forward to getting to the racetrack to go race. Changing teams is a big undertaking. I would say that the most challenging thing has been learning 380 employees’ names and faces. That is one of the most challenging things. Besides that, just all the little things like getting your seat right, and going and trying to work with a new team and new pedals and new seat and seat insert – all those things to make sure I am comfortable when the season starts inside the racecar.”


Smithfield Racing Team Report – Daytona Speedweeks

 Daytona is the first race weekend that Almirola will hit the track in an official capacity with the No. 10 team. However, the Smithfield team had a successful Goodyear tire test Jan. 9 and 10 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth.

 During Daytona Speedweeks, Almirola will also compete in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. He will pilot the No. 98 Smithfield Ford Fusion for the newly merged Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste team. Richard Boswell will be crew chief for the part-time Xfinity Series effort this season. Almirola’s teammate for the 120-lap event will be the team’s full-time driver Cole Custer in the No. 00 Haas Automation Ford Fusion.

 Tuesday, Feb. 13, from 2 to 4 p.m. EST, Almirola will visit Pierce Middle School in Tampa. The father of two will interact with honor roll students at a pep rally. In addition, Almirola and attendees will participate in an obstacle course, and students will take home items donated by Smithfield. The event is open to the media.

 Friday, Feb. 16, Almirola and SHR co-owner, Tony Stewart, will join Smithfield, a brand of Smithfield Foods, at the Winn-Dixie supermarket located at 1541 Nova Road in Holly Hill, Florida. The event begins at 10 a.m. EST with Almirola and Stewart helping Smithfield present a protein donation to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida as part of the company’s 2018 Helping Hungry Homes® hunger-relief tour. The event is open to the media.

 Smithfield joined SHR this season and will be the primary partner for the majority of the season on the No. 10 Ford Fusion piloted by Almirola. Founded in 1936, Smithfield is a leading provider of high-quality pork products, with a vast product portfolio including smoked meats, hams, bacon, sausage, ribs, and a wide variety of fresh pork cuts.

- True Speed Communications

Clint Bowyer 2018 Daytona 500 Preview

Clint Bowyer is 20/1 to win the Daytona 500.

KANNAPOLIS, North Carolina (Feb. 6, 2018) – Clint Bowyer’s report card at the end of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season will be pretty straightforward – anything less than a victory or a berth in the playoffs will be a failing grade in the eight-time race winner’s mind. 

Does that mean there’s pressure going into 2018? Sure, he says, just like it’s been every year since he started full-time Cup Series racing in 2006. 

“Every year is a make-or-break year in this business. It doesn’t matter if it is your first year or your third year or beginning your 13th year,” said Bowyer, who finished second in the 2012 championship and third in the 2007 title chase but just missed a playoff berth in 2017. “There is always that pressure and it is always on. Nobody puts that on us, we put it on ourselves. We are competitors.” 

The 2017 season was one of “almosts” at Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) for Bowyer, who replaced retiring three-time Cup Series champion Tony Stewart in the No. 14 car. The 38-year-old native of Emporia, Kansas finished second three times and third twice, plus he owned a 15.5 average finish –11th best among full time drivers. Despite running well, he and his crew chief Mike “Buga” Bugarewicz-led team believe they need to run even more consistently and reach victory lane in 2018.

“Buga and I expect to win races and make the playoffs,” Bowyer said. “We had the same goal last year and we’ll have the same goal this year. There’s no doubt in my mind we can make the playoffs and we need to get back to victory lane. It’s been too long and it’s time go there again.” 

Bowyer will have the resources to accomplish those goals in 2018. SHR owns 39 victories in 972 starts since Stewart and Gene Haas began the organization that celebrates its 10th season in 2018. Roush-Yates Engines will power his No. 14 Fords again for a veteran group of mechanics and pit crew. 

Off the track, the colors of Rush Truck Centers will adorn the No. 14 entry for several races in 2018, including the Feb. 18 Daytona 500 season opener. Bowyer will drive a Rush Truck Centers/Mobil 1 Ford paint scheme at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. 

“Our Daytona paint scheme has a story behind it,” Bowyer said. “A great business relationship has grown between ExxonMobil and Rush Truck Centers’ 100-plus dealerships. You’ll see co-branded cars and they are both seeing big wins that came from the mutual SHR sponsorships. That’s how this business works, now. You have to do as well off the track as you do on the track.” 

Bugarewicz said that, as much as anything else, familiarity should pay dividends for the No. 14 team in 2018. Both he and Bowyer are intense competitors often combining for interesting radio chatter during races. The Pennsylvanian says that intensity is all about wanting to win. 

