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After spending a majority of the night engaged in side-by-side battles for the lead, Aric Almirola managed to pull away and beat the field of 21 to win the second of two Bluegreen Vacation Duels at Daytona International Speedway on Thursday, February 16.
The 38-year-old Almirola from Tampa, Florida, led five times for 17 of 60-scheduled laps and managed to fend off late charges coming from Kyle Larson, Austin Cindric and Todd Gilliland in the closing laps to capture his second checkered flag in a Daytona Duel event and commence the 2023 campaign on a strong note after going winless during the previous NASCAR Cup Series season.
The second Duel victory awarded Almirola a handful of championship points and a starting spot on the second row in fourth place for this year’s Daytona 500 as he will contend for his first victory in his 13th career start in the Great American Race.
Prior to the event, Kyle Larson, who claimed a front row starting spot for the 65th running of the Daytona 500 on Wednesday night, started on the pole and was joined on the front row with Aric Almirola. Meanwhile, BJ McLeod dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments made to his entry.
When the green flag waved and the first Duel event commenced, Larson and Almirola dueled for the lead until Larson received a draft from Chase Briscoe to break away from the pack and have both lanes to his control through the backstretch. As Briscoe moved up to second, Almirola was left to battle Kyle Busch for third place on the outside lane as Larson proceeded to lead the first lap.
During the second lap, the outside lane led by Almirola’s No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang gained ground on Larson entering the frontstretch as Almirola led the following lap by a hair. While Almirola was leading the competition, he could not control both lanes as a pack of competitors led by Larson on the inside lane fought back.
With the event reaching its first five-lap distance, Larson reassumed the lead ahead of a hard-charging Almirola followed by Briscoe, Cindric and Busch while Daniel Suarez, Chase Elliott, Ryan Preece, Brad Keselowski and Martin Truex Jr. were in the top 10.
A lap later and as Larson and Almirola continued to duke for the lead, the first caution of the event and between the two Duels flew when a side window from Justin Haley’s No. 31 Cirkul Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 came off and laid on the backstretch. During the first caution period, nearly the entire field led by Almirola and Larson pitted amid mixed strategies while Haley and BJ McLeod remained on the track. Haley and McLeod would eventually pit prior to the restart and give the top-two spots back to Almirola and Larson. During the caution period, Briscoe and Tyler Reddick, who stalled his car while trying to exit his pit stall, returned to pit road to top off on fuel.
When the race proceeded under green on Lap 10, Larson and Almirola dueled for the lead once again until Larson managed to break away far from the pack after receiving a push from Kyle Busch exiting the backstretch. Shortly after, however, Busch launched his challenge for the lead on Larson as the competitors towards the front battled in a tight pack within two lanes.
Through the first 20 scheduled laps, Busch, who engaged in a series of side-by-side battles against Larson for the lead earlier, was out in front by a hair over Suarez followed by Larson, Almirola and Cindric while Chase Elliott, Corey LaJoie, Todd Gilliland, Truex and rookie Noah Gragson were in the top 10. By then, 19 of 21 starters were separated by two seconds. In addition, Austin Hill was running in a transfer spot to make the Daytona 500 in 16th place while Conor Day, another competitor who was trying to make the 500, was in 20th behind Travis Pastrana, who holds a guaranteed spot to make the main event based on Wednesday’s qualifying speed.
At the halfway mark on Lap 30, Busch continued to lead ahead of Suarez, Larson, Almirola and Cindric while Elliott, LaJoie, Gilliland, Truex and Gragson remained in the top 10. Meanwhile, Haley was in 11th followed by Ryan Preece, Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski and Reddick while Hill, Riley Herbst, Pastrana, Briscoe, Daly and McLeod rounded out the 21-car field.
With less than 25 laps remaining, Busch retained the lead ahead of a bevy of competitors that included Suarez, Larson, Almirola and Cindric while Elliott, LaJoie, Gilliland, Truex and Gragson were running in the top 10. Meanwhile, Hill remained in position to make the Daytona 500 in 15th in between Preece and Reddick while Daly, who lost the draft earlier, was mired back at the rear of the field in 21st place and a lap down.
Then with 20 laps remaining, the caution flew when Suarez bumped and turned Kyle Busch’s No. 8 3CHI Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, which was leading, into the outside wall on the backstretch and with heavy damage. Busch’s wreck ignited a multi-car crash that also collected Haley, Preece, Herbst, Pastrana and Hill, who limped his No. 62 Bennett Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 back to pit road but was unable to continue as his hopes of making the Daytona 500 came to an end. With Hill out, Daly, who was a lap down, now found himself in prime position to make the 500.
During the caution period, nearly the entire field led by Suarez pitted mainly for fuel while Briscoe remained on the track, though he eventually pitted after the field did. During the pit stops, Suarez slid through his pit stall as Larson reassumed the lead followed by Almirola and Brad Keselowski.
Down to the final 14 laps of the event, the race restarted under green. At the start, Larson and Almirola battled for the lead with Keselowski, Cindric and the rest of the field keeping the two leaders within reach amid a tight two-lane pack.
With 10 laps remaining, Almirola was leading by a hair over Larson followed by Keselowski, Cindric and Truex while Gilliland, LaJoie, Gragson, Elliott and Hamlin were in the top 10. Soon after, Cindric ignited his bid for the win as he contested against Almirola and Larson for the lead along with Gilliland.
Down to the final five laps of the event and with the competitors towards the front beginning to jostle through two tight-packed lanes, Cindric was out in front by a hair over Almirola followed by Gilliland, Larson and LaJoie as 14 of 21 starters were separated by more than two seconds. By then, Daly was back in 17th place, a lap down but in position of making the Daytona 500.
