NASCAR Cup Series

Doug Yates is nervous. Not because he knows something, but because he isn’t quite sure what to expect. The engine builder has worked extensively in the off-season with his team and the Ford teams to be as prepared as possible for the new NASCAR qualifying format, a format Yates believes will definitely impact engines. Yates discussed how NASCAR’s qualifying change has impacted engines and what he and his team have done to try to ready for today’s debut at Phoenix International Raceway.

Chevrolet is looking for more fun in the sun this weekend when it shifts its focus from the beaches near Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway to the valley of the sun surrounding Phoenix (Ariz.) International Raceway, where Team Chevy has 17 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victories, more than any manufacturer, and has won 13 of the last 17 series events held at the 1-mile track.

Welcome to Rookie Watch. This is the weekly column that I will be posting each week, between Tuesday and Thursday, discussing the Sprint Cup Series rookies and how they did the previous weekend. With the rookie list being the biggest since 2002, there will be lots of yellow bumpers to keep an eye on each week as these young drivers continue to learn.

I kept trying to pry my jaw off the floor this entire week after Dale Earnhardt, Jr. won the Daytona 500, but I decided it was going to remain there for quite some time. Although I really shouldn't be as surprised as I am, since the Hendrick driver has finished second in 2010, 2012, and 2013. It was bound to happen soon.

As the 2015 nominees for the NASCAR Hall of Fame were announced on February 21, I began putting together my list of hopefuls for induction. Wendell Scott’s name immediately came to mind.

The party in Martinsville Speedway’s Party Plaza keeps getting bigger for the morning of the STP 500 on March 30.

The Daytona 500 Win Version of Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s National Guard Chevrolet is predicted to be the best-selling die-cast car since Lionel Racing became The Official Die-Cast of NASCAR in 2010.

Last year Jeff Gordon took an unassuming passenger for the ride of his life in the now familiar Test Drive video. While it received 40 million views, not everyone was convinced, especially Travis Okulski of Jalopnik, who posted a few stories calling the video FAKE. Well Jeff Gordon and Pepsi MAX took Travis’ words to heart and decided to do something to get back at Travis. Check it out.

.Justin Allgaier will be making his second NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start at Phoenix International Raceway (PIR) in the No. 51 BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevy. Allgaier made his first start at the 1.0-mile track in November of 2013, where he finished the race in the 31st position after sustaining damage in an accident.

Which driver has the highest level of success? Well, if the point of racing is to finish first, then the answer comes easy. Last Sunday, Dale Earnhardt Jr was the most successful driver in the Daytona 500. There is no argument.