{"id":28886,"date":"2020-02-08T16:35:06","date_gmt":"2020-02-08T22:35:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/?p=28886"},"modified":"2020-02-09T14:22:02","modified_gmt":"2020-02-09T20:22:02","slug":"nascar-saturday-daytona-notebook-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2020\/02\/08\/nascar-saturday-daytona-notebook-3\/","title":{"rendered":"NASCAR: Saturday Daytona Notebook"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service<\/em><\/p>\n

Kevin Harvick confirms contract extension through 2023 season<\/b><\/p>\n

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. \u2013 Kevin Harvick will be pushing 50 before he retires from full-time NASCAR Cup racing, reporters learned Saturday during a question-and-answer with the driver of the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Busch Light IT4BUSCH Ford, stands in the garage area during practice for the NASCAR Cup Series Busch Clash at Daytona International Speedway on February 08, 2020 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

A two-year extension will keep the 2014 Cup champion in the car through the 2023 season. Harvick turned 44 on Dec. 8.<\/p>\n

Until recently, conventional wisdom had Harvick migrating to the television booth after his driving career. The desire for more family time and curiosity about NASCAR\u2019s Next-Gen Cup car, however, have prompted a cutback in Harvick\u2019s broadcasting schedule, including his exit from his Wednesday show \u201cHappy Hours\u201d broadcast on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are a number of things that went into those decisions,\u201d Harvick said on Saturday in the Daytona International Speedway Media Center, site of Sunday\u2019s Busch Clash (3 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). \u201cFirst and foremost, Wednesday\u2019s just don’t work very well for me with (son) Keelan, with picking him up from school and going to events and activities and things after school.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe didn\u2019t really like it. It frees up another day for me. That was a piece of the equation. The other piece was that in order to do that stuff right, it isn\u2019t just the show. It is the production meetings and the time, and you have things coming up from a development standpoint that are going to take a lot of time at the end of the year to get prepared for 2021 from a testing standpoint.\u201d<\/p>\n

The new Cup car is an enticing proposition for Harvick, but that doesn\u2019t mean he will abandon his broadcasting plans indefinitely.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, I am intrigued by that (breaking in the new car),\u201d Harvick said. \u201cFor me, that will keep me in the car for a few more years as we go through 2023, and then we will see where we are at. That timing works well for me from a media standpoint, just because of the fact that you have a TV contract coming up (at the end of 2024) and will know who the players are, and I think at that particular point you will have a fair amount of experience in the new car and will hopefully have been through the engine change, the vehicle change.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were a number of things that go along with that. I just really like racing with a group of guys and my organization that I am at. I worked my whole career, and feel like I got here with a group of guys and the people that I have had success with and for me, going through a few more years in the car just made sense.\u201d<\/p>\n

DAYTONA 500 TOPS BUCKET LIST FOR REIGNING CHAMP KYLE BUSCH<\/b><\/p>\n

With few holes left on his racing resume, reigning NASCAR Cup champion Kyle Busch eyes the Daytona 500 as the top item on his bucket list.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M’s Toyota, stands in the garage area during practice for the NASCAR Cup Series Busch Clash at Daytona International Speedway on February 08, 2020 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

With 56 victories and two championships in NASCAR\u2019s premier series, Busch is second among active drivers to seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson in both categories. But winning the Great American Race as a feat still to be accomplished for the driver of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s always kind of been up there near or at the top,\u201d Busch said. \u201cIt certainly still is. It would be nice to get that box checked, and hopefully, one of these days we can figure that out. It would be nice if it\u2019s a week from (Sunday).\u201d<\/p>\n

Busch came close last year, finishing second to teammate Denny Hamlin, as JGR swept the podium.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t really remember how the late restarts went, but I know Denny was leading on a late restart and then I beat him on a restart and got the lead,\u201d Busch said. \u201cI sustained the lead on another restart and then the final restart, Denny was able to beat me on that one.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt just \u2013 obviously it hurt not being able to bring home that trophy and for Denny to be able to bring home two, but that\u2019s just a part of racing. Hopefully we can get it done this year or whenever, sometime or another, before it\u2019s all said and done, for myself to be able to at least have one.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another title would suit Busch, too. When Johnson retires from full-time Cup racing, Busch will be the only active driver with multiple championships, unless another duplicate winner emerges this season.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s kind of odd that there\u2019s only a two-time guy out there,\u201d Busch said. \u201cEverybody else is zero or one. It just kind of shows you the influx of newer, younger drivers and just how many of those guys that have won championships are now gone.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Tonys (Stewart), the Jeffs (Gordon), the Jimmies (Johnson) that no longer are here. Hopefully, it\u2019s three (championships). I might could be the only one.\u201d<\/p>\n

JIMMIE JOHNSON STARTS FINAL SEASON WITH DEFENSE OF CLASH WIN<\/b><\/p>\n

Jimmie Johnson\u2019s return to Daytona International Speedway has been understandably bittersweet.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Ally Chevrolet, prepares to practice for the NASCAR Cup Series 62nd Annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 08, 2020 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

Though he\u2019s excited to get back into the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE to start a new NASCAR Cup season, Johnson must process the realization that the 2020 season will be his last as a full-time driver and his last chance to win a record eighth championship.<\/p>\n

\u201cComing down here, I obviously know this is my last full-time season,\u201d Johnson said on Saturday at Daytona International Speedway. \u201cSo there were mixed emotions. But I\u2019m excited to start my final year. To know that (sponsor) Ally is on board, Hendrick Motorsports getting the team where it is, I really feel like we have an opportunity to have a strong year on track and go out in style, with the goal of the ultimate prize.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m really excited about that. Once I got in the car and on track, that stuff is all out the window and it\u2019s really about working on the race car and trying to make it go. I\u2019m excited to be here. I know the year is going to evolve and change for me from start to finish and my emotions with what goes on. But I\u2019m in a very good place right now\u2014just ready to go.\u201d<\/p>\n

Johnson is the defending winner of the Busch Clash at Daytona (3 p.m. Sunday on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Little did he know, however, that when he took the checkered flag under caution in that exhibition race that the 2019 season would bring a change of crew chiefs\u2014from Kevin Meendering to Cliff Daniels\u2014and extend his career-worst drought in Cup points races from 59 to 95 races.<\/p>\n

Johnson is eager to race in the Clash, not just for the trophy, but for the experience it will bring.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t have a chance to test, so a lot of us haven\u2019t been in a Cup car, except for the guys that did the 2021 (test) stuff,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cSo two drivers of the 40 have been in a race car since Homestead. Now more than ever (the Clash) is very useful.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service Kevin Harvick confirms contract extension through 2023 season DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. \u2013 Kevin Harvick will be pushing 50 before he retires from full-time NASCAR Cup racing, reporters learned Saturday during a question-and-answer with the driver of the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang. A two-year extension will keep the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":676,"featured_media":28890,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[11],"tags":[287,16],"class_list":["post-28886","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nascar","tag-daytona-international-speedway","tag-nascar"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/DIS_NCS_KyBusch_020820-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1668","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7hzTZ-7vU","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28886","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/676"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28886"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28886\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28891,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28886\/revisions\/28891"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28890"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28886"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28886"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28886"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}