RICK WARE RACING Bluegreen Vacations Duel Date: Feb. 15, 2024 Event: Bluegreen Vacations Duel Series: NASCAR Cup Series Location: Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (2.5-mile oval) Format: Twin 150-mile qualifying races that set the field for the Daytona 500
Duel No. 1 Winner: Tyler Reddick of 23XI Racing (Toyota) Duel No. 2 Winner: Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
RWR Finish:
● Justin Haley (Started 15th, Finished 10th/ Running, completed 60 of 60 laps in Duel No. 2) ● Riley Herbst (Started 6th, Finished 20th/ Accident, completed 47 of 60 laps in Duel No. 2)
Notes:
● Drivers earning odd-numbered positions from Wednesday’s pole qualifying session were assigned to the first Duel race. Drivers earning even-numbered positions from pole qualifying competed in the second Duel race. The starting positions for each Duel race were based on qualifying times.
● This was Haley’s fourth appearance in the Duel. His 10th-place result bettered his previous best finish in the Duel – 13th, earned in 2022.
● Haley scored one regular-season point. Only the top-10 finishers in each Duel were awarded regular-season points.
● This was Herbst’s second appearance in the Duel. He equaled his previous best finish in the Duel – 20th, earned in 2023.
● Herbst led three times for seven laps in Duel No. 2.
● Haley will start 22nd in the Daytona 500. His best Daytona 500 finish is 13th, earned in 2020.
● Herbst will start 36th in the Daytona 500. His best Daytona 500 finish is 10th, earned in 2023.
Justin Haley, driver of the No. 51 Tree Top / Fraternal Order of Eagles / Jacob Ford Mustang:
“The No. 51 team had a good race. Obviously there was some damage there after getting caught up in that wreck, but our Ford Mustang was still pretty good. I feel like we have a really good car for the Daytona 500. We’ve got some things to fix up. We’ll keep at it and hopefully have a good run on Sunday for everyone at Rick Ware Racing.”
Riley Herbst, driver of the No. 15 Monster Energy Zero Sugar Ford Mustang:
“Man. That was just an unfortunate ending to what was shaping up to be a good night. Our No. 15 Monster Energy Zero Sugar Ford Mustang was fast. We just got hooked in the right rear. I haven’t seen the replay yet, but it’s just wrong place at the wrong time. We’ll have to fix the damage, but we had the speed which is a good thing for Sunday.”
Next Up:
The 66th running of the Daytona 500 takes place at 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday with live coverage provided by FOX and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK No. 42 DOLLAR TREE TOYOTA CAMRY XSE
START: 19th FINISH: 4th POINTS: N/A
How did you miss that wreck?
“I think I closed my eyes and held the wheel straight. No, it was good spotting there at the top. We have a new spotter, Ryan Blanchard, and with myself, I felt like we worked well together. His first superspeedway race ever. A lot to learn, but I feel like we did well. Stayed out of the mess, stayed out of the carnage. Missed it by not very much. Overall, really solid night. I’m proud of the effort from everyone at LEGACY MOTOR CLUB. The whole Toyota, TRD camp – it was awesome to be able to lineup with Denny (Hamlin) and CBell (Christopher Bell) there at the end. I really had a shot to go up there and push and try to get a win. At least a Toyota won. It’s cool for CBell, but our Dollar Tree Toyota Camry XSE is really fast and it drives well. I’m looking forward to Sunday. I’ve got to make a few adjustments, work on it a little bit tomorrow in practice, a little drafting stuff – but learned a lot tonight – my first experience at a superspeedway in a Next Gen car. A lot to learn in a really short period of time, but I feel like we executed pretty well.”
What does this say about the start for LEGACY MOTOR CLUB – to put Jimmie in the field and top-fives for both full-time drivers?
“It’s awesome. It’s really, really cool to have both us finish that well, and to have Jimmie (Johnson) in the race as well. That was the most stressful part of the night – watching Jimmie race his way in. Overall, solid night by all three LEGACY MOTOR CLUB Camrys. Pretty cool to see Jimmie in a Toyota as well.”
ERIK JONES No. 43 ADVENTHEALTH TOYOTA CAMRY XSE
START: 12TH FINISH: 5TH POINTS: N/A
How much did you learn tonight?
“It was good. We had to kind of race all night. Had that mindset going in just with the new body and new manufacturer just to try to learn and figure out what it was going to do on Sunday. Yeah, it was quick. As soon as the green dropped, I was like, ‘Man, it’s good.’ And we were able to cycle right there to the front. It’s such a short race. Things just didn’t play out good enough for us to try and have a shot between pit road, and then that yellow came out right when we got cycled back to 11th. It just didn’t play out right. The Advent Camry was good, so it makes me look forward to Sunday a lot more than probably last night. We were a little worried about speed and it feels good now.”
JIMMIE JOHNSON No. 84 CARVANA TOYOTA CAMRY XSE
START: 18th FINISH: 12th POINTS: N/A
What was your experience like tonight racing to get into the Daytona 500?
“We had a really competitive car. This Carvana Toyota Camry was very, very capable in the draft. It was pretty easy to get up to the front and kind of maintain. And, while I was enjoying my position on track, I just knew it was too early, I knew stuff was coming and I knew something would happen. A few things happened after the pit stop that were quite exciting. Thankfully, we were in the right spot at the right time at the checkered flag.”
ABOUT LEGACY MOTOR CLUB: LEGACY MOTOR CLUB™ is a professional auto racing club owned by businessman and entrepreneur Maurice “Maury” J. Gallagher and seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson. The Club competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series fielding the No. 42 Toyota Camry XSE of John Hunter Nemechek, the No. 43 Toyota Camry XSE of Erik Jones, and the No. 84 limited schedule entry for Johnson. Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty “The King” serves as Club Ambassador. With a unique title signifying a nod to car clubs of past eras, LEGACY M.C. is an inclusive club for all motorsport enthusiasts to celebrate the past and future legacies of its members, while competing for wins and championships at NASCAR’s elite level. To keep up-to-date with the latest news, information and exclusive content, follow LEGACY MOTOR CLUB™ on Facebook, X, Instagram and at www.LEGACYMOTORCLUB.com.
STEWART-HAAS RACING Bluegreen Vacations Duel Date: Feb. 15, 2024 Event: Bluegreen Vacations Duel Series: NASCAR Cup Series Location: Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (2.5-mile oval) Format: Twin 150-mile qualifying races that set the field for the Daytona 500 Duel No. 1 Winner: Tyler Reddick of 23XI Racing (Toyota) Duel No. 2 Winner: Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
SHR Finish:
● Chase Briscoe (Started 7th, Finished 9th/ Running, completed 60 of 60 laps in Duel No. 2) ● Ryan Preece (Started 7th, Finished 13th / Running, completed 60 of 60 laps in Duel No. 1) ● Josh Berry (Started 11th, Finished 17th/ Mechanical, completed 48 of 60 laps in Duel No. 2) ● Noah Gragson (Started 8th, Finished 21st/ Accident, completed 47 of 60 laps in Duel No. 2)
Notes:
● Drivers earning odd-numbered positions from Wednesday’s pole qualifying session were assigned to the first Duel race. Drivers earning even-numbered positions from pole qualifying competed in the second Duel race. The starting positions for each Duel race were based on qualifying times.
● This was Briscoe’s fourth appearance in the Duel. His best finish remains fourth, earned in 2022.
● Briscoe scored two regular-season points. Only the top-10 finishers in each Duel were awarded regular-season points.