“We are continuing to build on that relationship,” the third-year crew chief said. “We’ve had a year to fill our notebook. There’s still a lot of work to be done on everybody’s part on the No. 14. We’re going to keep working hard. We didn’t get a victory like we wished for last year but ran in the top-10 most of the year. It was kind of tough to be outside looking in at the end of the season last year. None of us on the team were happy about missing the playoffs. We want to work and we want to get better. It’s going to take a lot of hard work and dedication to get wins, be more consistent and get to where we want to go.” 

The points-paying season begins with the 60th running of the Daytona 500 and Bowyer could think of no better way to kick off the season than with a victory in the sport’s most prestigious event. SHR teammate Kurt Busch won last year’s Daytona 500 and Bowyer would like to make it consecutive victories in the “Super Bowl of Stock Car Racing.” 

“Can you imagine what it would be like if I won the Daytona 500?” Bowyer said with a laugh. “I think NASCAR would have a tough time finding me for those New York interviews on Monday and Tuesday. You know those yachts in the harbor in Daytona? I wouldn’t care whose it was, I’d take one of them to the Caribbean.” 

Bowyer should be one of the favorites when the green flag drops. The race will mark Bowyer’s 434th Cup Series start and his 25th Cup Series start at Daytona, where he has four top-five finishes and 13 top-10s. Two of his eight career Cup Series victories have come on restrictor-plate tracks, and he finished second at Daytona last July. The report card at the end of the year will focus on wins and playoffs, and a Daytona 500 victory would most certainly earn Bowyer an “A” grade for his first test of the 2018 season. 

CLINT BOWYER, Driver of the No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Mobil 1 Ford for Stewart-Haas Racing:

What does the Daytona 500 mean to you? 

“The Daytona 500 is the race everyone wants to win. I’ve gotten close several times at that race. It’s one of those tracks you feel like, ‘Darn it, I’m gonna win this someday.’ Forget about points and everything else. You want that trophy at the end of the race. I really don’t know what I’d do if I won the Daytona 500. Racing with SHR is one of the best opportunities I’ve ever had and the confidence is as high as it’s ever been.” 

Do you feel like the season just ended? 

“No. These kids change your life in an offseason. No more vacations and gallivanting around. It is dad duty. I was home probably five weeks. I think the most I have ever been home since I moved to North Carolina was maybe three weeks. It was like chomping at the bit. I had a friend call and say, ‘Hey, you wanna go to Nashville?’ and I said, ‘Yeah, I am going to start walking now.’ Just to do something, you know? It is a ton of fun. The holidays are just way more meaningful and enjoyable. You are over it quick though. The entertaining and partying and eating, my God. You are over that by New Years. I didn’t even make it to New Years. I wanted to go back to work. So, I enjoyed one last hurrah. I am so ready to go to Daytona and get started.” 

What would you change about last year? 

“Confetti. More confetti. That is what I would want to change about my ride from last year. Hey, it was a learning year, man, I am telling you. There was a lot to overcome last year and you hate making excuses and talking about last year and everything. There are no excuses but there was a lot to overcome at SHR and I think the people there did a great job of handling all of it and making the most of it in a short amount of time. Things happened quick last year and, the next thing you knew, it was playoff time and it was over for us. It was trying to learn as much as we could to make that 14 car as fast as possible to win the championship. Things were happening at a rapid pace last year.” 

What are your thoughts on new teammate Aric Almirola? 

“Of course, he is a good dude and I think he is a great asset to our already great organization. I think he is a good guy. He really is. His family is awesome. They are always at the track and his kids are always running around. You can tell a lot about a guy by how his kids act. He has great kids. The racer in him, he has never had that opportunity. No knock on anything he has ever been in but this is his opportunity to shine in good equipment and I look for him to do so.” 

MIKE BUGAREWICZ, Crew Chief of the No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Mobil 1 Ford for Stewart-Haas Racing: 

What do you think of your chances in the Daytona 500? 

“The SHR speedway program last year was pretty strong. Kurt (Busch) won the Daytona 500 and Clint finished second there in July. We felt like, every superspeedway race, we had strong cars. I like Daytona and Clint loves Daytona. I see this as our first opportunity to win and that’s exciting. We want wins and contend for a championship.”

What's the deal with 2018 cars crab-walking down straightaways?

If you watched the opening weekend of NASCAR practice and racing at Daytona, you likely noticed the cars look…uh…different.

