NASCAR Cup Series

NASCAR's off-season will be briefly interrupted, Thursday, as teams are set to begin testing for the 56th annual Daytona 500, which is set for Feb. 23 at Daytona International Speedway.

For the second year in a row, fans will decide upon a number of competition elements for the Sprint Unlimited at Daytona, the 75-lap, non-points race that kicks off the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series racing season on Saturday, February 15 (8 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DRIVE TO END HUNGER CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media at Daytona International Speedway and discussed his thoughts heading into the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup season and many other topics.

JOEY LOGANO CONTINUED -- A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK THE WHEELS STARTED COMING OFF FOR PENSKE LAST YEAR AT THE FIRST RACE IN TEXAS WITH THE WHOLE REAR END CONTROVERSY. DO YOU AGREE WITH THAT? IF NOT, WHAT WENT WRONG LAST YEAR AND WHAT CAN YOU DO THIS YEAR TO MAKE SURE THE YEAR DOESN'T REPEAT ITSELF? “I don't think it was a terrible season, in all honesty. We made the Chase. We were very solid. Week in and week out we were a Top-10 to top five car unless we had some kind of issue."

Racing legend and NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace was scheduled to hop back into the 2 car he made famous and turn laps in the afternoon testing session at Daytona Thursday afternoon. Rain thwarted that plan, but Wallace and current 2 car driver Brad Keselowski met with media to discuss how the idea came to be.

"You never want to see a talented and all-around quality person like Steve (Letarte) move on, but we understand this is an exciting opportunity for him and his family. He has all the tools to be a terrific broadcaster, and I know our fans will enjoy hearing his perspective.

Carl Edwards, driver of the No. 99 Fastenal Ford Fusion met with media members during rain delay action at Daytona International Speedway Thursday afternoon. Edwards touched on a number of different topics, including what a rained out day would mean to the 99 team.

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media at Daytona International Speedway and discussed his outlook for 2014, his quest for a seventh NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship and many other topics.

NASCAR got the 2014 season underway in earnest Thursday at Daytona International Speedway with the annual preseason testing. While mother nature delayed the start of the day, Ford Racing caught up with NASCAR program manager Pat DiMarco and Ford Racing aerodynamcist Bernie Marcus to discuss changes to the Fusion race car and how the new NASCAR rules package affects the Ford cars for 2014.

NASCAR has named Richard Buck, a NASCAR executive with a wealth of diverse experience in motorsports, as NASCAR Sprint Cup Series managing director.