● This was Preece’s fifth appearance in the Duel. His best finish remains fifth, earned in 2021
● This was Berry’s first appearance in the Duel. He is running for rookie-of-the-year honors in 2024.
● This was Gragson’s third appearance in the Duel. His best finish remains 11th, earned last year.
● Briscoe will start 20th in the Daytona 500. His best Daytona 500 finish is third, earned in 2022.
● Preece will start 25th in the Daytona 500. His best Daytona 500 finish is sixth, earned in 2021.
● Berry will start 32nd in the Daytona 500. This year’s Daytona 500 will be his first start in the Great American Race.
● Gragson will start 40th in the Daytona 500. His best Daytona 500 finish is fifth, earned in 2022.
“The beginning of the race I tried to save fuel as much as I could. It seems like this race, the shorter you can make the final pit stop, the better position you put yourself in. We rode around probably 15th on back at the beginning, and after the fuel cycle we were third or fourth. I thought that was the right play to do. It was starting to get dicey at the end and I couldn’t miss the wreck there with (Ryan) Blaney. Tore our car up a little bit. We didn’t kill it, but we have a lot of work to do just to get it ready. Fortunately, we have a practice tomorrow to see where we stack up, but I thought our car handled really well, which is always a positive here.”
Ryan Preece, driver of the No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang:
“We have a really good HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang. With there being four Fords in the race, I tried to stick with Joey (Logano) and Chris (Buescher) and Todd (Gilliland) and, ultimately, we were playing the (fuel) saving game so much that we lost a lot of track position. But our cars are going to be fast. I’m not worried. I’m just going to race the heck out of everybody on Sunday.”
Josh Berry, driver of the No. 4 SUNNYD Ford Mustang:
“I’m pretty happy with our car. It was obviously a unique situation we were in, but I thought we were able to make some moves, make some progress, and learn a lot. I thought our car was solid, I just hate the issue that we had there at the end. We were in a really good spot, and it was a great opportunity to learn up front but, unfortunately, we didn’t get re-fired there. My guys will get everything fixed up and then we have a couple practice sessions to work through some things and then go race on Sunday.”
Noah Gragson, driver of the No. 10 Black Rifle Coffee/Ranger Boats Ford Mustang:
“It was going well. We had just made our green-flag pit stop and then shortly after a half-dozen laps after we all went off pit road the top lane started going and they started stacking. I was probably fifth or sixth in line on the top row and they started wrecking and came across the track. I saw the 24 car (William Byron) and rode in the ambulance with Kyle Busch, (Ryan) Blaney and Riley (Herbst), so I don’t know where they were. I got some good experience – ran up front before we pitted. I worked really well with the other Ford Mustang drivers. Riley Herbst and I were tandem driving up there in the front two rows. It gave us a little experience in our Black Rifle Coffee/Ranger Boats Ford Mustang tonight. It’s unfortunate that we got torn up. The guys at Stewart-Haas Racing have been working really, really hard and I think our backup will run well. It sucks going back there because of all of the hard work, but I’m just grateful to be back here and we’ll give them hell on Sunday.”
Next Up:
The 66th running of the Daytona 500 takes place at 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday with live coverage provided by FOX and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Having very little success on superspeedway venues throughout his racing career, Christopher Bell gained an early advantage in his pursuit of winning his first Daytona 500 title by scoring a victory in the second of two Bluegreen Vacations Duels at Daytona International Speedway on Thursday, February 15, following a final lap overtake on teammate Denny Hamlin.
The 29-year-old Bell from Norman, Oklahoma, led the final lap of 60 scheduled laps in an event where he started 16th and methodically carved his way to the front while also dodging a late multi-car wreck that collected a bevy of stars, including last year’s NASCAR Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney. During an eight-lap dash to the finish, Bell, who drafted teammate Denny Hamlin into the lead, gained a huge drafting run from Harrison Burton on the final lap to feign a move on Hamlin and overtake him through the backstretch. He would then fend off a final lap charge from Austin Cindric to achieve his first Daytona Duel career victory.
Amid Bell’s Duel victory, Kaz Grala rallied from his mechanical issues during Wednesday’s single-car qualifying session and starting at the rear of the field to claim a transfer spot into this year’s Daytona 500 over BJ McLeod.
Prior to the event, Michael McDowell, who claimed a front-row starting spot for this year’s Daytona 500, started on the pole and was joined on the front row by Austin Cindric. In addition, Kaz Grala dropped to the rear of the field due to an engine change after he had dealt with a mechanical issue during Wednesday’s single-car qualifying session.
When the green flag waved and the second Duel event commenced, McDowell muscled his No. 34 Love’s Ford Mustang Dark Horse ahead with the lead from the inside lane while Austin Cindric, William Byron, Kyle Busch and Harrison Burton followed suit. With a majority of the field opting to run on the inside lane, McDowell proceeded to lead the first lap. He would maintain control of both lanes and the field throughout the early stages of the event while Riley Herbst was trying to generate a run from the outside lane.
Through the first five scheduled laps, McDowell was then being challenged for the lead as William Byron made his move to the outside lane and drew his No. 24 AXALTA Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 even with McDowell through the backstretch. McDowell, however, would maintain his ground and position from the inside lane, though Byron kept in toe with McDowell from the outside lane as he had Kyle Busch drafting him.
Nearing the Lap 10 mark, Byron, who assumed the lead for the first time on the seventh lap, was leading from the inside lane and by a hair over a hard-charging Riley Herbst while Kyle Busch, Noah Gragson, McDowell, AJ Allmendinger, Austin Cindric, Bubba Wallace, Christopher Bell and Harrison Burton were running in the top 10 amid two tight-packed lanes. Meanwhile, BJ McLeod was running in a transfer spot in 13th place, three spots ahead of David Ragan, while Kaz Grala was mired in 21st place, dead last.
By Lap 20, Herbst, who led six laps in the process, and Noah Gragson were dueling for the lead as Herbst had drafting help from Wallace and Bell while Allmendinger, who led two laps earlier, was drafting Gragson along with Byron amid a stacked two-packed field. By then, McLeod was running in the top 10 while Ragan and Grala were mired at the rear of the field.
At the halfway mark on Lap 30, Wallace, who led for the first time on Lap 21, was leading in his No. 23 McDonald’s Toyota Camry XSE ahead of Bell and rookie Zane Smith while Herbst fell back to fourth place in his No. 15 Monster Energy Ford Mustang Dark Horse in front of Gragson, McLeod, Justin Haley, Allmendinger, McDowell and Byron. By then, Kyle Busch was back in 12th while Ragan and Grala were still mired in 20th and 21st, respectively.
Then with 19 laps remaining, pit stops under green commenced as some led by Wallace pitted, mainly for fuel. Another wave of competitors led by McDowell would pit during the following lap while a select few, led by Harrison Burton, remained on the track. With the rest of the lead lap competitors led by Burton pitting with 17 laps remaining, McDowell would manage to blend back as the race leader with 15 laps remaining as he had Denny Hamlin following suit along with Cindric, Chase Briscoe, Byron and Kyle Busch.
Then with 13 laps remaining, the caution flew after Busch bumped and sent Byron sideways through the tri-oval, where he clipped Ryan Blaney and sent Blaney’s No. 12 Menards Ford Mustang Dark Horse head-on into the outside wall as Blaney’s car went up in flames. The carnage also collected Brad Keselowski, Gragson, Briscoe, Herbst, Burton, Wallace, Haley and McLeod. Amid the carnage, all competitors, including Blaney, emerged uninjured as the event was placed in an eight-minute red flag period to have the carnage cleared.