The cars appear like they’re crab-walking down the straightaways, except going the opposite direction than everyone is used to seeing. Instead of being pointed into the corners, they actually seem angled toward the wall.

“They look broken,” Danica Patrick said.

“It’s definitely weird to see,” Chase Elliott said.

“Is that an interesting look for you?” Bubba Wallace asked. “You’re like, ‘What the hell…?’”

I mean, yeah. We are.

So what’s the deal? Well, let’s talk about reverse skew!

READ MORE HERE.....JEFFGLUCK.COM

Roberts' Top-20 Finish Prediction: 2018 Daytona 500

Ford is really fast; engine, set-up, aero....they got the package nice.

The 60th running of the Daytona 500 kicks off the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series on Sunday

And it figures to be as wild as all recent restrictor-plate races have been. However, despite 34 of the 40 cars entered being relatively equal with a chance to win offering more randomness than at any other type of track, Ford has proven they have the best plate package.

Ford has won the past three points-paying races on Daytona's 2.5-mile high banked layout and they've won the past two non-point Clashes, including Sunday, when Brad Keselowski grabbed his first Daytona Speedweeks win. Ford has also won the past five races at Talladega, the other track requiring restrictor-plates.

So while all things are equal, a few drivers are in their restrictor-plate zones right now. Not too much has changed regarding rules, which makes the type of racing we'll see similar to the past three years of plate racing.

A piece of advice for Sunday is to make a few wagers on odds to win with a small favorite around 10-to-1, a middle of the pack guy or two at 20-to-1 and long shot in the 40-or 50-to-1 range. Also, the randomness of when the big wreck happens taking out several quality cars makes betting driver vs. driver matchups not as enticing.

Here's how I see it going down on Sunday

READ MORE HERE.......ROBERTS TOP 20 PREDICTION ON SPORTSLINE.COM

Kurt Busch going for back-to-back Daytona 500 wins

Kurt Busch is 20/1 to win Daytona 500.

KURT BUSCH, Driver of the No. 41 Haas Automation/Monster Energy Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing: 

Has Ford lifted its game overall this year? Do you anticipate things being better? 
“I think having a year under our belt will help things. That newness stage is gone and those meetings have productivity and not people stepping on each other’s toes. I like it. I like the way it feels. Mark Rushbrook is now the director of Ford Performance with our group and there is an enthusiasm still there. We just needed to find a little more rear aero last year. This new system, where they will be scanning the cars in tech inspection, should help us close the gap.”

Was there any work in the offseason on the engine or chassis that can help the Ford group?
“There isn’t a big new PR announcement or rollout of a new car, but there is always development. There are always new things. I can’t talk specifics about the engine, but we have improved in the areas that Penske, Roush and us at SHR all demanded. Doug Yates listened to us and applied that. That is exciting news (with) all the 1.5-mile and short-track stuff. We believe we have the elite superspeedway engines right now. The aero side, with the new Hawkeye scanning system in tech, that will be a whole new game that the teams have to learn and play within. We have hired four guys already just to try to help perfect that system for us at Stewart- Haas.”

Has it been good to get to Florida and distance yourself in the offseason in order to be fresh for Daytona? 
“It has been good and the weather is great down there. I came back a few days ago and I feel stuffy already. Jimmie Johnson goes to Colorado and does a lot of skiing and high-altitude training. When I am down in Florida, I love the weather and love to support my wife’s polo team. It is great to be down there with her in the offseason because she gives so much to be on the road with our race season. For me, I work out twice as hard down there. I have one of those altitude masks that help raise the altitude level. At sea level, the air is really good down there but, as soon as you get the season started and go to Atlanta, that isn’t too bad. But Vegas and Phoenix are high altitude and dry, dirty air out West. That is why I like Florida and like to train down there.”

How often do you think about the 2017 Daytona 500 and what happened? 
“It was an amazing win. The prestige, history and value of that race and just being part of it over the years was special. Now, to go back there as the defending champion of the Daytona 500 gives me that much more motivation to do it again and make sure nobody shares in all the glory. It was a huge day. With Monster’s CEO there and announcing the entitlement sponsorship and, for us, getting back together for me with Ford. I couldn’t have written more of a fairy tale-type of race. Daytona, I think about it all the time. Once we get past that race and it is on to Atlanta and we don’t win, 2017 Daytona 500 winner is done. We have to find other wins.”

