{"id":56087,"date":"2026-02-13T17:35:51","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T23:35:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/?p=56087"},"modified":"2026-02-15T21:04:25","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T03:04:25","slug":"nascar-friday-daytona-notebook-5","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/13\/nascar-friday-daytona-notebook-5\/","title":{"rendered":"NASCAR: Friday Daytona Notebook"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

NASCAR OEM representatives discuss hopes for 2026 season<\/b><\/p>\n

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. \u2014 After watching Thursday night\u2019s America 250 Florida Duels at Daytona, Dr. Eric Warren, vice president of global motorsports competition for General Motors, was impressed with the drivability of the new Chevrolet body style.<\/p>\n

The NASCAR Cup car\u2019s ability to push and bump-draft? Let\u2019s just say the jury is still out.<\/p>\n

\u201cExcited to see how the 3 (Austin Dillon) was able to move through there (in the first Duel),\u201d said Warren during a Friday press conference that included representatives from all four NASCAR manufacturers. \u201cBut the second Duel (won by Chevrolet driver Chase Elliott), I was really excited about to see our cars really be able to get to the front and watching Carson (Hocevar) and Chase run together there a little bit.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe watched (Ford drivers) Ryan (Blaney) and (Joey) Logano really make that two-car bump really kind of work. We haven’t been able to do that. They were certainly able to do that last year.\u201d<\/p>\n

The proof will come when all 41 cars race together in Sunday\u2019s DAYTONA 500 (2:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you get all the cars there, the momentum is a little different with the full field versus the Duels, so I’ve learned over the years that whatever you take from those Duels is not necessarily what happens when everybody is there,\u201d Warren said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut certainly, promising for what we intended coming into Daytona with the new car.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kevin Kidd, North American Motorsports competition director for Stellantis, affirmed the Ram brand\u2019s readiness to compete in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series as well as adding the assurance that Dodge intends to race in the NASCAR Cup Series in the future.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon’t have anything ready to announce on that today, but it’s certainly part of the discussion internally,\u201d Kidd said. \u201cIt’s looking at what the future brings for us. We have not made any qualms about it. We aim to get back in the Cup Series. It’s really a matter of what the right timing is and what that looks like.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou’re racing against the best in the world here, so we have to build an incredible amount of infrastructure to go Cup racing. It’s one thing to go Truck racing. It’s a whole different can of worms to go Cup racing. For us, there is a strategy that we’re currently developing to figure out what all that looks like and what the timing looks like behind that.<\/p>\n

\u201cAgain, nothing ready to announce today, but I can tell you that we are working towards it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pat DiMarco, NASCAR program manager for Ford Racing, acknowledged the Blue Oval teams expect to do better in 2026.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’d say ’25 was a miss for us,\u201d DiMarco said. \u201cAnytime you don’t win, you reflect on that. Not having anybody in the final four at Phoenix was a miss.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were some highlights, though. Ryan Blaney was consistent and one of the best drivers all year long, and the way the playoff format plays out, he just didn’t make it\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cBut looking forward to a great ’26 and more consistency across the board, which I think with the RFK (Roush Fenway Keselowski) cars running up front (Thursday) night, Ryan Preece with the win at the Clash. I think there’s some upside for ’26 for the Ford Motor Company.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the Toyota camp, Toyota Racing Development president Tyler Gibbs was pleased with the manufacturer\u2019s effort during the 2025 season, a campaign that could have been even better had a late caution not deprived Denny Hamlin of a chance to win the Cup Series title.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were 90 seconds from a great year,\u201d Gibbs said. \u201cA lot of fun over the course of the season, worked hard in the off-season getting ready for this year, and kind of building on what we had last year. We’ve only got one new crew chief this year, same drivers as last year.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, building on what we had last year and coming out one spot better this year is really the goal and what we are looking for.\u201d \u2013Reid Spencer<\/p>\n

Chase Elliott hopes to add a champion\u2019s name to DAYTONA 500 winners list<\/b><\/p>\n

Chase Elliott, winner of Thursday\u2019s night\u2019s second Duel, met with reporters Friday morning for a candid discussion about the sport and his expectations for the weekend\u2019s season-opening DAYTONA 500 (2:30 p.m. ET Sunday on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).<\/p>\n

\"\"

Chase Elliott. (Photo by James Gilbert\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

It\u2019s a race that only two of the seven NASCAR Cup Series champions entered this weekend have ever won.<\/p>\n

