{"id":41424,"date":"2023-02-17T23:00:48","date_gmt":"2023-02-18T05:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/?p=41424"},"modified":"2023-02-18T14:19:20","modified_gmt":"2023-02-18T20:19:20","slug":"nascar-friday-daytona-notebook-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2023\/02\/17\/nascar-friday-daytona-notebook-2\/","title":{"rendered":"NASCAR: Friday Daytona Notebook \u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Holly Cain and Reid Spencer<\/em><\/p>\n

NASCAR Wire Service <\/em><\/p>\n

Manufacturer representatives at Daytona<\/b><\/p>\n

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – As is tradition during the season-opening DAYTONA 500 week at Daytona International Speedway, executives from the three NASCAR powerplants \u2013 Ford, Chevrolet and Toyota \u2013 took time to address the upcoming season of competition with the sport\u2019s reporters.<\/p>\n

Last year, much of that talk focused on the new Next Gen car. But Friday, now with a year of competition under its belt \u2013 including a record-tying 19 different winners in the NASCAR Cup Series \u2013 the discussion was markedly more wide open than just the car.<\/p>\n

Toyota\u2019s David Wilson, Ford\u2019s Mark Rushbook and Chevrolet\u2019s Jim Campbell answered questions for more than a half hour on topics ranging from the supply chain (better than last year) to the movement of drivers and teams (Tyler Reddick from Chevrolet to Toyota and Kyle Busch from Toyota to Chevrolet).<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are days that we\u2019ll miss Kyle [Busch], and other days that we won\u2019t,” Wilson joked of Kyle Busch, who won two NASCAR Cup Series championships with Toyota before moving to Richard Childress Racing\u2019s Chevrolet team this season.<\/p>\n

Another big topic of conversation was the migration toward hybrid technology in motorsports \u2013 something all three leaders said they are in favor of and noted was already happening in big ways.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think 2022 was obviously a revolutionary season with the new car and a lot of changes coming, so we see 2023 very much as evolutionary,” said Rushbrook, Global Director of Ford Motorsport. \u201cIt\u2019s good to see some of the changes in the cars that are being made and all the teams continue, and manufacturers continue to learn these cars, so it\u2019s going to be interesting as we saw strengths and weaknesses across the three OEM\u2019s last year throughout different parts of the season. I\u2019m sure that\u2019s going to continue as we go through 2023 as well, so definitely an evolution of the Next Gen car.\u201d<\/p>\n

Each of the men spoke about specific interests for their companies. And for Chevrolet, that included a question about winning the DAYTONA 500 \u2013 something it hasn\u2019t done since Austin Dillon\u2019s last-lap victory in 2018.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have won this race 24 times. .. and with that said, Chevy drivers won 3 of the 4 speedway races [in 2022],” reminded Campbell, the U.S. vice president of performance and motorsports for Chevrolet. \u201cBoth Talladega races and then Austin [Dillon] won the transfer race at Daytona. So, we won 3 of the 4 there and we won both of the Atlanta races, however you want to categorize the Atlanta track.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have shown that we can do it, but we have got to do it here. You are exactly right, so we are definitely hungry for that. This is the weekend to go from 24 [wins] to 25 if we can get organized and get it done.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kyle Busch\u2019s return to Xfinity Series racing is a by-product of job hunting<\/b><\/p>\n

In his quest to find a new NASCAR Cup Series team for 2023, Kyle Busch made some new friends along the way.<\/p>\n

Though he opted for Richard Childress Racing in NASCAR\u2019s premier division, Busch discovered he was simpatico with one of his other suitors\u2014Kaulig Racing\u2014and that led to a five-race deal in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.<\/p>\n

Busch bowed out of Xfinity racing after the 2021 season when he won all five of his starts and increased his victory total in the series to a record 102\u2014a number that may prove as unassailable Richard Petty\u2019s 200 Cup wins.<\/p>\n

But circumstances have changed with Busch\u2019s move from a Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota to an RCR Chevrolet, and that includes the willingness to help Kaulig establish benchmarks for its Xfinity program.<\/p>\n

Busch will share the No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet with a roster that includes fellow Cup drivers AJ Allmendinger, Austin Dillon and Justin Haley. Busch will debut in the Kaulig car in his native Las Vegas and also will race at Phoenix, Charlotte, Watkins Glen and Darlington.<\/p>\n