What do you think of the new pit-road rules? 
“I like the move. It will create a safer environment with one less guy per team out on pit road. What it does now is put more responsibility on the jack man and tire carrier. Yet it is just the evolution. We used to have seven guys on pit road and we thought taking the catch can man away was going to be big, but it didn’t change the game much. Now, we are down to five guys. Will it change it much, I don’t think so. What I like to do is always change it up (during practice). The car doesn’t stop in the same spot each time. I will come in there nosed-in, nosed-out and juke up a lot of our sequences so they can adapt.”

Have you had conversations with Billy Scott and the No. 41 team about strategies you may incorporate due to the new pit-road rule?
“There is the new pit-road rule and also tires that continue to be limited as far as our quantity every weekend. I think we saw at the spring race at Richmond, guys were gluing up old scuffed tires, which is a no-no, and now you have more of a tire management sequence. I think it puts more variables on pit road by having fewer guys, fewer tires and the stages and when yellows come out and how many heat cycles are on your tires. I think that is what NASCAR wants. More variables to create more opportunities for guys.”

Kevin Harvick hungry for another Daytona 500 win

Kevin Harvick is 10/1 to win Daytona 500.

KEVIN HARVICK, Driver of the No. 4 Jimmy John’s Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing: 

SHR has two Daytona 500 winners on its roster. You are one of them. How satisfying is it to win that race? 
“You always hear people talk about how winning the Daytona 500 is different than winning any other race. Once experiencing that, I would definitely say that it’s true just because everything you do at Speedweeks during the Daytona 500 weekend is just bigger and different than any other race you go to. So, winning our sport’s most prestigious race is pretty cool and something you would definitely like to experience again.”

Does winning one Daytona 500 make you even hungrier for another one? 
“After experiencing everything that comes with the Daytona 500, yes. But, you know, you look back in time and see how hard it’s been to win that one particular race because you only get one shot a year. It’s a tough one to win. So I’m very fortunate to have been to victory lane in the Daytona 500, but would love to get back there.”

How helpful is it to come out of Daytona with a strong run? 
“Winning the Daytona 500 almost makes your whole year, just for the fact that it is the Daytona 500 and the amount of notoriety and things that come with it for your team and organization are pretty high. I would not want to do it that way, but it is a race that can make your year. However, I think as far as racing for a championship, it’s much different in 2017 and in going forward than it has been in the past, because that hole can also be helped by stage points. Last year, we wrecked out of the Daytona 500 but led and won the first two stages, and I think we left (Daytona) fourth in the points. So, racing hard is definitely the strategy now to gain as many points as you can early in a race to try and protect yourself from the end. You want to carry momentum as early as you can in the season because it never hurts anything going to the next few races.”

A win for you in this year’s Daytona 500 would be a heck of a party with Busch beer bringing 500 fans to the Daytona 500. This is almost unprecedented activation by a NASCAR sponsor and you are at the center of it. What do you think of this? 
“The activation and enthusiasm that Busch has brought back to the sport, a sport they’ve been in since the late ’70s and the activation and the marketing plan that they have brought to the No. 4 team and the sport in general, is something that has not been seen in years. For me, being a part of that is pretty cool because I know how much effort they put in and how good they want it to go. And to see them bring 500 fans to the Daytona 500 this year is something that’s going to be a lot of fun. It’s not like they’re just bringing them and giving them a ticket to the race. They’re giving them the VIP treatment, with paying for the flights, food, hotels, race tickets and a meet-and-greet – all the things that come with making the Daytona 500 weekend fun.”

You will have one fewer person servicing your racecar during pit stops this year. Instead of six crewmembers, you will have five. This is the same for everyone, but how do you think it will change the dynamic on pit road? 
“I like change. I like things that are different. A few things were accomplished in the pit crew changes. Getting 40 people off pit road is going to help the bottom line with the race teams. I think the pit stops were in the 10-second range, and I think slowing them down a little bit and keeping those cars on pit road and having a little bit longer pit stop isn’t going to hurt anything. The amount of money we were spending on the pit guns, the R&D and things wasn’t exactly fair for all the teams up and down pit road, so the spec gun is a good change. I’m excited about pit road. When I first started Cup racing, the pit stops were 22 seconds long. If I have to sit there for 12 or 13 seconds, I’m probably still going to think it’s really fast.”

If there is a slow pit stop, are you a little bit more understanding knowing how much your guys now have to multitask during a stop? 
"As you go through the early part of the season, I think you have to have some patience with pit road because you know how new, fresh and different it is through those first few races. I mean, we’ve all practiced this, but nobody’s practiced it with cars going everywhere, and in the heat of the moment. So it’s definitely something you’re going to have to have some patience with. But, as we get toward the end of the year, they should have it figured out, and it’ll probably just be the new norm.”