Then with three laps remaining, Gilliland moved into the lead followed by Almirola, Larson and Cindric as the intensity towards the front crescendoed.
When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Almirola, who gained a run to the outside of Gilliland, was leading by a nose over Gilliland as both competitors battled dead even in front of the pack. Then in Turn 1, Gilliland, whose car was shaking and getting loose, slipped sideways towards the apron following a bump from Larson. Miraculously, Gilliland kept his car straight and continued. He, however, lost his momentum as Almirola pulled away through the backstretch followed by Cindric and LaJoie. While the front-runners formed a long single file line behind Almirola through Turns 3 and 4, they could not gain a draft nor a final lap charge on Almirola as the Floridian managed to cycle back to the finish line and beat Cindric by 0.122 seconds to win and cap off the Duels on a high note.
The second Duel victory marked Almirola’s second career Duel win, his first since 2021 and the fourth Duel victory overall for Stewart-Haas Racing. It also marked his first checkered flag in NASCAR’s premier series since winning at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in July 2021 as he aims to rebound following a disappointing 2022 campaign where he missed the Playoffs.
“I did have my hands full,” Almirola said on FS1. “[Crew chief] Drew [Blickensderfer] said this Smithfield Ford Mustang was going to be fast, but he said I’d probably have my hands full. We kind of went for it from qualifying, put all the speed in the car and kind of sacrificed some handling. As you could see tonight, it was a handful, but man, this is so cool. Daytona’s such a special place to me. I want that [Daytona 500 win] on Sunday. I know Sunday’s the big one. We’re gonna keep focused on that one. The job’s not finished.”
Cindric, the reigning Daytona 500 champion, settled in second behind Almirola in the final running order while Chase Elliott, Keselowski, Corey LaJoie, Larson, Gilliland, Truex, Denny Hamlin and Preece earned top-10 finishes on the track.
Meanwhile, Conor Daly, who came into the Duels with a “one in a million shot” of making the Daytona 500 after failing to post a qualifying lap on Wednesday, crossed the finish line in 17th place, a lap down, and raced his way into the main event. Daly’s accomplishment will enable him to make his second career start in the Cup circuit on Sunday and his first in the Great American Race as the Money Racing Team will compete in the Daytona 500 for a second consecutive season.
Photo by Patrick Sue-Chan for SpeedwayMedia.com.
“We were inherently lucky for the last 36 hours, but we got luck,” Daly said. “I wished I could’ve said that I drove [the car] in on pure pace, but it was crazy. When we went out there, the car was bouncing around. I had no idea what was going on. I thought the drive train was broken and [crew chief] Tony [Eury Jr.] just made it better every time we got lucky with the yellows [flags] to try to get some experience. It is pretty crazy. This race, I’ve watched it for so many years and so much crazy stuff can happen. Thankfully, we were on the right side of the craziness.”
With Austin Hill and Beard Motorsports failing to qualify for the 500, Travis Pastrana, who was eliminated late in the event due to the multi-car wreck that involved Kyle Busch, will implement his qualifying speed set on Wednesday to make the main event.
There were 15 lead changes for six different leaders. The event featured two cautions for nine laps.
Results.
1. Aric Almirola, 17 laps led
2. Austin Cindric, three laps led
3. Chase Elliott
4. Brad Keselowski
5. Corey LaJoie
6. Kyle Larson, nine laps led
7. Todd Gilliland, one lap led
8. Martin Truex Jr.
9. Denny Hamlin
10. Ryan Preece
11. Noah Gragson
12. Daniel Suarez, two laps led
13. Tyler Reddick
14. Justin Haley
15. Chase Briscoe
16. BJ McLeod
17. Conor Daly, one lap down
18. Austin Hill – OUT, Accident
19. Kyle Busch – OUT, Accident, 28 laps led
20. Riley Herbst – OUT, Accident
21. Travis Pastrana – OUT, Accident
With the starting lineup for the 65th annual running of the Daytona 500 set, the main event is set to commence on Sunday, February 20, which will also mark the start of NASCAR’s 75th season of premier series competition. The coverage for the event is scheduled to start at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX.
STEWART-HAAS RACING Bluegreen Vacations Duel Date: Feb. 16, 2023 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: Joey Logano of Team Penske (Ford) Duel No. 2 Winner: Aric Almirola of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)
SHR Finish:
● Aric Almirola (Started 2nd, Finished 1st / Running, completed 60 of 60 laps in Duel No. 2) ● Kevin Harvick (Started 9th, Finished 6th / Running, completed 60 of 60 laps in Duel No. 1) ● Ryan Preece (Started 8th, Finished 10th / Running, completed 60 of 60 laps in Duel No. 2) ● Chase Briscoe (Started 3rd, Finished 15th / Running, completed 60 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 Almirola’s second career Duel win. His earned his first Duel victory in 2021.
● Almirola led five times for 17 laps in his Duel race. ● Almirola scored 10 regular-season points, Harvick garnered five points and Preece picked up one point. Only the top-10 finishers in each Duel were awarded regular-season points.
● Almirola will start fourth in the Daytona 500. His best Daytona 500 finish is fourth, earned in 2017. ● Harvick will start 13th in the Daytona 500. He won the 2007 Daytona 500. ● Preece will start 20th in the Daytona 500. His best Daytona 500 finish is sixth, earned in 2021. ● Briscoe will start 30th in the Daytona 500. His best Daytona 500 finish is third, earned last year.
Aric Almirola, driver of the No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang:
“Drew (Blickensderfer, crew chief) said this Smithfield Ford Mustang was going to be fast, but he said I would probably have my hands full. We kind of went for it in qualifying and put speed in the car and sacrificed some handling, and as you could see tonight it was a handful, but, man, this is so cool. Daytona is such a special place to me. I grew up sitting in those grandstands dreaming about racing here. I want that one on Sunday, though. We’re going to keep focused on that one. The job is not finished.”
Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Busch Light #Busch401K Ford Mustang:
“Our Busch Light Ford Mustang seemed to do all the things that I needed it to do. The handling is fine. The Toyotas were able to do a couple things speed-wise that I really couldn’t do. I was more defensive than I was offensive, so I was kind of stuck with what I had there and then I got out by myself and I was really stuck. They did a good job. You never know how those races are gonna shake out at the end, but it was a good start.”
Ryan Preece, driver of the No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang:
“It was all track position tonight. It’s too hard to make moves and move forward out there, so it’s all about track position. We can’t give up track position on Sunday. We’ve got to make up a few spots, get that track position with our HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang, and keep it. When you get it, protect it. It’s as simple as that. That’s what it’s going to take when we go out there to race.”
Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 14 Mahindra Tractors Ford Mustang:
“I told my wife at the end of the first Duel, ‘Well, that one was calm, so ours is going to be chaos.’ I feel like that’s just always how these go. For us, we had a really good starting spot in third. We were just really loose. I felt like I was going to crash at any point. We got a caution early and decided to try to work on it, and then we got on the other side. We were pretty committed to try to qualify on the front row, and when you do that, your handling suffers big. Balance wise, we’re way off. It sucks that we qualified sixth and now we’re going to start 30th in the 500 but, fortunately, we can change our Mahindra Tractors Ford Mustang overnight and get it to where it drives pretty good.”
Next Up:
The 65th 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.
The reigning two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano prevailed in a final lap duel against Christopher Bell to win the first of two Bluegreen Vacation Duels at Daytona International Speedway on Thursday, February 16.
The first Duel victory for Logano occurred as he led the final 29 of 60 scheduled laps, with his first opportunity of leading occurring following the first and only cycle of green flag pit stops just past the halfway mark. Then on the final lap, he fended off a brief challenge from teammate Ryan Blaney and Kevin Harvick entering the backstretch before he came under fire from Bell entering the frontstretch. Locked in a side-by-side battle with Bell coming to the finish line, Logano was able to pull ahead and edge him by 0.018 seconds to win a Daytona Duel event for the third time in his career.
The Duel victory also awarded Logano a handful of championship points and the third-place starting spot for this year’s 65th annual running of the Daytona 500 as he will contend for his second victory in the Great American Race.
Prior to the event, Alex Bowman, who claimed the pole position for the 65th running of the Daytona 500 on Wednesday night, started on the pole for the first Duel event and was joined on the front row by teammate William Byron. Meanwhile, newcomer Chandler Smith dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments made to his Kaulig Racing entry.
When the green flag waved and the first Duel event commenced, teammates Bowman and Byron dueled for the lead early through the first two turns. As Byron peeked ahead on the inside lane, Bowman fought back on the outside lane through the backstretch as he had drafting help from Ryan Blaney and Bubba Wallace. Shortly after, Blaney ducked his No. 12 Menards Ford Mustang below Bowman’s No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 through Turns 3 and 4 as he assumed the lead followed by Wallace’s No. 23 McDonald’s Toyota TRD Camry. As the field returned to the frontstretch, Blaney led the first lap followed by Wallace, Bowman, Ross Chastain and Byron as the field started to fan out to three lanes. Shortly after, Bowman dropped to the rear of the field to preserve his pole-winning car as Chastain launched his early bid for the lead against Blaney.
Through the first five scheduled laps, Blaney and Chastain were engaged in a side-by-side battle for the lead while rookie Ty Gibbs, Wallace, Christopher Bell, Byron, Jimmie Johnson, Joey Logano, Erik Jones and Harrison Burton were in the top 10 amid the field being stacked up and competing through two lanes. By then, all but one of 21 starters were separated by nine-tenths of a second while Bowman was mired all the way at the rear of the field in 21st place.
At the Lap 10 mark and with the front-runners settling in a single-file line, Blaney was leading ahead of Wallace, Byron, Logano and Burton while Chris Buescher, Kevin Harvick, Michael McDowell, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Chastain were in the top 10. Meanwhile, Zane Smith and Chandler Smith, who were battling for a transfer spot for Sunday’s Daytona 500, were in 11th and 14th, respectively.
By Lap 20, Blaney continued to lead ahead of Wallace, Byron, Logano, Burton, Buescher, Harvick, McDowell, Stenhouse and Zane Smith while Bell, Gibbs, AJ Allmendinger, Erik Jones, Austin Dillon, Chastain, Chandler Smith, Cody Ware, Johnson, Ty Dillon and Bowman rounded out the 21-car field.
A lap later, green flag pit stops ensued as all the Chevrolet competitors pitted. Following the pit stops, however, Stenhouse and Chandler Smith were penalized for speeding on pit road as they were forced to serve a drive-through penalty through pit road under green.
At the halfway mark on Lap 30, Blaney retained the lead ahead of Wallace, Logano, Burton, Buescher, Harvick, Bell, McDowell, Zane Smith and Gibbs, with the top-nine competitors being separated by a second while the Chevrolet competitors led by Byron in 12th were trailing the leaders by more than 45 seconds. By then, Zane Smith occupied a transfer spot in 10th while Chandler Smith was mired back in 20th.
Shortly after, a host of competitors led by Blaney pitted under green. Following the pit stops, Gibbs was penalized with a pass-through penalty for speeding on pit road. When the field returned to the track under green, Logano cycled his No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang into the lead followed by Harvick and Blaney.
