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Team Penske NASCAR Xfinity Series Race Report – Daytona Road Course

By
Official Release
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Team Penske NASCAR Xfinity Series Race Report

Track: Daytona Road Course
Race: Super Start Batteries 188
Date: February 20, 2021

No. 22 PPG Ford Mustang – Austin Cindric
Start: 2nd
Stage 1: 1st (First stage win of 2021)
Stage 2: 6th
Finish: 2nd
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 56/56
Laps Led: 29
Point Standings (ahead of second): 1st (+24)

Notes:

  • Austin Cindric had an impressive recovery Saturday night at the Daytona Road Course. The driver of No. 22 PPG Ford Mustang won Stage 1, led 29 laps, and finished second. The finish was Cindric’s second top-five finish in as many races at the 14-turn Road Course. He extends his points lead over second place Harrison Burton by 24 markers.
  • Cindric started the 52-lap/188-mile event from the second position and wasted no time taking an early lead. As the race continued, the handling of the PPG Ford began to fade and Cindric lost the lead to AJ Allmendinger.
  • As the two road course aces battled for the stage win, Allmendinger and Cindric made contact coming to the finish line causing extensive right front damage on the PPG Ford Mustang, however he managed to hold on for the Stage 1 victory. Crew chief Brian Wilson called Cindric down pit road during the stage break for adjustments and repairs.
  • Cindric started Stage 2 in the 34th-position and put his road course skills to work. Despite nose damage, Cindric ran laps faster than the leaders and battled his way back to sixth position by the stage conclusion on lap 30.
  • Cindric started the final stage from the fourth position on lap 35 and reclaimed the lead a lap later. He would then get into a spirited battle with Ty Gibbs for the race lead late. A caution fell with three-laps remaining, setting up NASCAR Overtime.
  • Cindric would make his final pit stop on lap 50 for four tires and an air pressure adjustment. After restarting 11th, the caution would be displayed for the final time setting up for a second overtime attempt. Cindric gave it his all over the last three laps but came up just short to finish in second place.The NASCAR Xfinity Series is back in action at Homestead-Miami Speedway Saturday, February 27th, for the Contender Boats 250. Live coverage will begin at 4:30 p.m. ET on FS1. MRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.

Quote: “It’s obviously a great start to the season big picture-wise. I wish we would have been able to do a little bit more tonight. If that caution hadn’t come out, but it’s the what-ifs of racing. Those restarts were crazy. I hope everyone else enjoyed it because that was stressful and that was challenging, but, overall, it’s a great way to start the year. I wish we would have been able to get our PPG Ford Mustang in victory lane, but it was not in the cards on those restarts. We salvaged a great day.”

RCR Post Race Report – Super Start Batteries 188 at Daytona

By
Official Release
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Myatt Snider and the No. 2 TaxSlayer Chevrolet Team Rebound from Late Race Flat Tire to Finish 13th at the Daytona Road Course

Finish: 13th
Start: 8th
Points: 5th

“Man, what a race. Our TaxSlayer Chevrolet Camaro was better than the end result shows, but overall, it was a strong night for our No. 2 team. Despite barely sneaking through the leaders wrecking at the end of stage one to battling a tight handling condition on the right handers, we put ourselves in striking position all day, earned a good amount of stage points, and definitely were a top-five car at the very least. Unfortunately, a left front flat tire during the first green-white-checkered hurt our chances at the end and took away an even better finish. The final two laps were crazy, but to restart from 31st and gain 18 spots to finish 13th is a great rebound for the TaxSlayer team. We definitely are going to be able to win a road course race this year and we are still off to a great start to the season.” -Myatt Snider

Toyota Racing – NXS Daytona RC Post-Race Report – 02.20.21

By
Official Release
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TY GIBBS WINS IN HIS XFINITY SERIES DEBUT AT DAYTONA
Ty Gibbs led 14 laps en-route to his first career victory

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 20, 2021) – Four Toyota Supras finished in the top-six in the NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) race at Daytona International Speedway Road Course. The trio was led by Ty Gibbs who captured his first-career Xfinity Series victory.

Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Daytona International Speedway Road Course
Race 2 of 33 – 187.7 miles, 52 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, TY GIBBS
2nd, Austin Cindric*
3rd, DANIEL HEMRIC
4th, BRANDON JONES
5th, Jeb Burton*
6th, HARRISON BURTON
18th, KRIS WRIGHT
19th, MATT MILLS
29th, STEPHEN LEICHT
38th, DAVID STARR

*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

TY GIBBS, No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 1st

How do you describe your first NASCAR Xfinity Series victory?

“You know, I can’t thank everybody right now. This is like a dream come true to me. This is awesome, I can’t do burnouts, that’s one thing I cannot do at all. I just can’t thank everybody, this is just a dream come true to me. I really didn’t think I had it there. Kind of fought back and we won. Thank you to Monster Energy and everybody, I don’t even know what’s going on.”

What do you have to say to your family?

“The family is everything to me, they do so much for me. I just can’t thank them enough, this is just amazing; this is a dream come true. It’s all the man above, I’m sorry I’m a wreck I didn’t think this was going to happen at all. This is awesome, I can’t thank everybody enough watching and last week I had a terrible interview. I want to apologize for everybody, I just can’t thank everybody enough. This is just amazing.”

How do you capture this emotion in this moment?

“I don’t even know how to feel. This is really hard for me to explain. After my uncle passed away, it’s been hard for me. It’s just a dream come true. I’m just rambling. I’m excited. Mixed emotions for sure. This is just awesome.”

Can you talk about that last restart?

“I don’t even know how I kept going. It was the man above. He’s done everything for me. He put me in this great family and in this great situation in life. I feel like I had to earn a lot of respect tonight, and I don’t think I did a too good of a job. I hit the grass and kept on rolling. I have no words. I just won at Daytona.”

Last week, you weren’t too happy after the ARCA race here. Have your thoughts changed about Daytona?

“I just want to say sorry to everyone for that. That was just a complete disgrace by me. I was just mad and rambling and just saying excuses, and I have no excuses for this. I made mistakes all night, and I don’t know how I still won. This is just amazing.”

DANIEL HEMRIC, No. 18 Poppy Bank Toyota Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 3rd

Can you describe those last few laps?

“You don’t want to be on the top – I know that. I was the fortunate guy. I stared 13th in the first green-white-checkered. We were in fourth or fifth coming off of turn two. I thought we were going to line-up in fifth on the last one, and something happened with the lineup and we got shuffled to sixth before we got to the green. It was very late notice. You have two rows of old tires in front of us. The guys in front of you spin the tires. I ducked right, and put myself into three-wide coming into turn one. Probably a piss poor move on my part, honestly. I’m proud of these guys. Everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing, TRD, everyone at Toyota that supports us, everyone at Poppy Bank. Man, I want that one decision back. We will lick our wounds and carry on.”

BRANDON JONES, No. 19 Menards/Barracuda Pumps Toyota Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 4th

Solid top-five for you today, Brandon, after some damage. How was your race overall?

“I thought we had a really solid Supra all day long. I thought that thoughout the day we had consistent speed to pretty much run top three throughout the day. I don’t think we had the car to completely dominate the race, but definitely one that would run up front throughout the race. What led to our damage was, I felt like coming off of pit road, we were on cold tires. As soon as we came off of pit road, I was looking at my tac, I popped my head up and all that I hear is my spotter Stevie (Reeves) saying check-up, check-up. I think it was a combination of cold tires sliding across the racetrack, I was trying to get it out of first gear so it would stop bucking me into the wreck. We came down pit road after that and really did a good job of making those repairs that we needed. Actually, I think we got the car back pretty much to what it was when we started the race. We were really, really close on our balance, so that was a really good job by those guys to get that back. Then to hold everybody off at the end on four old tires, that was a testament to the team that we are bringing to the table to compete this year for a championship. We were able to rally back from the tires and the damage and still have a top-five out of that. It was a solid day for us, and I think two top-fives on that roaad course is a really good improvement.”

HARRISON BURTON, No. 20 DEX Imaging Toyota Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 6th

How was your race today?

“The way the cards fell at the end, just a chaotic end to these races. Basically, whoever is lucky enough not to get wiped out or a hole opens up or whatever it may be, you just have to try to find holes. Those last restarts kind of hurt us, that’s something we can go back and watch and get better at. I felt like we had good speed all day in our DEX Imaging Supra, just not quite enough to be dominant, but close, so that was a good set-up. It’s little frustrating, but good overall.”