Once the red flag lifted and the remaining competitors proceeded under a cautious pace, the event resumed under green flag conditions with eight laps remaining. At the start, McDowell received a strong push from Cindric’s No. 2 Discount Tire Ford Mustang Dark Horse on the outside lane through the frontstretch to maintain a brief advantage until Hamlin came roaring back on the inside lane with drafting help from Bell, with the latter muscling ahead. McDowell, however, fought back through the backstretch and through Turns 3 and 4 as he maintained the lead followed by Cindric, Keselowski and Grala while Hamlin was trying to regain his momentum.
Two laps later and amid a stacked two-packed field at the front, Hamlin drew his No. 11 FedEx Toyota Camry XSE into another side-by-side battle against McDowell’s Ford for the lead. While McLeod was trying to draft his way towards Ragan and Grala for a transfer spot into the Daytona 500, Hamlin and McDowell continued to battle dead even for the lead and in front of Bell and Cindric.
Then with four laps remaining and while Hamlin transitioned from the inside to outside lane to block McDowell, McDowell was bumped out of line by Cindric and drifted to the rear of the field. This resulted with Bell drawing even and challenging teammate Hamlin for the lead while Cindric and John Hunter Nemechek followed suit. As the field continued to run in two tight-packed lanes, however, Hamlin managed to clear Bell and assume the lead under his control. By then, Grala was racing within the top 10 and in a transfer spot for the Daytona 500 ahead of Ragan and McLeod.
When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Hamlin remained as the leader over teammate Bell, Nemechek, Zane Smith and Burton, who was gaining a draft from Cindric and Keselowski to march his way to the front. Amid Burton’s strong run from the outside lane through Turns 1 and 2, Bell moved his No. 20 DeWalt/Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry XSE in front of Burton as he gained a run on Hamlin entering the backstretch. It was then when Bell feigned a move to Hamlin’s inside as Hamlin transitioned to the inside lane, which allowed Bell to storm into the lead on the outside lane while being drafted by Burton and Cindric. Cindric then moved Burton out of the draft to challenge Bell for the lead, but Bell executed two blocks on Cindric entering the frontstretch, which were enough for him to claim the checkered flag first and win the first Duel event of his career.
With the victory, Bell, whose previous best Duel results were a pair of runner-up results from 2021 and 2023, was awarded a handful of championship points and the fourth-place starting spot for this year’s 66th running of the Daytona 500 as he also recorded the 11th Daytona Duel victory overall for Joe Gibbs Racing. With 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick winning the first Duel event, this season marks the first time since 2014 that Toyota competitors swept both Daytona Duel events.
The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season is set to mark Bell’s fifth as a full-time competitor and fifth attempt of winning his first Great American Race on Sunday, Feb. 18.
“Yeah, it feels good,” Bell said. “These [superspeedway] races, man. I don’t know what to think of ’em. Me and Adam Stevens, my crew chief, we have a running joke: I say these races are 100% luck. I know that’s not true, but it seems like we’ve been struggling to get to the end of it. I know I’ve been a common denominator in a lot of the wrecks. Feels good to do everything right today.”
Cindric, the 2022 Daytona 500 champion, settled in second place in a Duel event for a third consecutive season while Hamlin, Nemechek, Harrison Burton, Zane Smith, Keselowski, Byron, Briscoe and Justin Haley finished in the top 10 on the track.
Meanwhile, Kaz Grala, who needed to finish ahead of both David Ragan and BJ McLeod on the track to make the starting grid for this year’s Daytona 500, accomplished his feat after finishing in 12th place, two spots ahead of McLeod and three spots over Ragan, though the latter is also in this year’s Great American Race based on his qualifying speed from Wednesday night’s single-car qualifying session while McLeod failed to qualify for the main event.
With his accomplishment, Grala, who is piloting a third Front Row Motorsports entry, will make his third career appearance in the Daytona 500. He will attempt to achieve both his first Cup Series and 500 victory on Sunday.
Photo by Patrick Sue-Chan for SpeedwayMedia.com.
“Just really proud of everybody at Front Row Motorsports,” Grala said. “They worked so hard the last 24 hours to get the car ready to race today. Some trouble yesterday. Really cool to be able to get it in the show for them. Real big opportunity for me. Excited to be here on Sunday again.”
There were 13 lead changes for nine different leaders. The event featured one caution for four laps.
Results.
1. Christopher Bell, one lap led
2. Austin Cindric
3. Denny Hamlin, five laps led
4. John Hunter Nemechek
5. Harrison Burton, one lap led
6. Zane Smith
7. Brad Keselowski
8. William Byron, five laps led
9. Chase Briscoe
10. Justin Haley
11. Bubba Wallace, 21 laps led
12. Kaz Grala
13. AJ Allmendinger, two laps led
14. BJ McLeod
15. David Ragan
16. Michael McDowell, 17 laps led
17. Josh Berry – OUT, Fuel pump
18. Ryan Blaney – OUT, Accident, one lap led
19. Kyle Busch – OUT, Accident
20. Riley Herbst – OUT, Accident, seven laps led
21. Noah Gragson – OUT, Accident
With the starting lineup for this year’s 66th running of the Daytona 500 officially set, the main event is set to commence on Sunday, Feb. 18, which will also mark the official start of NASCAR’s 76th season of premier series competition. The coverage for this year’s Great American Race is scheduled to start at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX.
After posting the 36th-fastest qualifying lap during Wednesday night’s single-car qualifying session for this year’s Daytona 500, Tyler Reddick responded with vengeance and in dramatic style after executing a final lap pass on Kyle Larson to storm to the victory in the first of two Bluegreen Vacations Duels at Daytona International Speedway on Thursday, Feb. 15.
The two-time NASCAR Xfinity Series champion from Corning, California, led only the final lap of 60 scheduled laps in an event where he rallied from starting towards the rear of the field to methodically carve his way to the front. After nearly getting in a wreck following a bump by Martin Truex Jr. during the event’s lone cycle of green flag pit stops with nearly 20 laps remaining, Reddick would draft his way from the top 10 toward the front during a six-lap shootout before overtaking Larson on the final lap to win his first Duel event at Daytona of his career.
In the midst of Reddick’s victory, Jimmie Johnson rallied from being involved in a late multi-car wreck to overtake JJ Yeley on the final lap and claim a transfer spot into this year’s Daytona 500.
Prior to the event, Joey Logano, the 2024 Daytona 500 pole winner, started on the pole position and was joined on the front row by Kyle Larson.
When the green flag waved and the first Duel event commenced, Logano and Larson dueled for the lead through the first two turns and through the backstretch until Larson started to muscle ahead from the outside lane with drafting help from Austin Dillon. Then through Turns 3 and 4, Larson managed to muscle ahead and clear the field as he managed to fend off Logano to lead the first lap in his No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 while Logano was locked into a side-by-side battle with Dillon amid a tight packed lane fanning out two lanes.
During the proceeding laps, Larson continued to lead as he also remained on the outside lane while receiving drafting help from Austin Dillon while Logano remained as the first competitor leading the inside lane with drafting help from Chase Elliott. The outside lane, however, would continue to gain the advantage through the straightaways as Larson, who then transitioned from the outside to the inside lane, maintained the lead while Todd Gilliland battled Dillon for the runner-up spot. In addition, Chris Buescher was in fourth while Logano was mired in fifth as he was battling Daniel Suarez, Erik Jones and Elliott, with the field battling amid two tight-packed lanes.
