NASCAR Cup Series

As Dale Earnhardt Jr. crossed the finish line to claim his second win of the season at Daytona International Speedway, celebrating the victory was the last thing on his mind. He had just driven the last two laps of the race focused on the traffic behind him, moving around the track as needed to protect his position when he saw the wreck unfolding in his rearview mirror.

Jimmie Johnson: Johnson finished third at Daytona as a massive crash developed back in the field as the leaders crossed the finish line. Hendrick teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the race while HMS cohort Jeff Gordon took sixth.

Casey’s General Store and Hughes General Contractors will co-sponsor Michael Waltrip Racing’s No. 15 Toyota driven by Clint Bowyer in Saturday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Kentucky Speedway.

Throughout the season the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series visits 23 different racing venues. Of those 23 tracks, Team Chevy has notched more wins than any other manufacturer at all but five (Homestead-Miami Speedway, Kentucky Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Michigan International Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway). There is only one facility on the current schedule where the Chevrolet brand has never been to Victory Lane – Kentucky Speedway.

NASCAR announced on Tuesday changes to the race package for the Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday, August 14.

Kentucky Up Next...The 1.5-mile Kentucky Speedway is the next stop on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series circuit. Michael Annett will wheel his No. 46 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet this weekend, returning to a facility that provided him with a top-20 finish last season.

The driver of the No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine joins the rest of the NASCAR Sprint Cup field at Kentucky Speedway on Wednesday to test new rules designed to create less downforce and help produce more side-by-side competition. After an off day on Thursday, preparations for Saturday night’s race at the Sparta, Ky. track begin on Friday.

A late-race wreck in last weekend's Coke Zero 400 put Aric Almirola and the No. 43 Smithfield Ford team back in points. They now have a 24 point deficit to making The Chase. Knowing consistency is what got them this far this season, Almirola will look to get a Top-10 finish at Kentucky Speedway and try to work his way back into The Chase. Of course, a win would solve that problem, too, but the No. 43 team won't take any big risks to make that happen yet.

DAYTONA WIN: Dale Earnhardt Jr. won at Daytona International Speedway for the fourth time in his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career last weekend, tying Tony Stewart for the second-most Cup wins at the track by an active driver. Teammate Jeff Gordon leads with six wins. Earnhardt’s career Cup win total is now at 25 points events. He is tied for 28th on the all-time wins list in his 16th season in the Sprint Cup Series. He now has 10 points-paying wins on restrictor-plate tracks, ranking him third behind Gordon (12) and his father Dale Earnhardt Sr. (11).

As Go Green Racing and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) head to the bluegrass state and Kentucky Speedway, it will mark many firsts. Saturday night's event will feature 27-year-old Will Kimmel behind the wheel of the No.32 Ford Fusion for owner Archie St.Hilaire. Furthermore, this will mark the Sellersburg, IN native's first career NSCS start. Lastly, this weekend's event will feature the new "Aero Package" that all NSCS teams will utilize in Saturday nights race.