Though Busch had to disappoint team owner Matt Kaulig and president Chris Rice on the Cup side, he wanted to build on the warm relationship that developed during the job-seeking process.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen it came down to decision time and I had to let everybody know who wasn\u2019t the choice for going Cup racing with, I told them that I would still love to drive for them and have a chance to go race his cars,\u201d Busch said. \u201cIt just wouldn\u2019t be on Sunday.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were gracious enough to let me run in their Xfinity program, and I would love to go over there and help those guys out. I feel like they are really, really, really close and right on the brink of a force to be reckoned with in the Xfinity Series, and I would love to help carry that torch to the next level.\u201d<\/p>\n

Garage 56 Car Unveil<\/b><\/p>\n

The Garage 56 project \u2013 a combination effort by NASCAR, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet and Goodyear to enter a car in this June\u2019s 24 Hours of Le Mans \u2013 brought many of the sport\u2019s senior executives together to finally unveil the specially-constructed Chevrolet in Daytona\u2019s famed Victory Lane.<\/p>\n

The car \u2013 in a bright blue, silver and gold livery \u2013 is expected to get official Le Mans entry from the l\u2019Automobile Club de l\u2019Quest (ACO) in a few weeks. It\u2019s combination of efforts notably includes the winningest team, manufacturer and tire in the sport\u2019s 75-year history.<\/p>\n

Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, sports car star and former Le Mans winner Mike Rockenfeller and former Formula One champion Jenson Button are tabbed to drive the car. The Hendrick Motorsports organization \u2013 with leadership from four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon (now an executive with the company), championship crew chief Chad Knaus and former Hendrick crew chief Greg Ives are overseeing the technical development of the car, whose next test date is a 24-hour run on Monday-Tuesday at the famed Sebring International Raceway, located  a couple hours south of Daytona Beach.<\/p>\n

Rockenfeller \u2013 and the team\u2019s fourth driver, IMSA champion Jordan Taylor – joined an esteemed list of guests for the \u201cunveil\u201d on Friday including NASCAR CEO Jim France, NASCAR President Steve Phelps, longtime NASCAR executive Mike Helton, IMSA President John Doonan, and several key Hendrick personnel from owner Rick Hendrick to Knaus and Gordon.<\/p>\n

\u201cI consider it some of the best racing there is and taking it over and showcasing it in European events to their fans, my dad did it a long time ago and it was a heckuva an idea then and I think still a good idea,” said France.<\/p>\n

“The best positive reception for me was when I went to Rick Hendrick and asked him if he wanted to be involved in this project and he said, \u2018definitely,\u2019 so that to me, validated the whole concept.”<\/p>\n

France said he went to Hendrick because that was the winningest team in NASCAR history and wanted that kind of success to help represent NASCAR.<\/p>\n

And he couldn\u2019t be happier with the look of the car.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a beautiful work of art and the fans will love it,” France said of the car. \u201cWatching it run through the chicane and with the lights on at night, absolutely awesome. It\u2019s spectacular.”<\/p>\n

Conor Daly\u2019s Daytona Adventure<\/b><\/p>\n

Every year, it seems, the Bluegreen Vacations Duel at Daytona races create a captivating \u2013 sometimes surprisingly so – storyline and Thursday\u2019s editions of the Daytona 500 qualifying races certainly did.<\/p>\n

IndyCar standout Conor Daly will make his DAYTONA 500 debut thanks to a solid, if not spectacular, outing in the Duel 150. He finished 17th, one lap down in the No. 50 The Money Team Chevrolet. But that finish combined with the poor luck outing by one of the other \u201copen\u201d candidates \u2013 a DNF for NASCAR Xfinity Series regular Austin Hill –  has resulted in Daly\u2019s first DAYTONA 500 start making him the only driver this season to compete in both the DAYTONA 500 and the Indy 500 in the same year.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure none of you expected to see me here but we changed everything but the color of the car in the race,” Daly said smiling.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was pretty wild to start. I thought it was broken immediately but we just kind of kept going, got through that part and thankfully got the yellow [flag]. . \u2026 honestly, we took advantage of luck. It was very lucky, but I will take luck all the time because we got better and better as we raced, and I learned a lot at a high rate of speed and it\u2019s pretty awesome to have a chance at it on Sunday.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you had asked me 18 months if I\u2019d be here,\u2019\u2019 Daly added. \u201cI would have thought you were living on the moon.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Daly, 31, whose 40 laps led was most in the 2021 Indianapolis 500, certainly overcame setbacks this week. His car had mechanical problems right away and was unable to even turn a qualifying lap. When he climbed in for his first competitive laps \u2013 ever \u2013 at Daytona International Speedway Thursday evening, the car was driving slightly erratically. But Daly said his veteran crew chief Tony Eury Jr. and team worked and worked. \u2026 and worked on the car during the qualifying race. And the end result is a bid in the Daytona 500.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs soon as they made the vast amount of changes they made in that first pit stop, the car was instantly better, so I was like, \u2018keep doing this,\u2019” Daly said, adding of his challenges, \u201cI don\u2019t know if this whole experience can be compared to a lot of the other ones because of the no-practice and going right into qualifying.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve watched for many years anytime when anyone from open-wheel came over because it\u2019s fascinating for me, because that\u2019s my world they are coming from and trying something new. So, I understand from a small piece how difficult it is and I will continue to understand how difficult it is. I have an incredible amount of respect for the drivers in this series.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone is really good. I think all across the board whether its IndyCar, NASCAR, F1, everyone is good at what they do and it\u2019s pretty cool to be able to compete against a lot of them.”<\/p>\n