Through the first five scheduled laps, Erik Jones was the leader ahead of Daniel Suarez, who overtook Larson for the lead during the previous lap. With Jones and Suarez dueling for the lead amid two tight-packed lanes, Jones had Martin Truex Jr. drafting him on the outside lane while Suarez had Larson drafting him on the inside lane.
At the Lap 10 mark, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. made his way into the lead by 0.069 seconds over Jones while Truex, Corey LaJoie, Suarez, Jimmie Johnson, Larson, Ty Gibbs, Gilliland and Alex Bowman were running in the top 10. By then, Logano had fallen back to 15th while JJ Yeley, who was battling Johnson for a transfer spot into this year’s Daytona 500, was mired back in 17th. In addition, Anthony Alfredo, who guaranteed himself a starting spot for the Daytona 500 based on his qualifying speed from Wednesday night’s single-car qualifying session, dropped back to 21st place, dead last, to preserve his primary car for the main event.
Not long after, a side-by-side battle for the lead ignited between Stenhouse and LaJoie as Stenhouse had Jones’ No. 43 AdventHealth Toyota Camry XSE drafting him for the lead on the inside lane while LaJoie had drafting help from Johnson’s No. 84 Carvana Toyota Camry XSE on the inside lane. Stenhouse, however, would receive another strong shove from Jones through the backstretch to muscle away from LaJoie and clear the field to gain sole possession of the lead ahead of the pack nearing the Lap 15 mark.
A few laps later, the top three competitors led by Stenhouse and including Jones and Truex cleared the field while the rest of the field led by a side-by-side battle between Suarez and Johnson were stacked in two tight-packed lanes.
By Lap 20, Stenhouse maintained the lead ahead of Jones, Truex and Suarez while Johnson tried to ignite another run to the front from the outside lane. Meanwhile and as the field slowly started to fan out to three lanes, LaJoie, who was battling towards the front, was drifting to the back of the field after he was placed in the middle of a three-wide battle and lost the draft.
Six laps later and with the field returning to running in two tight-packed lanes, Truex gained a huge run through the backstretch to draft his way into the lead from the outside lane followed by Larson and Johnson while Stenhouse, who transitioned from the outside to inside lane to keep Erik Jones drafting him, fell back to within the top five. Two laps later, however, Stenhouse fought his way back from the inside lane as he drew Truex into a side-by-side battle exiting the frontstretch and through the backstretch.
At the halfway mark on Lap 30, Truex was drafted into the lead from Larson ahead of Stenhouse while Johnson, Jones, Ty Gibbs, Suarez, Tyler Reddick, Bowman and Chastain were battling in the top 10. By then, Johnson was in a transfer spot ahead of JJ Yeley, who was mired back in 14th, while Logano was scored in 18th behind Austin Dillon and rookie Carson Hocevar.
With 25 laps remaining, Truex was leading from the outside lane in his No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry XSE as he had Larson drafting him along with Johnson while Stenhouse remained on the inside as he had Jones drafting him while he continued to keep Truex within his sights. By then, Alfredo, who pitted under green, was penalized for speeding on pit road, which dropped him out of the lead lap category.
Then with 21 laps remaining, pit stops under the green flag commenced as the Toyota competitors Johnson, Reddick, Jones and Ty Gibbs pitted. Prior to the pit stops, Truex bumped and nearly sent Reddick sideways into Ty Gibbs as Reddick was trying to make the turn to pit road while Austin Dillon nearly got turned in the middle of the pack as he barely squeezed Gilliland up against the outside wall. The following lap and with the field dispersed, Austin Dillon and Stenhouse pitted under green while Larson was leading ahead of Chastain, Suarez, Bowman and Elliott.
Then with 17 laps remaining, a majority of the field, led by Larson, pitted under green as Todd Gilliland assumed the lead. During the pit stops, Chastain was penalized for speeding on pit road and was forced to make another trip to pit road to serve a pass-through penalty. Shortly after, the following names that include Gilliland, Logano, Ryan Preece and Buescher pitted under green.
Following the pit stops, Larson rocketed his way back into the lead followed by Chevrolet teammates Suarez, Elliott and Bowman while Logano, who tried to blend in front of the Chevrolet competitors, fell back to fifth. Amid the completion of pit stops, Johnson continued to run in a transfer spot within the top 10 with less than 15 laps remaining in the event.
Then with 10 laps remaining, the first Duel’s first caution flew after Daniel Hemric, who briefly stepped off the gas as the field briefly checked up in front of him while fanned out to nearly four lanes, was bumped by Stenhouse, which sent Hemric’s No. 31 Cirkul Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 sideways and head-on into the outside wall in Turn 3. Amid Hemric’s wreck, Stenhouse, Austin Dillon and Johnson made contact that sent all three spinning below the apron. Amid the incident, Hemric retired while Stenhouse, Dillon and Johnson continued, with the latter now locked in a tight battle with Yeley to claim a transfer spot for Sunday’s Daytona 500.
With the race restarting with six laps remaining, Larson and Suarez dueled for the lead ahead of Elliott and Ty Gibbs while Johnson, who pitted during the caution period, was trying to regain speed to keep pace with Yeley towards the rear of the field. As the field continued to jostle and battle amid two stacked lanes from the backstretch and through the frontstretch, Larson and Suarez remained dead even for the lead followed by Ty Gibbs, Elliott, Hocevar and Logano as the event reached its final five-lap mark remaining.
As the laps continued to dwindle, Larson and Suarez remained dead even of one another for the race lead ahead of the pack while Johnson was trying to keep pace and remain ahead of Yeley towards the rear of the field, but with a starting spot for the Daytona 500 up for grabs.
When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Larson was scored the lead as he started to muscle ahead of teammate Elliott, Suarez and the field through the frontstretch. Entering Turns 1 and 2, Elliott transitioned from the outside to the inside lane as he was drafted into a brief lead by Hocevar before Larson fought back with drafting help from Reddick. Then through the backstretch, Reddick seized an opportunity by veering to the left and making his move beneath Larson for the lead, which he executed as Larson got loose off the front nose of teammate Bowman and lost the draft.
With Larson losing ground as the field fanned out entering the frontstretch, Reddick was able to muscle his No. 45 Nasty Beast Toyota Camry XSE away from the field and beat a hard-charging Elliott by 0.056 seconds to win the first Duel event.
With the victory, Reddick, whose previous best Duel result was eighth, was awarded a handful of championship points and the third-place starting spot for this year’s 66th running of the Daytona 500 that is set to occur this upcoming Sunday, February 18. Reddick also became the first Toyota competitor to win a Daytona Duel event since his owner Denny Hamlin made the last accomplishment in 2017 as he also recorded the first Duel victory for 23XI Racing. The 2024 Cup Series season is set to mark Reddick’s fifth full-time campaign in NASCAR’s premier series and sixth consecutive attempt to win his first Great American Race.
Photo by Patrick Sue-Chan for SpeedwayMedia.com.
“It’s a great way to start off the weekend,” Reddick said on FS1. “Man, this [car] is a beast. It’s a great way to kick off a brand-new product. Go out and get some Hard Tea, have a good time tonight. I know we are.”