The short list of champs who have won the DAYTONA 500 includes Team Penske\u2019s Joey Logano (2015) and Legacy Motor Club\u2019s Jimmie Johnson (2006 and 2013). And although Logano now owns three season titles, when he scored his Daytona victory 11 years ago, he wasn\u2019t a season champion yet.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s always been kind of a lottery in some capacity and you have to have a lot of things go your way,” Elliott said of scoring a win in the sport\u2019s grandest race.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd there\u2019s positives and negatives to that. It\u2019s produced a lot of great underdog stories that you wouldn\u2019t have if it wasn\u2019t that way. I think it\u2019s just the nature of the race, and honestly it\u2019s been that way since I\u2019ve been around.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s just not a lot once the race gets going that\u2019s in your hands, but there are some things, and it\u2019s important to try and execute those things, whatever they are\u2014no matter how big or how small they are\u2014to the best of your ability.\u201d<\/p>\n

Two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch will be starting the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet from pole position for the first time in his career, hoping his 21st DAYTONA 500 start will be the charm.<\/p>\n

Elliott, the 2020 series champion will start the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports on the second row alongside Logano in the No. 22 Team Penske Ford. Logano\u2019s teammate, 2023 champ Ryan Blaney will roll off fifth in the No. 12 Penske Ford.<\/p>\n

Two-time and reigning series champion Kyle Larson starts eighth, and 2012 champion Brad Keselowski lines up ninth on the starting grid\u2014both also racing for their first trophy.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re just hedging your bet, doing everything you can to put the numbers as much in your favor as you can, and from there you have to have some things go your way,” Elliott said. \u201cFrom our standpoint, that\u2019s all we can do.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnfortunately, that hasn\u2019t worked out to this point but also really fortunate to have another opportunity with HMS and come down to my 11th DAYTONA 500, and every time I\u2019ve driven through the tunnel I know I have a shot. I know I have a shot when I get here, so what else can I ask for.” \u2013 Holly Cain<\/p>\n

Joey Logano says \u2018Driver beware\u2019 in Sunday\u2019s DAYTONA 500<\/b><\/p>\n

Joey Logano believes Sunday\u2019s DAYTONA 500 (2:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and SIRIUSXM NASCAR Radio) is likely to be a wild affair\u2014and that\u2019s from the guy who won Thursday night\u2019s first America 250 Florida Duel at Daytona qualifying race.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Joey Logano. (Photo by Sean Gardner\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

In other words, drivers can bump-draft at their own peril, even on the straightaways.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the whole field has learned that pushing each other is pretty sketchy,\u201d Logano said after taking the checkered flag. \u201cI was thinking about it driving over here (to the media center). The DAYTONA 500 could be a total wreck-fest, ’cause if you think about the Duels, it’s a heat race, and everyone is like, \u2018Don’t tear up your car, get what you can out of it, but don’t crash.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wrecked a lot of stuff (in the first Duel). That’s everyone not racing for the DAYTONA 500, so… Say a prayer. It’s going to be crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even though Logano and Team Penske teammate Ryan Blaney worked well together to finish 1-2, Logano was concerned about drivers\u2019 ability to push each other, particularly when they\u2019re not driving the same manufacturer\u2019s cars.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone’s \u2018push-ability\u2019 seems awful,\u201d said Logano, the 2015 DAYTONA 500 winner. \u201cI didn’t see any car that was taking a push that was, like, comfortable on the straightaways. A lot of cars were just squirrelly, right? I haven’t watched replays yet, but all the wrecks happened on the straightaways. I’m assuming that’s from pushes more times than not. I’m assuming everyone’s push-ability is weak.\u201d \u2013-Reid Spencer<\/p>\n

Chase Briscoe says virtual bald look will become reality soon enough<\/b><\/p>\n

During the offseason, Joe Gibbs Racing driver Chase Briscoe took to social media and AI to present himself with a freshly shaved head, a la Joey Logano.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Chase Briscoe. (Photo by James Gilbert\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

In Briscoe\u2019s case, the bald head wasn\u2019t real, though it created quite a stir on the internet.<\/p>\n

To be fair, and as Briscoe freely admits, he doesn\u2019t have a lot of hair to start with.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have social media in an uproar normally every single week, because TV shows me during the National Anthem, and people roast me for how bad my hair is\u2014and lack of hair,\u201d Briscoe said.<\/p>\n

Accordingly, he decided to take the next step\u2014virtually.<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt like I was giving the fans what they wanted,\u201d said Briscoe, who will start from the outside of the front row in Sunday\u2019s DAYTONA 500 (2:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). I was kind of dipping my toe into the bald community. It\u2019s going to happen at some point. It\u2019s inevitable. I\u2019ve been going bald forever, it\u2019s going to happen. I just was trying to dip my toe in and see what the reaction would be.<\/p>\n