Ford Performance NASCAR: Cindric’s NXS Runner-Up Finish Leads Ford on Daytona Road Course

By
Official Release
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Ford Performance Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Xfinity Series – Super Start Batteries 188 
Daytona Road Course | Saturday, February 20, 2021

FORD FINISHING RESULTS:
2nd — Austin Cindric
25th — Cody Ware
27th — Ryan Sieg
39th — Riley Herbst

FORD PERFORMANCE QUOTES

AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 22 PPG Ford Mustang — POST-RACE INTERVIEW — “Obviously, I don’t want to be racing to a stage probably that aggressive.  I’d love to see a replay.  Just hopefully we can avoid something like that because AJ and I were gonna be fighting for a win later today, so I hate to be able to do that much damage to our PPG Ford Mustang that early.  It just seemed like he was trying to block, whether if he didn’t know I was there or not.  It sucks.  It’s over with, but we salvaged a great day out of it.  Congratulations to Ty.  That’s obviously really cool.  Congrats to him and his family.  P2, I’ll take it.”

POST-RACE PRESS CONFERENCE

THOUGHTS ON YOUR START TO THE SEASON WITH A WIN AND A RUNNER-UP?  “Yeah, it’s obviously a great start to the season big picture-wise.  I wish we would have been able to do a little bit more tonight.  If that caution hadn’t come out, but it’s the what-ifs of racing.  Those restarts were crazy.  I hope everyone else enjoyed it because that was stressful and that was challenging, but, overall, it’s a great way to start the year.  I wish we would have been able to get our PPG Ford Mustang in victory lane, but it was not in the cards on those restarts.”


IS IT IMPORTANT FOR YOUR TEAM TO COME OUT OF THE BOX STRONG AND SEND A MESSAGE TO THE FIELD THAT YOU GUYS ARE THE FAVORITES AND YOU’RE GOING TO PERFORM LIKE THAT?  “Yeah, the more you can be offensive than defensive the better.  The last couple weeks we have in some ways maybe painted a target on us as being guys that are willing to race hard to win, so I’m excited that we’re bringing that speed early on in the year, but there’s nothing guaranteed, so you’ve got to keep it going.  You’ve got to be able to keep bringing those race cars.  We have a bunch of different types of tracks coming up on the schedule and I’m looking forward to seeing what we’ve got to start the season.”

DO YOU THINK THERE WILL BE ANY LINGERING AFTER EFFECTS WITH AJ AFTER WHAT HAPPENED IN STAGE 1?  “I doubt it.  I think he and I should talk about it to understand.  Obviously, we had two really great cars capable of winning the race and definitely damaged mine and I never saw him the rest of the afternoon, so I’m sure it obviously affected his chances at winning the race.  It’s frustrating, but I think we can both learn from it and try not to do that again.  He’s a grown-up.  He’s been around.  I’m sure we can talk it out and figure out how to do better moving forward.”

HAVE YOU SEEN THE REPLAY YET?  “That was like three minutes ago, so, no, I have yet to see a TV replay.  I’m fairly certain I know what happened and whether if it’s a difference of opinion or a miscommunication over the spotter radio, I mean, I could probably be equally frustrated or even more frustrated with AJ, so I don’t think that’s the right approach to take.  Like I said earlier, I think we both just need to sit down and talk about it and understand that we both hurt our chances of winning today because of it and move forward and be better.”

HAD YOU EVER RACED TY GIBBS BEFORE AND WHAT DID HE DO TONIGHT TO IMPRESS YOU?  “Yeah, obviously Ty did a really great job tonight.  He didn’t seem to put a wheel wrong at least when I was behind him.  I haven’t raced him before, but he seemed to be able to handle a lot of situations well and I put him in some pretty tough spots trying to hang onto the lead and he did a great job with it.  There were a lot of times I could have easily been shoved off the racetrack, so I felt like he raced me fair, but the way those restarts worked out I’m not sure I could have done much different.  I’m shocked that he didn’t rip the splitter off of it going through the grass heading into turn one on the final restart, so it was cool to watch his interview.  That’s cool for him and his family, so it’ll be interesting to see what he does the rest of the year in his races.  It’s a cool way to start for him.”