Down to the final 20 laps of the event, Logano was leading a nine-car breakaway that included Harvick, Blaney, Buescher and Bell while Burton, Wallace, McDowell and Zane Smith while Byron was mired back in 10th. By then, the top-nine competitors who pitted on Lap 31 were leading 10th-place Byron and a host of Chevrolet competitors who pitted on Lap 22 by more than nine seconds. In addition, Zane Smith, who opted only for fuel during his green flag pit stop, was running in a transfer spot in ninth while Chandler Smith was mired towards the rear of the field in 21st place and a lap down.
With 10 laps remaining, Logano continued to lead ahead of Harvick, Blaney, Buescher and Bell while Burton, Wallace, McDowell, Zane Smith and Byron remained in the top 10. Logano would also retain the lead ahead of Harvick and a bevy of competitors with five laps remaining.
When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Logano remained as the leader ahead of Harvick as Blaney, Bell and Wallace moved to the outside lane in their bids to challenge Logano for the win. Just past the frontstretch, Harvick pulled up to block Blaney’s momentum, but Blaney ducked to the inside lane as he tried to challenge Harvick for second place. Harvick, however, fought back on the outside lane with drafting help from Bell and Wallace while Blaney was slowly losing ground and the draft.
Then through the backstretch, Bell pulled his No. 20 DeWalt/Rheem Toyota TRD Camry below Harvick’s No. 4 Busch Ford Mustang as he moved into second place. Shortly after, he made his move to the outside of Logano through Turns 3 and 4. Entering the frontstretch, Bell and Logano remained dead even for the lead until Logano, who had teammate Blaney gaining ground on him in the draft, managed to pull his Ford on the inside lane and edge Bell by 0.018 seconds to win the first Duel event.
Logano’s Duel victory was his first since 2020 and also the seventh overall for Team Penske as the Ford nameplate has achieved at least one Duel victory for a seventh consecutive victory.
“Just a great job by the Shell/Pennzoil team,” Logano said on FS1. “The execution of this race is everything. You know most likely there won’t be a caution, so you got to do a good job on pit road, cycle yourself to the front, but then, I’m sitting there as the leader. I’m thinking, ‘Man, I am a sitting duck. This is not where I want to be.’ I was hoping they started racing back there, which they did, which ended up kind of working out for me. When [Bell] got to me, I saw Blaney was behind me and I was like, ‘There’s my buddy. I gotta stick with him.’ I knew [Bell] would make the run to the outside [lane] and I probably wasn’t going be able to defend that. [I] Waited for [Blaney] to push me through there, so good Penske effort there to get a Duel win. Much better than what happened last year. I’m glad to have a nice start over here to this season.”
Bell settled in second place followed by Blaney, Buescher and McDowell while Harvick, Bubba Wallace, Zane Smith, Harrison Burton and Byron finished in the top 10 on the track.
Meanwhile, Zane Smith was also left smiling on pit road after finishing in eighth place and racing his way into the Daytona 500 for the first time in his career. The 500 event will mark his second career start in NASCAR’s premier series and the first of select Cup starts for the Californian as he is set to compete in this year’s Craftsman Truck Series season to defend his series title.
Photo by Patrick Sue-Chan for SpeedwayMedia.com.
“Once we got to about 10 [laps] to go, I’m like, ‘Man, please, please, no caution,” Smith said. “Just a huge shoutout to my whole [Front Row Motorsports] team. Our Wellcare Mustang was good enough to get in, which there was a lot of really good open cars. Just so proud of everyone. Just unbelievable to be in the Great American Race.”
As a result, Chandler Smith, who could not recover from his early pit road speeding penalty, finished 21st and failed to qualify for Sunday’s Daytona 500. Nonetheless, he is set to compete on a full-time basis for Kaulig Racing in this year’s Xfinity Series season along with select Cup events throughout the year.
“Before [the race], I said I’m fine if I don’t make it, but it’d be awesome if I made it,” Smith said. “I’m a believer. I had a lot of fun right there. Even from that one Duel, I just learned so, so much, which was awesome taking that in. We weren’t able to get it this year, but hopefully, we can come back next year, make another attempt and get in on time.”
Amid the battles between the two Smiths, Jimmie Johnson, who finished 14th, claimed his starting spot for the 500 based on his qualifying speed from Wednesday night.
There were four lead changes for three different leaders. The event featured no cautions.
Results.
1. Joey Logano, 29 laps led
2. Christopher Bell
3. Ryan Blaney, 30 laps led
4. Chris Buescher
5. Michael McDowell
6. Kevin Harvick
7. Bubba Wallace
8. Zane Smith
9. Harrison Burton
10. William Byron
11. Ross Chastain, one lap led
12. Erik Jones
13. Austin Dillon
14. Jimmie Johnson
15. AJ Allmendinger
16. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., one lap down
17. Alex Bowman, one lap down
18. Chandler Smith, one lap down
19. Ty Gibbs, one lap down
20. Cody Ware, one lap down
21. Ty Dillon, one lap down
The second Bluegreen Vacations Duel is underway at Daytona International Speedway, which will complete the starting lineup for the 65th running of the Daytona 500 scheduled for Sunday, February 19.
The NASCAR Cup Series will take the green flag for the 65th running of the Daytona 500 on Sunday, February 19, at 2:30 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTES:
Jimmie Johnson, No. 84 Carvana Camaro ZL1 – Finished 14th in Duel 1; Qualified on speed for the Daytona 500
“My first race in the Next Gen car is done and we finished 14th in the Duel. Wish that we finished a little bit better, but we got a ton of great reps for the No. 84 Carvana Chevy team. I have new over-the-wall guys, a new spotter, new crew chief, a new team – to have this behind us is really good and I think it was a really successful day. I wish that our strategy was a bit better for the cars we were running with, but we have 500 miles on Sunday to figure that out.”
Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1 – Finished 3rd
“I had a pretty good run going; Austin (Hill) blocked that and then that kind of stalled the top. Then from there, we got really lucky because whoever got loose made a great save up there because I thought we were all wrecked. It was good to get back to third there and get a good start for Sunday. We will try and make our No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevy drive a little better; keep the same pace and I think we will be alright.”
“I feel really good about our No. 42 Wendy’s Chevy Camaro. We just tried to stay out of trouble; didn’t want to go to a backup car. Just really tried learning about different positioning I could have behind the wheel in the draft and in different scenarios. We got in a couple pit stops, which was good to learn how these guys do their pit stops and what I could do better.
Overall, it was just a solid race, solid preparation for the Daytona 500.”
“It was unfortunate. You never want that to happen. I felt like a few laps before that, they told me on the radio that we needed to start making time. The No. 5 (Kyle Larson) was being more aggressive to me, pushing me. I thought the No. 8 (Kyle Busch) was actually dragging his brakes because I could push him so easily. I guess he wasn’t, but I was getting so much energy from the No. 5 that I was just pushing too hard. I felt like the No. 5 was pushing pretty hard to me, and I was just pushing the No. 8 too hard. When they gave me the message to take it easy on the corners, I was going to do that. But I spun him out on the straightaway, so I was not expecting that.
It’s unfortunate. It’s definitely not the way we had that planned.”
Conor Daly, No. 50 BitNile.com Camaro ZL1 – Finished 17th; Locked-in a spot for the Daytona 500
Conor Daly, you said it was a one in a million shot that you would make the Daytona 500. You’re in. I saw you sit there, look out. What were you thinking at that moment when you got out of the car just now?
“Well, we were inherently unlucky for the last 36 hours, but we got lucky. I wish I could have said that I drove it in on pure pace, but it was just crazy.
When we went out there, the car was bouncing around. I had no idea what was going on. I thought the drivetrain was broken, and Tony just made it better every time. We got lucky with the yellows to try to get some experience, but it is pretty crazy.
This race, I’ve watched it for so many years and so much crazy stuff can happen, and thankfully we were on the right side of the craziness. It’s pretty amazing.”
“I was on the top and saw someone about lost it, can’t remember who, but I knew it was getting dicey. Going down the backstretch I actually rolled out of the throttle a little bit, but I had guys behind me and it wasn’t like I could jump out of the throttle. I saw the wreck started happening and dirt started coming across the race track. When the dirt was going across the track I kind of lost sight of where the cars were that were wrecked and the next thing I knew was I was trying to get on the brakes pretty hard and I don’t know if I got in the dirt and it got me loose or the 15 tagged me, I have no idea. Either way I started going toward the outside wall and I got a lot of damage. I think the right front blower was broke and there was no way to fix it and it just ended our night. It’s a bummer because we knew where the 50 was and we knew that he was multiple laps down and all we had to do was beat him. When we were single file, we were like, ‘hey, we are just going to run here’. We were going to try and get some experience and learn the draft and see what the Cup cars do differently from the Xfinity cars. As soon as they got two wide through the tri-oval, I should have just bailed completely and lost the draft and not worried about it. I didn’t react fast enough and then the wreck started and we ended up in it. There is no reason why we shouldn’t be in the 500 from where the 50 was running and really it was just being dumb on my part and there is just no reason for that. I was the one holding the steering wheel and I should have just seen what was happening and just let those guys do their thing and we just fall back. Even if we fall laps down, it doesn’t matter as long as we stay in front of the 50. It stings, but we get to race on Saturday in the Xfinity car and I am really excited about that with RCR and hope we can go win that race.”
Kyle Busch, No. 8 3CHI Camaro ZL1 – Finished 19th
What did you feel inside the race car?
“Just a lot of pushing and shoving for a few laps straight. Doing everything you can to try and hang on, and do the best you can to make sure that you keep it straight. Just finally overloaded the left-rear and hooked it to the right.
Hate it for all my guys. They built a fast N.8 3CHI Chevy Camaro. It was really fun to drive. It drove great the whole time. Everything was super easy, super simple. But we have a long ways to go. I don’t understand, but it is what it is.
Thanks to 3CHI, BetMGM, Lenovo, Chevy. The guys have a lot of work to do, unfortunately. I hate it for them, but we’ll be back on Sunday.”
Do you feel like you have to have a conversation with any other drivers?
“No.. I just don’t understand why, but it is what it is. There’s no changing it.”
About Chevrolet Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, available in 79 countries with more than 3.2 million cars and trucks sold in 2020. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.
*Noah Gragson competed in the second duel to determine his starting position for the 65th running of the DAYTONA 500. With his 11th-place finish, Gragson will start Sunday’s race from the 22nd position.
Noah Gragson Post-Race Thoughts: “The guys up front were getting really ‘squirrley’ and I didn’t want to chance it, but I have a really good idea of what we need for Sunday’s race. Good job by every one on our No. 42 Wendy’s Chevrolet to get us here.”
Erik Jones, No. 43 Guns N’ Roses Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
START: 14TH
FINISH: 12TH
POINTS: —-
*Erik Jones competed in the first duel to determine his starting position for the 65th running of the DAYTONA 500. With his 12th-place finish, Jones will start Sunday’s race from the 25th position.
Erik Jones Post-Race Thoughts: “A good night for our No. 43 Guns N’ Roses Chevy. We have good speed, just need to get our Camaro driving a little better. The biggest thing for us tonight was to keep it clean and have this car in one piece so that we can now work on adjusting things for Sunday. We did that and now we’ll spend tomorrow’s practice dialing in our No. 43 Chevy and be ready for 500 miles on Sunday.”