Chase Elliott settled in second place followed by teammate Bowman, Hocevar and Erik Jones while Suarez, Logano, Ty Gibbs, Larson and Chris Buescher finished in the top 10 on the track.
Meanwhile, Jimmie Johnson was also left smiling after rallying from his late incident to race his way into the Daytona 500 after overtaking JJ Yeley entering the frontstretch and crossing the finish line in 12th place while Yeley ended up in 16th place, which left him and NY Racing out of this year’s Daytona 500 field.
With his accomplishment, Johnson will make his 21st career start in the Great American Race at Daytona, his second in a row as a driver/co-owner of Legacy Motor Club and his first piloting a Toyota Camry XSE stock car. He will also pursue a third Daytona 500 victory.
Photo by Patrick Sue-Chan for SpeedwayMedia.com.
“I’ve never been in a position like this before and I have such a greater appreciation for everyone before me that’s tried to race their way in,” Johnson said. “It’s very stressful. I’m very thankful we got this Carvana Toyota into the race. I knew the first half of the race was going too easy. I knew there’d be a challenge thrown at us and we got it just in time. Hats off to JJ Yeley. He put up a heck of a fight in a very competitive car. We were just in the right spot at the right time when the checkered [flag] fell.”
There were 15 lead changes for nine different leaders. The event featured one caution for four laps.
Results.
1. Tyler Reddick, one lap led
2. Chase Elliott
3. Alex Bowman
4. Carson Hocevar
5. Erik Jones, five laps led
6. Daniel Suarez, two laps led
7. Joey Logano, one lap led
8. Ty Gibbs
9. Kyle Larson, 20 laps led
10. Chris Buescher
11. Ross Chastain
12. Jimmie Johnson
13. Ryan Preece
14. Martin Truex Jr., 14 laps led
15. Corey LaJoie
16. JJ Yeley
17. Todd Gilliland, one lap led
18. Austin Dillon
19. Anthony Alfredo, one lap down
20. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – OUT, DVP, 15 laps led
21. Daniel Hemric – OUT, Accident
The second Bluegreen Vacations Duel at Daytona International Speedway is underway and will complete the starting lineup for the 66th running of the Daytona 500 scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 18, at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX.
Spartanburg, SC – Jeremy Clements Racing is ready for a thrilling 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Season and aims to greatly improve upon their 2023 season. The team is excited to kick off the new season with their long-time winning partnership of One Stop Convenience Stores and All South Electric.com at Daytona International Speedway in the United Rentals 300 on Saturday, Feb. 17.
Associate partners, including Fox Sports Spartanburg, Sherfick Companies, American Countertop, Impel Union, The Racing Warehouse, and Alliance Driveaway Solutions will also fuel the No. 51 Chevrolet in the season-opening race at the 2.5-mile tri-oval World Center of Racing.
Clements, who will be starting his 14th full-time season in the XFINITY Series for the family-run, single-car independent team, expressed his immense gratitude towards all the partners for their unwavering contribution to the team. He mentioned that their support will power their efforts to be part of the Playoffs and even secure a win or two.
Additionally, the No. 51 Chevy Camaro SS will carry the logos of supporters, Workforce, Whitetail Smokeless, E3 Spark Plugs, Elite Towing and Recovery, Zmax Race Products, Carolina Driveline, Matman Designs, Dynamic Paintware, Papa G Drywall, and Nordic Logistics.
With such a strong team and support from their partners, Jeremy Clements Racing is poised for a winning season and is sure to keep fans on the edge of their seats in 2024.
RACE PREVIEW Track: Daytona International Speedway Date: Saturday, February 17th, 2024 Broadcast Information: TV: 5:00 pm EST on FS1
FAST FACTS Best Start 8th – 2021 Best Finish 1st – 2022 28th career start at Daytona
JCR TEAM Team: No. 51 Crew Chief: Mark Setzer Manufacturer: Chevrolet
ABOUT ALL SOUTH ELECTRIC All South Electrical Constructors, Inc. was founded on June 1, 1993, by Chuck and Charlie Koon as a single-family and small multifamily/commercial electrical contractor. By 1996, All South Electrical had created one of the most creditable reputations within the State of Georgia for its outstanding support to its customers.
All South Electrical has employed a group of professionals whose goals and objectives are the same as its founders, to provide a quality product at the most economical price while maintaining a safe environment within the workplace.
Today, All South Electrical is one of the most competitive electrical contractors within the multifamily market. Presently we average 5000 units per year as well as our service department.
All South Electrical is licensed in all the Southeastern states. For more information see www.allsouthelectric.com.
14-TIME NASCAR CHAMPIONS ANNOUNCE INITIATIVES INCLUDING RUBY RED CARS, MAY FAN EVENT
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 15, 2024) – In a press conference today at Daytona International Speedway, Hendrick Motorsports announced several public-facing initiatives to commemorate its 40th anniversary season in NASCAR. The yearlong ruby anniversary celebration will include special paint schemes, fan events, a line of Chevrolet Camaro street cars and more.
Founded by NASCAR Hall of Fame owner Rick Hendrick in 1984, Hendrick Motorsports is the winningest team in Cup Series history with all-time records of 301 points-paying race victories and 14 championships. The organization holds every major statistical record at NASCAR’s top level, including pole positions, top-10 finishes, top-fives and laps led.
“When I think back on our story, I have a hard time believing it myself,” Hendrick said. “In 1984, we had five employees, 5,000 square feet of rented space and a lot of desire to make it work. I dreamed of one day winning a race, but I never imagined it would grow into what it is now. Every bit of success we’ve had is due to the contributions of our people and the incredible support we’ve received over 40 years. We’re here because of the commitment, the passion and the sacrifices made by so many.
“It’s been an incredible ride, and we’re just getting started.”
With drivers Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, William Byron and Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports will seek a record-tying ninth DAYTONA 500 win on Sunday (2:30 p.m. ET on FOX). It will mark nearly 40 years to the day since the team made its debut on Feb. 19, 1984, in “The Great American Race.”
RUBY RED CARS AT MARTINSVILLE
In the eighth race of the 1984 season at Martinsville Speedway, driver Geoff Bodine recorded Hendrick Motorsports’ first Cup Series win, which kept owner Hendrick from shutting down the fledgling team. To celebrate the 40th anniversary of that key victory, today Hendrick Motorsports unveiled four ruby red paint schemes it will field April 7 at Martinsville – the eighth race of 2024:
In addition, Chevrolet surprised Hendrick by naming him the honorary pace car driver for the spring race, and the track announced Bodine and nine-time Martinsville Speedway winner Jeff Gordon as the event’s grand marshals. Hendrick Motorsports has fielded only Chevrolet race cars in the Cup Series since it was established and has 28 Cup-level victories at Martinsville, which is the all-time record for team wins at a single track.
Today, Martinsville Speedway also announced a special ticket offer to Hendrick Motorsports fans, which is one of several initiatives by the track to celebrate the team’s 40th anniversary during its April race weekend. For the April 7 NASCAR Cup Series race, discounted adult tickets are available at $40 and youth tickets (12 and under) at just $10. The offer expires March 1.
40 YEARS, 40 CAMAROS, ONE BIG WINNER
In 2024, a limited line of Hendrick Motorsports 40th Anniversary Edition Chevrolet Camaro street cars will be sold exclusively through select Hendrick Automotive Group Chevrolet dealerships.
Prepared at Hendrick Motorsports, the vehicles will feature the radiant red tintcoat color, a custom graphics package, 40th anniversary branding and a unique owner’s kit with an invitation for a behind-the-scenes tour of the team’s facilities. Only 40 of the cars will be produced by Hendrick Motorsports.
