Official Release

Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Busch Beer Car2Can Ford Mustang, and Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 6 Wyndham Rewards Ford Mustang, were involved in a multi-car accident during today’s first practice session. Neither will be required to go to a backup as damage was minimal.

This year marks the 25th Anniversary for JTG Daugherty Racing, owned by husband and wife team Tad and Jodi Geschickter, Gordon Smith and five-time NBA All-Star Brad Daugherty. The racing operation began in 1995 when Tad Geschickter and Steve Plattenberger formed a NASCAR Busch Grand National Series (NASCAR Xfinity Series) team that set up shop in a chicken house, which was essentially a garage with dirt floors and only five employees in Waxhaw, North Carolina. Today, the race team is housed in a 130,000-square-foot facility with two Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series entries in Harrisburg, N.C.

In advance of the 61st running of the DAYTONA 500, which will take place on Sunday, February 17, NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace spent Friday in Miami learning about South Florida’s African-American history. Wallace’s visit began at the Black Archives Historic Lyric Theater where he met with Executive Director Timothy Barber, who led Wallace on a tour of historic Overtown.

Willie Mullins earned a career-best starting position during ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards qualifying Friday at Daytona International Speedway.

Christian Eckes (No. 15 JBL Audio Toyota) won the General Tire Pole for Saturday's Lucas Oil 200 driven by General Tire for the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards at Daytona International Speedway on Friday afternoon. Eckes's fast lap of 49.180 seconds translates to 183.001 miles per hour around the 2.5-mile high-banked tri-oval.

JR Motorsports announced today that Switch (NYSE: SWCH), the global technology infrastructure corporation that develops hyperscale data center ecosystems for elite colocation, enterprise hybrid cloud, and connectivity solutions, will be the primary sponsor of the No. 9 Chevrolet with driver Noah Gragson for the 2019 NASCAR Xfinity Series season-opening event on Feb. 16 at Daytona International Speedway. For Gragson, this partnership with Switch adds another chapter in the long-standing relationship between company and driver.

Richard Childress Racing's Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series history at Daytona International Speedway … Dating back to 1976, Richard Childress Racing has won 11 poles and collected six points-paying victories at the most-storied race track on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series circuit. RCR owns three Daytona 500 wins (Dale Earnhardt - 1998, Kevin Harvick - 2007, Austin Dillon - 2018), three Coke Zero 400 trophies (Earnhardt - 1990, 1993 and Harvick - 2010) and 14 qualifying races, including a record 10-consecutive victories with Earnhardt (1990 - 1999). In addition, RCR has won the Advance Auto Parts Clash a total of eight times, with drivers Harvick (2009, 2010, 2013) and Earnhardt (1986, '88, '91, '93, and '95).

NASCAR’s Winningest Team, Roush Fenway Racing today announced a partnership with Acorns, the fastest way to invest. For the 2019 season, Daytona 500 Champion Ryan Newman will represent Acorns and race the No. 6 Ford Mustang.

Spencer Boyd is honored to announce that Crowd Cow will be an associate sponsor throughout the 2019 NASCAR Gander Outdoors Series Season starting at Daytona. The online distributor of craft meats allows consumers direct access to craft meat straight from the farm right to their door.

The season-opening Daytona 500 always brings an air of optimism to the NASCAR race teams who have spent a big portion of the off season preparing for the event that has come to be known as the “Great American Race.”