Jimmie Johnson, No. 84 Carvana Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
START: 12TH
FINISH: 14TH
POINTS: —-
*Jimmie Johnson competed in the first duel to determine his starting position for the 65th running of the DAYTONA 500. With his 14th-place finish, Johnson will start Sunday’s race from the 29th position.
Jimmie Johnson Post-Race Thoughts: “My first race in the Next Gen car is done and we finished 14th in the Duel. Wish that we finished a little bit better, but we got a ton of great reps for the No. 84 Carvana Chevy team. I have new over-the-wall guys, a new spotter, new crew chief, a new team – to have this behind us is really good and I think it was a really successful day. I wish that our strategy was a bit better for the cars we were running with, but we have 500 miles on Sunday to figure that out.”
ABOUT LEGACY MOTOR CLUB:
LEGACY MOTOR CLUB is a team that competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, owned by Maury Gallagher and Jimmie Johnson. LEGACY M.C. operates two full-time entries, the No. 42 Chevrolet of Noah Gragson and the No. 43 Chevrolet of Erik Jones. The team also fields a third part-time entry, the No. 84 Chevrolet, for Johnson’s limited racing schedule.
For the last 75 years, the iconic Petty family name has been synonymous in NASCAR, spanning four generations. Over the course of his driving career, Team Ambassador Richard Petty forever enshrined himself as “The King”, earning 200 wins and seven NASCAR Cup Series championships alongside NASCAR Hall of Fame crew chief Dale Inman. GMS Racing entered the NASCAR Cup Series in 2021, later acquiring Richard Petty Motorsports to form Petty GMS.
The team was rebranded to LEGACY MOTOR CLUB in 2023 with the addition of Johnson, another seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, to the ownership structure. As a nod to car clubs of past eras, LEGACY M.C. is an inclusive club for the automobile racing enthusiast, fostering a team environment that will breed success for years to come. LEGACY M.C.’s vision is to honor the rich history of its past and acknowledge the future of the sport with some of today’s most iconic drivers.
LEGACY M.C. operates alongside GMS Racing, which fields three full-time entries in the NASCAR Truck Series. Since the formation of GMS Racing in 2012, Gallagher, along with one of the NASCAR garage’s most accomplished figures, Team President, Mike Beam, built a victorious organization, capturing the 2016 and 2020 NASCAR Truck Series championships, the 2015 ARCA Racing Series championship, as well as the 2019 & 2020 ARCA East championships, accumulating over 65 wins across six national racing circuits.
SOCIAL MEDIA:
To keep up-to-date with the latest news, information and exclusive content, follow LEGACY MOTOR CLUB on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
TRUEX AND HAMLIN SCORE TOP-10 FINISHES IN SECOND DUEL Pastrana Sustains Minor Damage But Will Use Learnings for Inaugural Daytona 500 Start
DAYTONA BEACH (February 16, 2023) – Martin Truex Jr. (eighth) and Denny Hamlin (ninth) scored top-10 finishes in Thursday night’s second Duel qualifying race to set the second-half of the field for Sunday’s running of the 65th Daytona 500.
Toyota Post-Race Recap NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) Duel 2 – Daytona International Speedway 150 miles, 60 laps Thursday, February 16, 2023
MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry TRD, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 8th
What was your perspective on that wild final lap and what did you learn for Sunday?
“It’s good to get some race practice in – with no practice. I felt like the Bass Pro Camry TRD was decent – just never really had anywhere to go. I was mired at the bottom most of the race, but was able to get to the guy in front of me and push him really well as long as I had a car somewhere close to me, so that is good sign. I thought it handled pretty good, and we were sitting in a pretty decent spot there on that last lap, I thought, and then the 38 (Todd Gilliland) got turned, and we lost all of our momentum. I just kind of rode it out from there. Overall, it was a good learning experience and not a terrible starting spot, I guess. We will take it and go from there.”
TRAVIS PASTRANA, No. 67 Black Rifle Coffee Toyota Camry TRD, 23XI Racing
Finishing Position: 21st
What happened in the accident and what were you able to learn in the Duel to prepare for the Daytona 500?
“Learned a lot actually and we have a great car. Hopefully we can get it repaired and not have to go to a backup. It didn’t take much of an impact, just couldn’t get it slowed down quite in time. Everything was kind of happening in front of me and I couldn’t make it through that. It was intense those first couple laps running two-by-two. You don’t realize on TV what you can’t see in these vehicles. You’re following the car in front of you, but you don’t know where you are on the race track. Those two Sunoco signs are your turning points. I did learn where my car works best in the draft. Honestly, the whole race was intense. It was fun and it was exciting and even had a good time sliding across the grass. Hope to never do that again, at least this weekend.”
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 65 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.
Toyota directly employs more than 48,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 45 million cars and trucks at our 13 manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 14th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 20 electrified options, with more in showrooms later this year.
Through the Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights the way it partners with community, civic, academic and governmental organizations to address our society’s most pressing mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move, anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.
With the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season three days away from commencing at Daytona International Speedway, Trackhouse Racing solidified its full-time driver lineup for the foreseeable future by inking Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez to multi-year contract extensions in a span of two days.
It all started on Wednesday, February 15, prior to the Daytona 500 pole qualifying session when Trackhouse announced that Suarez will be remaining as a driver for the organization in a new multi-year contract extension. Now on Thursday, February 16, and ahead of a pair of Bluegreen Vacations Duels, Chastain scratched his name off the free agency list after inking himself a new multi-year deal to remain with the organization.