In addition, a lucky fan will drive home one of the special cars thanks to a pair of the team’s partners. With the Ally “Win Your Wheels” sweepstakes fueled by HENDRICKCARS.COM, people can enter to win a Hendrick Motorsports 40th Anniversary Edition Chevrolet Camaro SS 1LE by visiting the Ally Fan Zone at Daytona International Speedway and other select tracks. An entry can also be submitted online at Ally.com/sweepstakes/nascar. The promotion launched today and will end Sept. 20.
HENDRICK HOMECOMING
As Hendrick Motorsports gears up for the grueling Coca-Cola 600 at its home track of Charlotte Motor Speedway and the team’s inaugural appearance in the storied Indianapolis 500, the organization will host “Hendrick Homecoming,” a free 40th anniversary fan event on its campus in Concord, North Carolina, over Memorial Day weekend.
On May 24-25, Hendrick Motorsports will offer appearances and autograph sessions with current and past drivers, crew chiefs and other personalities from the team’s history. The all-ages, family-friendly event will include food trucks, displays, games, giveaways, live music and more.
In September 2024, publisher Motorbooks will launch “Hendrick Motorsports: 40 Years,” the only officially licensed book commemorating the 40th anniversary of the 14-time Cup Series champions.
Authored by veteran auto racing writer Ben White and illustrated with images from top NASCAR photographer Nigel Kinrade, the retrospective will include 40 different stories from the team’s history.
“Hendrick Motorsports: 40 Years” is currently available for pre-order at the Hendrick Motorsports online store and other book retailers.
HALL OF FAME EXHIBIT
The NASCAR Hall of Fame today announced it will introduce a special Hendrick Motorsports 40th anniversary exhibit in 2024. Details of the display will be shared at a later date.
The NASCAR Hall of Fame has enshrined 13 people with ties to Hendrick Motorsports, including team owner Hendrick in 2017, four-time Cup Series champion and current vice chairman Gordon in 2019, and most recently seven-time champions Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus in 2024.
Past inductees Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2021), Ray Evernham (2018), Ron Hornaday Jr. (2018), Terry Labonte (2016), Mark Martin (2017), Benny Parsons (2017), Tony Stewart (2020), Darrell Waltrip (2012) and Waddell Wilson (2020) all have Hendrick Motorsports connections.
GEAR UP
Officially licensed apparel and merchandise inspired by Hendrick Motorsports’ 40th anniversary are available via the team’s online store and at its museum located in Concord.
ABOUT HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS: Founded by Rick Hendrick in 1984, Hendrick Motorsports is the winningest team in NASCAR Cup Series history. At the sport’s premier level, the organization holds the all-time records in every major statistical category, including championships (14), points-paying race victories (301) and laps led (nearly 80,000). It has earned at least one race win in a record 39 different seasons, including an active streak of 38 in a row (1986-2023). Celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2024, the team fields four full-time Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 entries in the NASCAR Cup Series with drivers Alex Bowman, William Byron, Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson. Headquartered on more than 100 acres in Concord, North Carolina, Hendrick Motorsports employs approximately 600 people. For more information, please visit HendrickMotorsports.com or interact on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X.
MOORESVILLE, N.C. (February 15, 2024) – Front Row Motorsports (FRM) will be entering into a new era with Layne Riggs, who will kick off his rookie campaign this Friday at the Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway; a race that FRM is back-to-back winners of.
Joining Riggs, Dylan Cappello will begin his first year as crew chief for the No. 38 Love’s RV Stops Ford F-150 team. Entering his fifth year in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (NCTS), Cappello has served as the lead race engineer for Todd Gilliland and Zane Smith. Cappello now looks to call the shots on top of the pit box in hopes of another NCTS Championship.
Track activity will begin with practice on Thursday, February 15th at 5:00p.m. ET.
Qualifying for the event will take place Friday, February 16th at 3:00 p.m. ET. The green flag for the 100-lap race will drop at 7:30 p.m. ET and can be watched live on FS1. Fans can also listen in on the action from Sirius XM and the Motor Racing Network.
No. 38 Love’s RV Stops Ford F-150:
DRIVER LAYNE RIGGS:
“There’s a lot of pressure going into this race, especially with Zane (Smith) winning it two years in a row. But I know our truck will be fast and I have full faith in this 38 group.”
“We have a great group of guys on this team, and under the leadership of Dylan (Cappello), I see no reason why we can’t go out there and be competitive.”
CREW CHIEF DYLAN CAPPELLO:
“Yeah, like Layne said, there’s a lot of pressure, but I’ve been here before. This is what we have worked all off season towards, and now it’s time to just go out there and start the season off with a bang.”
ABOUT FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS
Front Row Motorsports (FRM) is a winning organization in the NASCAR Cup and CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. The team is the 2021 Daytona 500 and 2022 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series champions. The team was founded in 2004 and is owned by successful entrepreneur, Bob Jenkins. FRM fields the No. 34 and the No. 38 NASCAR Cup Series teams along with the No. 38 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series team from its Mooresville, N.C. headquarters. Visit teamfrm.com and follow FRM on social media: Twitter at @Team_FRM, Instagram at @team_frm and Facebook at facebook.com/FrontRowMotorsports.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (Feb. 15, 2024) – When Austin Prock stages his 11,000-horsepower Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Camaro Funny Car for John Force Racing during his first official NHRA Funny Car pass during the opening round of qualifying at the 55th Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals on March 7-10, he’ll have lots of Gainesville Raceway memories and thoughts.
After all, his grandfather, Tom Prock, was the Gatornationals Funny Car runner-up at the 1975 event and his father, Jimmy, has won the race four times with Robert Hight, for whom the younger Prock is subbing while Hight addresses some medical concerns. Gainesville Raceway is also the track where Austin made his first pass in any kind of Funny Car, back in 2008 at the Frank Hawley Drag Racing School.
“I’ve always seen the success my dad had there, and, before his, my grandfather, and that place has a special place in my heart,” he said. “It’s also where we lost my good friend Eric Medlen [former John Force driver who died in a testing incident in 2007]. Eric was a great friend of mine, and a mentor to me. He took me under his wing and took care of me and taught me things, like how to paint helmets. It’d be cool to get the job done for that and my family’s legacy.”
Last year, Mike Salinas (Top Fuel), Matt Hagan (Funny Car), Troy Coughlin Jr. (Pro Stock), and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) all won in Gainesville. This year’s race will air on FS1, including the Pep Boys Top Fuel All-Star Callout at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, live coverage on Sunday from 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m., and continuing finals coverage at 9 p.m. ET on Sunday.
After licensing in a trio of JFR entries in 2018 – driving the cars of team boss Force, his daughter Courtney, and with his dad tuning Hight’s car – and then saddling up in Team Force’s Top Fueler in 2019, Prock had made just two Funny Car runs heading into 2024. It’s also a move reuniting father and son as a tuning and driving tandem, while Austin’s brother, Thomas, serves as their father’s assistant crew chief.
“This whole this whole deal is a thrill, getting to race with my dad and my brother both up in the lounge making the calls and me in the seat,” Prock said. “I mean, this is storybook stuff, the stuff you write up, and it’s actually happening in real life, so it’s really special.
“We all know this car will run,” he added. “This thing flew last year with Robert driving so we’re just getting all the bugs worked out and I gotta keep learning and try not to make any mistakes and give the race car a shot to do what it needs to do. It’s all a learning process.
