Race Weekend Central

Fire on Fridays: Let’s Get Realistic About Teamwork

2019 Daytona Clash Cup Joey Logano Todd Gordon Nkp

Restrictor plate racing has always been about your dance partner. Is your partner fast? Will they stick with you at the right time? Do you have good chemistry? Joey Logano was upset with who he thought was his dance partner in the closing laps of the Daytona 500, Michael McDowell, for not pushing him to contend …

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Erik Jones Drives Damaged Car to 3rd-Place Finish in Daytona 500

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Erik Jones drove this beaten and battered car to a third-place finish in the Daytona 500. (Photo/Davey Segal)

If you took a look at Erik Jones‘ car on pit road after the race, you’d assume he finished a few laps down after being involved in a late-race crash. But Jones and his No. 20 team rebounded from a lap 192 melee which damaged the rear bumper to finish an astounding third-place in the …

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Ryan Preece Starts Full-Time Cup Career With Top 10: ‘I Just Wanted to Finish’

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(Photo: Davey Segal)

Ryan Preece looked like anything but a rookie in his first start as a full-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver at Daytona International Speedway. The Berlin, Connecticut native wheeled his No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet to a eighth-place finish in The Great American Race, dodging two of the Big Ones as day turned …

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Tyler Reddick: ‘Everyone Was Trying to Make Moves All Race Long’

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Tyler Reddick tried to make the low line work, but it was too little too late for the defending Xfinity Series champion. (Photo/Davey Segal)

Tyler Reddick knows what it takes to win at Daytona International Speedway. One year ago, he was standing in Victory Lane celebrating what would be the start to his championship season. Fast forward to 2019 and the situation began similar, albeit with a different team. He won the pole, but was forced to start at …

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Michael McDowell Paces Daytona 500 Final Practice

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Daytona International Speedway was a quiet(ish) place for final practice on Saturday afternoon. Only 20 of the 40 cars in the Daytona 500 field took to the 2.5-mile high banks in the 45-minute session. Pacing them was Front Row Motorsports’ Michael McDowell (191.440 mph), who ran nine laps in his No. 34 Ford Mustang. .@Mc_Driver …

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Cory Roper Relegated to 20th-Place Finish After Strong Run

2019 Trucks Daytona Zach Catanzareti Cory Roper

Daytona International Speedway, February 2019. (Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Things were coming together for Cory Roper. But then they fell apart. The Vernon, Texas, native and driver of the No. 04 Preferred Industrial Contractors Ford ran inside the top five for most of the second stage of Friday night’s NextEra Energy Resources 250 from Daytona International Speedway. But a spin coming off Turn 4 …

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Niece Motorsports Survives Daytona Carnage, Earns 2 Top-10 Finishes

2019 Trucks Daytona Zach Catanzareti Ross Chastain

Daytona International Speedway, February 2019. (Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Surviving the carnage that was the NextEra Energy Resources 250 at Daytona International Speedway were Ross Chastain and Timothy Peters, both drivers of Niece Motorsports trucks. Chastain wheeled his No. 45 truck to a third-place finish, while Peters scored an eighth-place result despite being involved in a wreck with five laps remaining. “I feel like …

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Joey Gase Fails to Make Daytona 500: ‘I’m Just Happy to Have the Opportunity’

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Joey Gase fell short of making the show. (Photo/Davey Segal)

One Joey was celebrating in Victory Lane following the second Gander RV Duel at Daytona. Another Joey was coming to grips with the fact he wouldn’t get the chance to race in the 2019 Daytona 500. Joey Gase‘s 20th-place finish wasn’t enough to race his way into The Great American Race. Instead, Brendan Gaughan‘s 15th-place result …

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Parker Kligerman Races Way Into Daytona 500

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Parker Kligerman was all smiles after racing his way into The Great American Race. (Photo/Davey Segal)

Parker Kligerman thought his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career was over. He thought he’d never get another opportunity to compete in the Daytona 500. Thursday night at Daytona International Speedway (Feb. 14), he earned himself a second chance. The driver of the No. 96 Gaunt Brothers Racing Toyota held off Ryan Truex in the …

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Jamie McMurray At Peace Ahead of Potential Final NASCAR Start

Jamie Mcmurray Daytona500 Mediaday

Jamie McMurray has no plans of racing past this Sunday's Daytona 500, but left the door cracked open for a potential one-off. (Photo/Davey Segal)

The white flag is out for Jamie McMurray. Sunday’s Daytona 500 will (probably) mark the Joplin, Mo., native’s final career NASCAR start, driving the No. 40 for Chip Ganassi Racing. Despite having already went through this process once last year at Homestead-Miami Speedway, this weekend is different. “This is super different than Homestead was, knowing …

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Kevin Harvick Thinking Big Picture Ahead of 2019 Daytona 500

Kevin Harvick Daytona500 Mediaday

Kevin Harvick calls the Big Three "irrelevant at this point," citing the new rules package as something that will throw the competition for a loop. (Photo/Davey Segal)

Kevin Harvick has done this a time or two. The 2014 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion and series veteran has participated in his fair share of media days getting the same old questions, giving the same old answers. But Wednesday afternoon (Feb. 13) at 2019 Daytona 500 Media Day, as he’s done regularly the …

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