Author: Mike Haag

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – In what seemed like eons before Saturday’s PowerShares QQQ NASCAR Xfinity Series at Daytona International Speedway concluded in the late Saturday afternoon, two future stars of the sport made early trips to the garage. In his first start in the No. 60 Roush Fenway Racing Ford, Austin Cindric fought a loose handling condition for the first nine laps. On the 10th circuit, the car broke loose off Turn 4 and triggered an eight-car wreck that brought out the first of a record 12 cautions. Collected in the accident was the…

By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – On the eve of the Daytona 500, Ford team owners representing 10 Daytona 500 victories and five NASCAR championships addressed the racing media to share high expectations for the 2018 season and indulge in a few stories of their considerable time competing in NASCAR’s big leagues. Roger Penske, Jack Roush, Tony Stewart and Eddie Wood sat alongside Mark Rushbrook, global director, Ford Performance Motorsports to field questions and provide perspective. “For 2018, there’s been driver lineup changes in a lot of these teams,” Rushbrook said. “I think all strengthening their positions…

By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Toyota racing executive Ed Laukes sat alongside the make’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series team owners Joe Gibbs and Barney Visser to address the racing media Saturday morning eager for the group to step right in where it left off in 2017 – a lot of victory circles and on stage hoisting the championship trophy. Visser, who fields a Furniture Row Racing Toyota Camry for reigning champion Martin Truex Jr., made his first formal address to reporters since his team won the title in November. Visser suffered heart problems late last…

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – In a race that produced seven cautions for 35 laps and left 21 trucks running at the finish, Johnny Sauter held off Justin Haley by .098 seconds at Daytona International Speedway to win Friday night’s NextEra Energy Resources 250, the season-opener for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Sauter grabbed the lead from pole winner David Gilliland on Lap 92 of 100 and stayed out front the rest of the way. The victory was Sauter’s third at Daytona and 18th of his career. The 2016 series champion dedicated the win…

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Ricky Stenhouse Jr. simply wanted to make something happen. But the driver of the No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford was shocked at how quickly the rear end of William Byron’s No. 24 Chevrolet snapped around when Stenhouse poked the nose of his Fusion to the inside Byron’s car in the first 150-mile qualifying race in Thursday night’s Can-Am Duel. The Hendrick motorsports rookie was a victim of aerodynamics, and when Stenhouse took the air off his car, Byron nosed into the outside wall, forcing him to a backup car for…

By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – It was billed as a preseason Chevrolet news conference to discuss the manufacturer’s expectations and excitement for the 2018 season, but it also had a distinct vibe – as much like a NASCAR Hall of Fame meet and greet as a launch for Chevy’s new race car. And positive on all accounts. Hall of Famers and Chevrolet team owners Richard Childress, Rick Hendrick and Richard Petty sat alongside future Hall of Fame sure-bet Chip Ganassi and Jim Campbell, Chevrolet’s USA vice president – to discuss the make’s current state of affairs…

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Ryan Blaney held off Team Penske teammate Joey Logano to win Thursday night’s first 150-mile qualifying race in the Can-Am Duel at Daytona International Speedway, but the story of the race was the list of prominent cars that did not survive until the checkered flag. In the second Duel, Chase Elliott grabbed the lead on Lap 27 of 60 and held it the rest of the way, beating Kevin Harvick to the finish line by .081 seconds. Erik Jones survived an early spin to run third, followed by Clint Bowyer and…

By Reid Spencer & Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Gone are Jimmie Johnson’s veteran teammates—Dale Earnhardt Jr. to the TV booth and Kasey Kahne to the next stage of Monster Energy Cup Series life in the No. 95 Leavine Family Racing Chevrolet. In their places at Hendrick Motorsports are 24-year-old Alex Bowman and 20-year-old Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender William Byron. Add to that mix 22-year-old Chase Elliott, who has two years at NASCAR’s highest level under his belt—and has yet to win a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race. Elliott and Byron combined have…

By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Over it. Motoring on. Looking up. Kyle Larson conceded that while his shocking and abrupt departure from the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs last Fall stung for a while, he’s over it. Ready to move on. Prepared to one-up the circumstance. The popular 25-year old Chip Ganassi Racing star offered smiles at the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 Media Day on Wednesday, shaking his head as reporters asked him about the stunning engine failure at Kansas Speedway late in the 2017 playoffs that eliminated him from championship…

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – As the start of a new Monster Energy NASCAR Cup season arrives, life is quite a bit better for Martin Truex Jr.—not to mention noticeably different. Now that he’s returning to Daytona as the series champion, Truex feels that difference. “I do a little bit, honestly,” Truex told the NASCAR Wire Service on Wednesday at Daytona 500 Media Day at Daytona International Speedway. “I feel like less pressure, more relaxed, more confident than I’ve ever been. Excited to start the season—absolutely. It’s been a crazy, busy off season. Been a…