Kyle Busch discusses elusive Daytona 500

Kyle Busch is 12/1 to win Daytona 500.

KYLE BUSCH, Driver of the No. 18 M&M’S Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing: 

Are there race wins or other things that you hope to accomplish before your racing career is over? 
“The number-one, most important thing is trying to win the Daytona 500. After that, we will try to win the Coke 600 at Charlotte, or really any Cup points race at Charlotte, which I haven’t been able to do, yet. Winning at Martinsville and getting a Grandfather Clock and winning at Kansas, where I haven’t been very good in my career, were both really special in recent years. Beyond that, I would certainly still like to win 200 overall NASCAR races. Those are some of the bucket-list things that would be cool to accomplish someday. We still have plenty to accomplish, but I’m excited to head back to Daytona and get a new year started. Hard to believe it’s my 11th season with M&M’S on board with me wearing yellow at Daytona.”

Why is the Daytona 500 so difficult to win? 
“Because everybody else wants to win it and it’s on all their bucket lists and, of course, it’s a race that 40 people have a chance to go out there and win. I wouldn’t say the same for a race like Atlanta. You go to Atlanta and obviously that’s a race where probably 10, 12 guys are going to have a chance to win but, when you show up to Daytona, all 40 people will believe that they have a chance to win.”

How would you explain the feeling of starting the Daytona 500? 
“It’s crazy because I felt that as a rookie, maybe my second year, but I don’t necessarily feel it that much now. I feel it’s like another race, but it is the first race of the year and you want to start it off well. Are you always really ready for the start of the season? Who knows? If the Daytona 500 was the fifth or sixth race of the year, would it be better for me or better for somebody else? Maybe, or maybe not. The only way I can explain it to people is if you ever get excited or the adrenaline starts pumping and you don’t necessarily have any feelings and it’s just excitement. It could be for people experiencing the birth of a kid or something like that, or seeing their kid go through graduation or something like that. That’s sort of the feeling of getting ready to start the Daytona 500. To me, I get nervous or pumped up or excited for the start of the Super Bowl just watching it. I’m excited and I’m jacked up for it, so I can only imagine what the players feel, and that’s sort of the feeling you get.”

How important is the Clash exhibition race to learn the draft and get ready for the rest of Speedweeks? 
“I think anytime we ever go down to Daytona, whether it’s with a new car or whether it’s with a different rules package or what have you, we always look at the Clash as a race to watch to see exactly what’s going to happen and what characteristics you have in your racecar and things. It’s a learning experience for everybody, whether you’re in the race or whether you’re out of the race and not in it. For us, we’re curious to see how the car is going to race and how it’s going to handle and what it’s going to react like. I’m just looking forward to getting back to Daytona to my day job with our M&M’S Camry.”

How significant do you think the new ride height might be at Daytona? 
“I think it’s going to be better for the safety aspect. I think obviously with all of us trying to get our cars as down and as low as possible that it’s going to be really good for us for lift-off speeds and things like that. When the car gets turned around, it’s not going to want to lift as fast. We kind of saw that a couple years ago, I think Matt (Kenseth) actually went upside down at Talladega – well, a few guys went upside down, but Matt most notably when the car turned sideways and it automatically lifted and then it just kind of went over. Now, when the car gets sideways and turned, it’s not going to lift because it doesn’t want to rebound. It doesn’t want to be pushed back up because of the soft springs and the ride-height rule. It’s going to want to stay lower, flatter, so it’s not going to allow the air to get underneath it. As far as the drivability aspect of it, I think that’s going to be pretty similar. I don’t think there’s going to be much of that. Maybe – hopefully – it’ll make the cars drive worse so then there is some handling that comes into play. I would enjoy that. I would like that because I think any time you have an opportunity to out-setup someone or out-handle someone at a racetrack, that’s what creates racing. That’s what makes passing.”

How have you adjusted to the transition now that you’re that veteran status?
“Yeah, obviously it’s a unique opportunity for me being one of the elder statesmen, if you will, of the sport, let alone Joe Gibbs Racing, and being able to kind of lead our younger guys, if you will, Erik and Daniel. Those guys have come through Kyle Busch Motorsports, so it’s been fun to watch them progress through the years with the Truck Series, the Xfinity Series, and now being into the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. I’m looking forward to working with them and continuing to see their progress, but also hopefully being able to continue to be one of the leadership guys at our team and being able to race on for championships for years to come.”