The news comes as Trackhouse Racing is coming off its second and finest season to date in NASCAR Cup Series competition, where both Chastain and Suarez achieved their first career victories in NASCAR’s premier series and qualified for the 2022 Cup Playoffs. While Suarez finished in a career-best 10th place in the final driver’s standings, Chastain advanced all the way to the Championship 4 round at Phoenix Raceway in November and contended for a first NASCAR Cup title for himself and the organization, where he went on to notch a career-best second place in the title standings.
For Suarez, the 2023 season is set to mark his seventh full-time campaign in the Cup Series. The 31-year-old Suarez and a former Xfinity Series champion from Monterrey, Mexico, served as Trackhouse’s first competitor during the team’s inception in 2021, where he piloted the No. 99 entry a single top-five result, four top-10 results, led 74 laps and recorded an average-finishing result of 20.1. This past season, he claimed his first career victory at Sonoma Raceway in June following a dominant performance and became the first Mexican-born competitor to win in NASCAR’s premier series. He also accumulated career-high stats of six top-five results, 13 top-10 results, 280 laps led and an average-finishing result of 16.5 throughout the season as he claimed a berth to the Playoffs for the first time in his career.
With a total of 215 career starts in the Cup Series to his resume, Suarez has previously competed for Gaunt Brothers Racing, Stewart-Haas Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing. He has also racked up a total of three Xfinity victories and one Craftsman Truck Series victory.
“Trackhouse is my home and I am very happy with this announcement,” Suarez said. “We are building something special on the No. 99 team and at Trackhouse Racing. We can’t wait to get the season started on Sunday.”
“Obviously, everyone at Trackhouse Racing is pleased with the performance and professionalism of Daniel both on and off the track,” Justin Marks, owner of Trackhouse Racing, added. “Culture has been of prime importance since the idea of Trackhouse existed only on a whiteboard in an office. Daniel has fulfilled every expectation, and we look forward to the future. The best is yet to come.”
For Chastain, this upcoming season is set to mark his third consecutive full-time stint in NASCAR’s premier series having made a total of 151 series career starts. The 30-year-old Chastain who is also an eighth-generation watermelon farmer from Alva, Florida, joined Trackhouse for its second season in 2022 after the team acquired Chip Ganassi Racing’s NASCAR assets, where Chastain had been competing in part of a journeyman career scaling back to 2014. Piloting the No. 1 entry, Chastain notched his first two Cup career victories at Circuit of the Americas in March and at Talladega Superspeedway in April following two dramatic last lap passes. Once in the Playoffs, he recorded enough points to transfer through the first two Playoff rounds. Then at Martinsville Speedway in October, which served as the third round’s finale, he executed a bold daring move while scraping the outside wall to overtake five competitors and race his way into the Championship 4 field. Ultimately, he went on to finish in third place on the track during the finale and in second place in the final championship standings.
In addition to his first two career victories and a runner-up result in the final standings, Chastain capped off the 2022 campaign with career-high stats of 15 top-five results, 21 top-10 results, 692 laps led and an average-finishing result of 13.3 as he bids for another opportunity for his first series title. To go along with his two Cup victories, the Floridian has two Xfinity victories and four Truck wins to his resume.
“It’s taken a lot of years, a lot of hard work and sacrifice, plus a lot of help from a lot of people, but I can safely say I have found a home at Trackhouse Racing,” Chastain said following the announcement of his contract extension. “There is nowhere in the world I would rather be and nothing I would rather do than race the No. 1 Chevrolet in NASCAR for Justin and the people at Trackhouse Racing.”
“Ross Chastain is the type of driver and type of person we want representing Trackhouse Racing, our employees, and our corporate partners,” Marks added. “You saw what Ross did with us in just our first year together and we think the future is even brighter. He brings a determination, dedication, and commitment to his job on and off the track that uplifts everyone in our shop. I’m proud he is part of our organization.”
Trackhouse Racing made its inaugural presence in NASCAR at the start of the 2021 season when former driver and team owner Justin Marks created a team of his own with Armando Christian Perez, going by the stage name Pitbull, assuming an ownership role with the team. Ty Norris, a former executive at Dale Earnhardt Inc., also joined the organization during its inception.
In two seasons, Trackhouse Racing has achieved three victories, 22 top-five results, 38 top-10 results and 280 laps led in a combined 109 career starts in the Cup circuit. Along with the Nos. 1 and 99 entries, the team debuted Project 91, a part-time entry that would be fielded for international competitors to compete in a Cup event, at Watkins Glen International in August with former Formula One champion Kimi Räikkönen serving as the project’s first competitor. Project 91 will be returning for select Cup events that have yet to be determined along with the team’s choice of drivers.
With its future set, Trackhouse Racing shifts its focus on a pair of Bluegreen Vacations Duels at Daytona International Speedway that will occur on Thursday, February 16, beginning at 4 p.m. on FS1 before launching its 2023 NASCAR Cup Series campaign on Sunday, February 19, for the 65th annual running of the Daytona 500 that will commence at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX.
SONOMA, Calif. (February 16, 2023) – After recently announcing a multi-car GT4 effort in SRO America’s GT America powered by AWS and Pirelli GT4 America race series, Flying Lizard Motorsports will also contest a full-season GT3 entry in the GT America series in 2023. Longtime Lizard driver Andy Wilzoch will return to the team after a one-year hiatus, racing the No. 46 Porsche 911 GT3 R (type 991.2). Adding to the energy of the entry will be the traditional red and silver livery so closely aligned with the California-based team’s championship-winning history.
“We are really looking forward to this season in SRO’s GT America,” said Program Manager Darren Law. “ Andy Wilzoch has not only been a long-time customer, but a good friend and I am glad he is back again for another season. He is going retro with the livery dating back to the early days of Flying Lizard so it will be great to see that on track again. Andy now has the second generation 991 which should be a very competitive package.”