“I really truly enjoy drag racing and loved running the Top Fuel car, but Funny Car is where I belong. I always dreamed of driving one like my grandpa, and I am having an absolute blast. I’m loving every second of it. I love the challenge of these cars. I love sitting behind the engine. I love the body dropping. And to top it off, I’m doing it with my family.
“I’m so blessed to have John Force in my corner. He loves the sport ad has built his empire off of family racing, and he gets to watch that happen with my family too, under the same roof. He’s given us an outstanding facility to race out of we always have the right parts and money. He just wants to see win lights turn on and have fun. He knows the love that I have for this sport and the love I have for Funny Cars, and I’m glad to have him in my corner.”
The fact that he’s jumping into one of the best Funny Cars on the planet and filling in for three-time world champion Hight is not lost on him. Pressure? You bet.
“Plenty of people have come up and said, ‘Man, you got big shoes to fill,’ but I know you can do it, but I’ve been a Nervous Nellie, up in the middle of the night thinking about it and trying to run through all the scenarios and just trying to manifest doing a good job.
“I’m not going into this race season any different than any other one or any race that I’ve ever gone into, and the team’s not either. We want to go there and run low E.T. every round, and we want to win every race. If you’re competitive and a racer, that’s what you expect. And I believe we can do that. We’re hungry. We want to do good for John Force Racing. We want to do good for Robert Hight. And we want to do good for all of our great partners. We don’t expect any less than that.”
Prock will deal with a host of Funny Car standouts to kick off the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series in Gainesville, including defending world champ and back-to-back race winner Hagan, Ron Capps, Force, Bob Tasca III and J.R. Todd.
Reigning Top Fuel world champ Doug Kalitta looks to keep rolling after winning his first world title to close out 2023, taking on Brittany Force, Steve Torrence, Antron Brown, Justin Ashley, Tony Schumacher and class newcomer Tony Stewart.
Six-time Pro Stock world champ Erica Enders will try to win in Gainesville for the first time, facing off against Greg Anderson, Aaron Stanfield, Matt Hartford and Dallas Glenn. In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Herrera is after a repeat win by knocking off the likes of Matt Smith, Steve Johnson, Hector Arana Jr. and Angie Smith.
The Pep Boys NHRA Top Fuel All-Star Callout is back to open 2024 as well, pitting eight standouts against each other in a unique, big-money specialty race on Saturday, March 9. Local standout Josh Hart won the Callout last year. Action will also take place in the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+ and Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown to open 2024.
Race fans at Gainesville Raceway can enjoy the special pre-race ceremonies for drivers racing for the prestigious Wally on Sunday and the fan favorite SealMaster Track Walk, which benefits the Darrell Gwynn Foundation in Gainesville, as well as a ring ceremony for the 2023 world champs (Kalitta, Hagan, Enders and Herrera) and a flyover from the U.S. Air Force. The final can’t-miss experience of any NHRA event is the winner’s circle celebration on Sunday, where fans are invited to congratulate the event winners.
The Nitro Alley Stage is a huge attraction and the main entertainment hub in the pits, hosting Nitro School, the NHRA Insider Podcast, Shirley Muldowney Q&A and meet and greets. Marching bands will also entertain the crowd each day, including the University of Florida on Sunday. As always, fans get a pit pass to the most powerful and sensory-filled motorsports attraction on the planet. Fans can see their favorite teams in action and servicing their cars, get autographs from their favorite drivers and more. They can also visit NHRA’s Manufacturers Midway, where sponsors and vendors create an exciting atmosphere of interactive displays, merchandise, food and fun.
NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series qualifying features two rounds at 2 and 4:30 p.m. ET on Friday, March 8, and the final two qualifying rounds on Saturday, March 9 at 12 and 3 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 10:30 a.m. ET on Sunday, March 10.
The first round of the Pep Boys Top Fuel All-Star Callout takes place on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET and the semifinals at 2:45 p.m. The finals are slated for 4:25 p.m.
To purchase tickets to the 2024 Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals, visit www.NHRA.com/tickets. Children 12 and under are free in general admission areas with the purchase of an adult ticket. Get your tickets now for the Top Eliminator Club because these will sell out. For more info on NHRA, please visit www.NHRA.com.
About Mission Foods
MISSION®, owned by GRUMA, S.A.B. de C.V., is the world’s leading brand for tortillas and wraps. MISSION® is also globally renowned for flatbreads, dips, salsas and Mexican food products. With presence in over 112 countries, MISSION® products are suited to the lifestyles and the local tastes of each country. With innovation and customer needs in mind, MISSION® focuses on the highest quality, authentic flavors, and providing healthy options that families and friends can enjoy together. For more information, please visit https://www.missionfoods.com/
About NHRA
Headquartered in San Dimas, Calif., NHRA is the primary sanctioning body for the sport of drag racing in the United States. NHRA presents 21 national events featuring the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series and NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, as well as the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+, NHRA Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown™, NHRA Holley EFI Factory X and Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage NHRA Mountain Motor Pro Stock at select national events. NHRA provides competition opportunities for drivers of all levels in the NHRA Summit Racing Series and NHRA Street Legal™. NHRA also offers the NHRA Jr. Street® program for teens and the Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League® for youth ages 5 to 17. With 110 Member Tracks, NHRA allows racers to compete at a variety of locations nationally and internationally. NHRA’s Youth and Education Services® (YES) Program reaches over 30,000 students annually to ignite their interest in automotive and racing related careers. NHRA’s streaming service, NHRA.tv®, allows fans to view all NHRA national events as well as exclusive features of the sport. In addition, NHRA owns and operates three racing facilities: Gainesville Raceway in Florida; Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park; and In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip in Southern California. For more information, log on to www.NHRA.com, or visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
COLE CUSTER | RILEY HERBST Daytona NASCAR Xfinity Series Advance NASCAR Xfinity Series Overview
Event: United Rentals 300 (Round 1 of 33)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 17
Location: Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway
Layout: 2.5-mile oval
Time/TV/Radio: 5 p.m. EST on FS1/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Cole Custer Notes of Interest
The 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Cole Custer is back and ready to defend his title as the 2024 season kicks off Saturday at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway with the United Rentals 300. The driver of the No. 00 Haas Automation Ford Mustang returned to the Xfinity Series fulltime at the start of the 2023 season and, while it got off to a slow start, the team picked up speed over the summer to become championship contenders. Custer would earn three victories on the season – June 3 at Portland (Ore.) International Raceway, July 1 at the Chicago Street Course, and the Championship 4 finale Nov. 4 at Phoenix Raceway. They were among his 14 top-five finishes in all. The title was Custer’s first after finishing runner-up in his previous two fulltime seasons in 2018 and 2019. As the reigning champion, Custer has high expectations for himself and hopes to start the season with his first career Daytona victory.
Saturday’s race at Daytona’s historic 2.5-mile oval will mark Custer’s 144th career Xfinity Series start and his ninth at the track. He scored career-best finishes in both races there last year – ninth in February and fifth in August. Prior to last year, Custer never finished better than 14th there. In addition to his Xfinity Series starts at Daytona, Custer has five Cup Series starts, one Craftsman Truck Series start, and one ARCA Menards Series start. Best of those was his 10th-place finish in the February 2016 ARCA race.