FOX Sports Unveils Driver-Analyst<\/b><\/p>\n

FOX Sports revealed the first five-race driver analyst lineup for its NASCAR Xfinity Series race broadcasts on the network.<\/p>\n

Austin Dillon, the 2018 DAYTONA 500 winner, will team up with Ryan Blaney on Sunday\u2019s NASCAR Xfinity Series opener. Blaney will serve in the booth again the following week at Fontana, Calif. with his Team Penske teammate, reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano.<\/p>\n

Kevin Harvick, the 2014 NASCAR Cup Series champion who will be working in the FOX booth fulltime next year after retiring from the sport, will team with Blaney at the March 4 Las Vegas Xfinity Series race. Harvick and Logano will work the March 11 race at Phoenix. Logano will join Daniel Suarez in the booth the following week, March 18 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.<\/p>\n

Coleman Pressley will work as the spotter analyst at Daytona today and then again at Phoenix and Atlanta.<\/p>\n

Darrell Gwynn Wheelchair Donation<\/b><\/p>\n

Retired drag racing star and soon-to-be-member of the Motorsports Hall of Fame, Darrell Gwynn held his annual Darrell Gwynn Chapter of The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis fishing tournament on Lake Lloyd inside Daytona International Speedway\u2019s famed infield Friday morning.<\/p>\n

NASCAR Cup Series driver Erik Jones, who will drive the No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet in the DAYTONA 500, was the winning fisherman among a good dozen NASCAR drivers \u2013 from Ryan Newman to Noah Gragson to Brad Keselowski and Michael McDowell – who got up extra early to participate in this important annual event held by Gwynn who is in a wheelchair after suffering paralysis following a 1990 crash driving his Top Fuel dragster overseas.<\/p>\n

But the absolute true winner of the morning was unquestionably 22-year-old Grady Chandler, a former USAC driver who suffered severe vertebrae injuries and a broken neck while competing in a sprint car race in 2019. Gwynn\u2019s organization donated a new wheelchair to Chandler, who after years of hospital stay and recovery and is attending races again.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe always donate a chair during the fishing tournament but it\u2019s usually to somebody who dove into a pool or had a strange accident but today, it\u2019s a little different, we gave back to our own community,” Gwynn said. \u201cAnd that feels really good.<\/p>\n

\u201cGrady was hurt several years ago and has been recovering ever since. He came down to the Miami Project [to Cure Paralysis] for his recovery and is now doing very well and is piecing his race team back together and he\u2019s going to go racing again [as crew chief] with his dirt team. We donated a really cool chair that can even get around in the mud, because if you\u2019re at dirt races and being a crew chief you need to be able to get around.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think today felt a little more special,” Gwynn continued. \u201cIt\u2019s good to be able to give back to the racing community and of course, Grady meaning so much to all of us.”<\/p>\n

This is the 375th power wheelchair given by Gwynn\u2019s charitable organization, which has now topped $7 million in donations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Holly Cain and Reid Spencer NASCAR Wire Service  Manufacturer representatives at Daytona DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – As is tradition during the season-opening DAYTONA 500 week at Daytona International Speedway, executives from the three NASCAR powerplants \u2013 Ford, Chevrolet and Toyota \u2013 took time to address the upcoming season of competition with the sport\u2019s reporters. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":676,"featured_media":41460,"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":[42,287,16],"class_list":["post-41424","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nascar","tag-daytona-500","tag-daytona-international-speedway","tag-nascar"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/GettyImages-1467112638-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1706&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7hzTZ-aM8","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41424","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/676"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41424"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41424\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":41427,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41424\/revisions\/41427"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41460"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41424"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41424"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41424"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}