The GT America series pays tribute to the sanctioning body’s earlier years in sprint racing, offering bronze-rated drivers the opportunity to race in a pair of 40-minute races at each race event weekend. The 2023 race season will see competitors visit nine of the most exhilarating permanent road and temporary street courses North America has to offer, bringing the Flying Lizard Porsche to fans nationwide.
Andy Wilzoch last competed with Flying Lizard for a partial GT America season in 2021, racing in five double-header race weekends. He drove his Porsche 911 GT3 R to victory a total of four times, earning eight podiums, only finishing outside the top five once. This year, Wilzoch will compete in the full season, racing in all 18 rounds of the 2023 championship.
The 2023 GT America season will begin March 3-5 on the temporary street course in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida, where the series will run in support of the NTT IndyCar series. This will be Wilzoch’s first time on track at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, which first roared the city streets to life in 1985. Because the temporary course is built for the race event only, Wilzoch has been training on a racing simulator to familiarize himself with the track to make a strong start to the 2023 race GT America season.
For full schedule information, visit gtamerica.us.
Andy Wilzoch | No. 45 Porsche 911 GT3 R
It’s great to be returning to race with Flying Lizard in the GT America series. I had a fun time competing here in 2021, and I’m looking forward to continuing that experience. The GT America series offers great competition with competitive drivers. As a diehard Lizard fan, racing the Porsche in the iconic classic livery is always an absolute pleasure, and I hope the fans love it being back as much as I do. This team has a rich history, and it’s an honor to contribute a verse.
2023 Schedule
March 3-5, 2023
GT America Powered by AWS
St. Petersburg, Florida
March 30 – April 2, 2023
GT America Powered by AWS, Pirelli GT4 America
Sonoma Raceway
Sonoma, California
April 28-30, 2023
GT America Powered by AWS, Pirelli GT4 America
NOLA Motorsports Park
Avondale, LA
May 19-21, 2023
GT America Powered by AWS, Pirelli GT4 America
Circuit of the Americas
Austin, Texas
June 16-18, 2023
GT America Powered by AWS, Pirelli GT4 America
VIRginia International Raceway
Alton, Virginia
August 4-6, 2023
GT America Powered by AWS
Nashville, Tennesse
August 18-20, 2023
GT America Powered by AWS, Pirelli GT4 America
Road America
Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin
September 22-24, 2023
GT America Powered by AWS, Pirelli GT4 America
Sebring International Raceway
Sebring, Florida
October 5-8, 2023
GT America Powered by AWS, Pirelli GT4 America
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Indianapolis, Indiana
About Flying Lizard Motorsports Based out of Sonoma, California, Flying Lizard Motorsports is one of the most iconic sports car teams in motorsports, having celebrated ten driver and team championships, as well as competed internationally at the 24 Hours of Le Mans eight times.
The Lizards burst on the American Le Mans Series scene in 2004, competing in the GT class until 2012. In 2013, the team moved to the GTC class, still competing in legendary events such as the 12 Hours of Sebring and 24 Hours of Daytona. In 2014, the team expanded its program to include running two Audi R8 LMS in the TUDOR Championship, and in 2015, again expanded the program to include two Porsches in Porsche Club racing. Flying Lizard closed out the season with a dominating win at the 25 Hours of Thunderhill with Toyo Tires, a win they repeated in 2016, 2017, and 2018. The 2020 season proved the team’s most successful to date, earning four titles in the GT4 America championship. Flying Lizard Motorsports has proven to be a championship contender no matter the race series or race car. For more information, visit lizardms.com.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 16, 2023) – Cottonelle® is a proud sponsor of JTG racing and is excited to debut the new pit crew uniforms for the 2023 racing season – featuring Cottonelle right where it belongs – downthere.
In addition to covering the side and rear of the No. 47 Kroger® Camaro for the historic Daytona 500, Cottonelle® will have prime real estate on the pit crew’s No. 47 Kroger Racing fire suits during the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season in its entirety. Additionally, Cottonelle has premium placement on Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s Kroger Racing fire suit.
“Yeah, Cottonelle will be in the normal (chest) area on mine,” laughed Stenhouse Jr., who kept mentioning he needed to do more squats before agreeing to it. “It’s clever, and our pit crew will have some fun with it.”
This is a first-of-its-kind of product placement for both Cottonelle and JTG Daugherty Racing and an important one considering Cottonelle® has the right kind of care for everyone’s downthere – including the team’s pit crew.
“Cottonelle is dedicated to providing the right kind of care for everyone’s down there,” said Elizabeth Metz, Vice President of Cottonelle. “Whether you’re hard-to-clean, steamy, swampy, sensitive, or whatever else you may experience, Cottonelle has you covered. We’re excited to show up in a new way with our long-standing JTG partnership and better support the Cottonelle mission of downtherecare.”
Last season, the pit crew’s fire suits were black and yellow with Viega branding. This year they will have a cleaner look with white and blue colors that include Cottonelle, Kroger and additional hero branding.
“We had a sponsor in the plumbing industry last year, and it’s entertaining to keep it rolling with Cottonelle on our Kroger Racing fire suits this year,” said Nick Patterson, No. 47 Kroger/Cottonelle Camaro jackman. “We’re looking forward to having fun with it and hopefully spraying some Cottonelle TP in Daytona’s victory lane.”
The pit crew returns to action tonight (2/16) during the Daytona Duels live on FOX Sports 1, MRN Radio and SiriusXM Satellite NASCAR Radio (Ch. 90). The Bluegreen Vacations Duel 1 starts at 7 PM ET followed by Duel 2 at 9 PM ET on the same networks. The iconic Daytona 500 airs on Sunday, February 19 on FOX at 2:30 PM ET.