\u201cI might do it over the offseason. I might randomly show up one week this summer with it all cut off. But it\u2019s going to happen at some point, I can assure you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Briscoe acknowledges that the real thing won\u2019t match the AI-generated image.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe problem is, with the AI thing it looks good, but my head is not that shape,\u201d Briscoe said. \u201cSo, it\u2019s going to look totally different when I actually do it. And it\u2019s going to be like the brightest white thing\u2014you\u2019re going to need sunglasses when I take my hat off.\u201d\u00a0 –Reid Spencer<\/p>\n

Yates family honored with Ford Motor Company\u2019s highest award<\/b><\/p>\n

Ford Motor Company presented renowned NASCAR engine builder Doug Yates and his father, the late Robert Yates with the prestigious Spirit of Ford Award on Friday at Daytona. The honor has only been bestowed 30 times in history and goes to those who have \u201cmade a significant contribution to the sport of auto racing on and off the race track.<\/p>\n

In its nine seasons competing in NASCAR, Robert Yates Racing (1988-2007) earned 57 wins, three DAYTONA 500 trophies and the 1999 championship with Dale Jarrett. Doug has since carried on the family tradition of success after joining forces with team owner Jack Roush.<\/p>\n

Roush Yates Engines have accounted for 449 victories combined in the NASCAR Cup Series, O\u2019Reilly Auto Parts Series and Craftsman Truck Series.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are very few people in the world who love Ford Motor Company as much as Doug Yates,” said Edsel B. Ford II, a member of the Ford Motor Company\u2019s board of directors said in presenting the award. \u201cDoug, and his father Robert, symbolize what\u2019s right with the Ford Racing program, but also what is right about the sport of motor racing itself.\u201d\u00a0 \u2014 Holly Cain<\/p>\n

NASCAR, POET Biofuels announce official partnership\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

NASCAR announced Friday that POET, the world\u2019s largest biofuels producer, will now serve as the \u201cofficial bioethanol partner\u201d of the sport.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Eric Nyquist, Chief Impact Officer at NASCAR (L) and Jeff Broin, Founder and CEO of POET pose for a photo during the partnership announcement press conference at Daytona International Speedway on February 13, 2026 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jeff Curry\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

The company\u2019s plant-based bioethanol serves as a\u00a0 \u201ccleaner-burning higher-octane alternative to traditional gasoline\u201d with zero life cycle carbon emissions.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously, this is something that will be subject to great testing and working across the industry,” said NASCAR\u2019s Chief Impact Officer Eric Nyquist. \u201cEthanol has a nice benefit of bringing higher octane benefits to our fuel.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously, it’s a cleaner burning element as well that we can bring forward to making important improvements to the efficiency of our fuel and what it brings to the environment.\u201d<\/p>\n

NASCAR is the first major motorsports series to use this zero-carbon bioethanol and the company\u2019s visibility in the sport also includes the naming of the POET Restart Zone on all NASCAR-owned tracks. \u2014 Holly Cain<\/p>\n

FOX\u2019s Mike Joy receives prestigious NMPA Myers Brothers Award<\/b><\/p>\n

Long-tenured race announcer Mike Joy was presented with the legendary NMPA Myers Brothers Award Friday at Daytona. The FOX Sports NASCAR race announcer follows in the footsteps of other great honorees, including the late Greg Biffle.<\/p>\n

\"\"

NASCAR FOX Sports broadcaster Mike Joy, recipient of the 2025 NMPA Myers Brothers Award poses with broadcast journalist, Danielle Trotta during a press conference at Daytona International Speedway on February 13, 2026 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jeff Curry\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

Joy will be covering his 47th Daytona 500 and has been an announcer in the sport in various capacities for 57 years. He started and spent 14 years with MRN before anchoring the first live race telecasts on ESPN (1981) and then TNN (1991).<\/p>\n

He has been a pit reporter, worked on both radio and television and since 2001 been the lead announcer on FOX Sports NASCAR. Sunday\u2019s race will be his 24th straight in the FOX Sports booth.<\/p>\n

The Myers Brothers award honors individuals or groups for \u201coutstanding contributions\u201d to the sport and is decided by the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) membership. \u2014 Holly Cain<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Holly Cain and Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service NASCAR OEM representatives discuss hopes for 2026 season DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. \u2014 After watching Thursday night\u2019s America 250 Florida Duels at Daytona, Dr. Eric Warren, vice president of global motorsports competition for General Motors, was impressed with the drivability of the new Chevrolet body style. The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":676,"featured_media":56033,"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-56087","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\/2026\/02\/GettyImages-2261503598-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1826&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7hzTZ-eAD","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56087","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=56087"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56087\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":56091,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56087\/revisions\/56091"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/56033"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56087"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56087"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56087"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}