Motorsports’ leading fan driving experience partners – Driving 101, which operates NASCAR Racing Experience, Richard Petty Driving Experience and Mario Andretti Racing Experience – announced today they will become the primary sponsor for the No. 43 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 driven by Darrell “Bubba” Wallace, Jr., for Richard Petty Motorsports at the Folds of Honor Quiktrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Martin Truex Jr. restarted second with seven laps remaining in the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series season-opening Daytona 500 but the No. 78 Bass Pro Shops/5-hour ENERGY Toyota was quickly shuffled out of the top 10 and then caught up in a wreck with two laps remaining before limping across the finish line in 18th place.
A historic day for the DAYTONA 500 produced an emotion-filled result that will stand tall alongside the many other epic finishes that have built the tradition of “The Great American Race.”
In its inaugural season, the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 opened with a win in the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series opener, the Daytona 500. Austin Dillon, driver of the No. 3 DOW Camaro ZL1, took the lead on the final lap en route to winning The Great American Race at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday.
TALK ABOUT YOUR RUN: “We had a really fast Omnicraft Ford today. These guys are awesome. Great race car. I ran upfront the first-half of the race. I got shuffled out. Denny (Hamlin) bumped me in Turn 3 and got loose and lost all my track position. I just kept fighting from there to get my track position back. Great run for us. We had shot to win the Daytona 500 at the end of the race. We just came up short.”
AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 DOW CAMARO ZL1 – RACE WINNER - ON EMOTIONS: “Right now I just want to thank the good Lord above. I did what I had to do there at the end. I hate it for the No. 10 (Aric Almirola) guys. We had a run, and I stayed in the gas. It is what it is here at Daytona. This is so awesome to take the No. 3 car back to Victory Lane 20 years ago. This one is for Dale Earnhardt, Sr. and all those Sr. fans. I love you guys. We are going to keep kicking butt the rest of the year!”
BRAD KESELOWSKI, No. 2 Discount Tire Ford Fusion - Finishing Position: 32nd (Wreck on lap 102) “The 24 got loose and spun out in front of us all and got caught up in it. It just really sucks. We had a great car and were in a great position. I guess that’s the way it goes. I went to pass the 24 on the bottom and he came down. I can’t tell if I made contact or not, but obviously he turned and there was nothing I could do. We were all wrecked.” PATIENCE IS ALWAYS MENTIONED WITH THIS RACE, BUT WE DON’T SEE IT ALL THE TIME. “No. You definitely didn’t see it today.”
Joey Logano qualified fourth but was forced to start the race at the tail of the field after the team had to make repairs for an electrical issue discovered during qualifying.
Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/Cabela's Team Eliminated from Daytona Season-Opener Early Following Late-Race Wreck "I knew we were sitting in a bad position there. You never want to be past fourth or fifth in the pack on the last restart because you know the top two are going to block, and they did. The No. 42 car kept coming."
Ryan Preece, driver of the No. 60 RFK Racing Ford Mustang Dark Horse, is currently in a battle to qualify for the NASCAR Cup Series Chase, which will begin at Darlington Raceway on Sept. 6.
It was just three years ago that one of the sport’s most iconic venues, North Wilkesboro Speedway, was revived to welcome NASCAR back to its hallowed grounds.