Jonathan Toney returns as the crew chief on the No. 00 Haas Automation Ford Mustang this season. Toney is one of the most tenured members of SHR. The native of Newton, North Carolina, joined Haas CNC Racing in December 2003, five years before Tony Stewart partnered with Haas Automation founder Gene Haas to form Stewart-Haas Racing on the underpinnings of Haas CNC Racing. Toney was the lead engineer for Stewart and the No. 14 SHR Cup Series team from 2009 through 2012, helping secure the team co-owner his third championship in 2011 and the first for SHR. He remained an engineer at SHR, assisting the organization across its Cup Series and Xfinity Series programs, spending considerable time with Custer during his previous stint in the Xfinity Series. The 2023 season was Toney’s first as a crew chief, but his history with Custer proved to be strong as the duo picked up multiple wins and the championship in their first season together.
Custer didn’t take his foot off the gas during the offseason as he embarked on his own champion’s tour. Since he clinched the title on Nov. 4, the 26-year-old driver has attended Nashville Predators, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Carolina Hurricanes National Hockey League games, and a New Orleans Saints National Football League game to promote the Xfinity Series and his championship. The champion had some exciting news to share during the offseason as well. Custer announced last week that him and his wife Kari are expecting their first child in August 2024. The two celebrated their one-year anniversary on Jan. 6 and currently reside with their dog Honey in Cornelius, North Carolina.
Riley Herbst Notes of Interest
Riley Herbst is poised for a breakout season in the NASCAR Xfinity Series as the season kicks off Saturday at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway with the United Rentals 300. While the 2023 season was a roller coaster ride for the No. 98 Monster Energy driver, he ended it on a high note with five consecutive top-fives, scoring the most points scored of any driver in the playoffs’ Round of 8 along the way, and earned his first career Xfinity Series win Oct.14 at his hometown Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Saturday’s 120-lap race marks Herbst’s 143rd career start and his 10th at Daytona. His best finish at the track is fourth, earned in August 2020 and then again in the 2022 season opener. In his three seasons with SHR, Herbst has only finished outside the top-15 twice at Daytona.
Herbst has seven starts at Daytona outside of the Xfinity Series – three in the ARCA Menards Series, two in the Craftsman Truck Series, and two in the NASCAR Cup Series. He earned a best finish of seventh in the Truck Series season opener in February 2020. He made his Cup Series debut during last February’s 65th running of the Daytona 500, during which Herbst earned an impressive 10th-place finish to become only the second driver in NASCAR history to record a top-10 in his Cup Series debut in the iconic race. He joined Terry Ryan, who made his debut in the 1976 edition of The Great American Race and finished sixth. Herbst went on to participate in both Cup Series races at Talladega and the August Daytona race, earning a best finish of ninth in the October Talladega race after leading 10 laps, his first laps led in the Cup Series. He’ll hope to add to those numbers once again during Sunday’s 66th running of the Daytona 500 behind the wheel of the No. 15 Monster Energy Zero Sugar Ford Mustang for Rick Ware Racing.
Davin Restivo returns as the crew chief for Herbst and the No. 98 Monster Energy team after taking over the role halfway through the 2023 season. This duo combined to record Herbst’s first career victory on Oct. 14, 2023, at Las Vegas. It was Restivo’s 16th race as the crew chief on the No. 98. Restivo’s career began working on Late Model teams in Liberty, North Carolina. He attended the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and graduated in 2012 with a degree in mechanical engineering. After graduating, he went on to work with notable drivers such as Ron Hornaday Jr., Kyle Larson, Justin Marks, Ross Chastain, John Hunter Nemechek, Custer, and most recently Aric Almirola as the lead engineer. He earned his first Xfinity Series victory as a crew chief on June 10, 2023, when Almirola captured the checkered flag at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway. Two weeks later, he was named crew chief of the No. 98 Ford Mustang.
During the offseason, Herbst went back to his family roots when he traded in his stock car for an off-road Trophy Truck for the 55th running of the Baja 1000 just prior to Thanksgiving. The 24-year-old racer from Las Vegas had a lot to be thankful for, having driven the middle leg of the 1,310.94-mile journey down Mexico’s Baja Peninsula. Co-driving with his father, Troy Herbst, and Terrible Herbst Motorsports driver James Dean, the team crossed the finish line first in the Trophy Truck Spec class, marking Herbst’s first Baja 1000 victory and his father’s third, to go with his previous wins in 2004 and 2006. The younger Herbst finished third in the 2022 running of the Baja 1000, and ninth in 2021.
Cole Custer, Driver of the No. 00 Haas Automation Ford Mustang
After a tremendous finish to the 2023 season that resulted in your first career championship, how do you approach the new season, which kicks off at Daytona?
“I think for us, we just hope to rebound and be strong competitors after winning the championship. It’s all about how we can follow up last year. We’ve never been in this situation before, so we’re trying to figure out how we can go into this year and really be at that same level we just were. We have to focus on the details and do a lot of things right. It’s going to be intriguing to see how we can follow that up. Going into 2024, we’re trying to figure out how we can win more races and race up front pretty much every weekend. We had a few wins last year, but we didn’t really get hot until the end of the season to win the championship. This year we’re hoping to see that week in and week out. It’s going to take a lot of focus and looking at a lot of details. I’m confident that this No. 00 Haas Automation team can step up and make it happen.”
Superspeedways, especially Daytona, are unpredictable by nature. How do you prepare for a race where it’s difficult to make a solid plan because anything could happen?
“So that’s what is so tough about Daytona and superspeedways. Your plan is always changing. There can be like 15 situations that could happen, and no matter what situation, you have to know what to do when presented with each one. Honestly, you have to take these races lap-by-lap to see what kind of scenario you’re in and then adapt from there. You can’t have a solid plan going into a superspeedway because it’s always going to change and you’re forced to adapt to whatever comes your way.”
Riley Herbst, Driver of the No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang
You’re back for your fourth fulltime season at SHR and your fifth in the Xfinity Series. While last year had its ups and downs, you ended on a high note with five straight top-five finishes and your first career Xfinity Series win. Is there some comfort in coming back to the same team with mostly the same group of guys?
“It’s always good to work with the same group of guys from year to year. There’s a lot of time that goes into building those relationships and it helps us grow as a team, which translates over to the racetrack. Davin (Restivo, crew chief) and I were put together halfway through the season last year, so there wasn’t an entire offseason to get to know each other. Now, we’ve had the end of the season and the offseason to work on that relationship. I’ve never been so excited to start a season in my career. That win at Vegas was everything. Then, to end the season on a high note with five straight top-fives and the most points scored of anyone in the Round of 8, when we weren’t even in the playoffs, it meant a lot. It showed everyone that we’re here and we can win. I have high hopes for 2024.”
Not only are you racing in the Xfinity Series, but you’re also making your second start in the Daytona 500, where you earned an impressive 10th-place finish in your Cup Series debut last year. How excited are you to get back behind the wheel of a Cup Series car for the iconic race?
“I’m pumped. It’s every young racer’s dream to not only drive in the NASCAR Cup Series, but specifically the Daytona 500. It’s a pinnacle of this sport. I was lucky. I got to make my first career Cup Series start in The Great American Race, and not only finished it but scored a top-10 finish. It got our season started on such a high note, and it’s a moment that I won’t forget. Now, I get to go back and build on what I learned in my four Cup races last year. I can’t say thank you enough to Rick Ware Racing for the chance to run the Daytona 500 in the No. 15 Ford Mustang again, and Monster Energy for supporting me throughout every step of my career.”