HOW DID THE CHANGES TO THE BACKSTRETCH CHICANE WORK?  DID IT IMPACT HOW YOU RACED AT ALL?  “I thought it was a good compromise.  I’m glad that they didn’t put the turtles in the first two curbs because they’re pretty high-speed entries and can do a lot more damage than probably just grass, so I think they found the right compromise.  I don’t see it working very well for a sports car, but it’s a good, quick fix for NASCARs.”

HOW MUCH DID THE DAMAGE TO THE RIGHT-FRONT AFFECT THE CAR AND WAS THAT A DETERMINING FACTOR AT THE END ONCE TY GOT CLEAN AIR?  “I don’t think it changed anything at the end of the race.  By the time I got into second-place he was gone.  All l had to hope for was him screwing up or a caution coming out.  I felt like on equal terms I probably could have been able to make a pass, but it definitely affected my handling in some of the higher speed corners and I’d almost put money on it affecting my braking.  My braking got significantly worse throughout the evening.  I made a lot of mistakes on the brakes while in the lead.  I’m not very proud of those, but just have to go back and understand it better — see what our brake wears look like — and obviously losing a ton of downforce and adding a lot of drag, so definitely didn’t help in a lot of facets.  I wish we wouldn’t have had to overcome th

Ty Gibbs nabs his first win in the NASCAR Xfinity Series

By
Michelle Lippold
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Photo by Chis Graythen for Getty Images.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series held the Super Start Batteries 188 At Daytona Presented by O’Reilly Saturday for some road course racing. It was an extremely exciting race, and one driver got his first win in his first-ever Xfinity Series start. That driver was 18-years-old Ty Gibbs in his No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

“You know, can’t thank everyone right now. This is like a dream come true for me.” Gibbs said, “I can’t do burnouts, that’s one thing I cannot do at all.” An emotional Gibbs added, “This is just a dream come true to me. I really didn’t think I had it there. Kind of fought back and won.”

Austin Cindric tangled with A.J. Allmendinger in the first stage and it looked like he wasn’t going to be a front runner. Cindric managed to fight back and bring his No. 22 Penske Racing Ford home in second place. He was hoping for a win for his team owner Roger Penske’s 84th birthday.

Cindric stated, “Obviously I don’t want to be racing to a stage that aggressively. I’d love to see the replay on that. Congrats to Ty.”

Coming in third was Daniel Hemric who was up in the mix of things the whole race, but couldn’t catch Gibbs and Cindric.

Stage 1:

Stage 1 only had one caution and that was for fluid on the track. The excitement was at the end when Allmendinger and Cindric got together coming to caution. Cindric held on to win the stage.

Stage 2:

Stage 2 started with Harrison Burton at the lead but six laps later Gibbs would take the top spot away. There were no cautions in this stage and Gibbs took the stage win easily.

Stage 3:

Stage 3 had Hemric, Gibbs and Cindric vying for the top spot. There were a couple of cautions that slowed the race some but nothing too serious. Restarts were the most interesting having cars spin off the track and back on. There were two NASCAR overtimes due to spinning cars. In the end, no one could touch Gibbs, giving him his first win in his first-ever Xfinity race. That is quite an accomplishment.

Brandon Jones and Jeb Burton would round out the top five. Harrison Burton, Miguel Paludo, Brandon Brown, Justin Haley, and Jeremy Clements finished sixth through 10, respectively.

Cindric leads the Xfinity Series standings with 105 points. Harrison Burton is in second with 81 points, Hemric is third with 75 points, fourth is Brandon Brown with 72 points and rounding out the top five is Myatt Snider with 69 points.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series will head next to Homestead Speedway on Feb. 27.

Official Results:
  1. Ty Gibbs
  2. Austin Cindric
  3. Daniel Hemric
  4. Brandon Jones
  5. Jeb Burton
  6. Harrison Burton
  7. Miguel Paludo
  8. Brandon Brown
  9. Justin Haley
  10. Jeremy Clements
  11. Brett Moffitt
  12. Landon Cassill
  13. Myatt Snider
  14. Jesse Little
  15. Michael Annett
  16. Kyle Weatherman
  17. Josh Williams
  18. Kris Wright
  19. Matt Mills
  20. Joe Graf Jr.
  21. Gray Gaulding
  22. Alex Labbe
  23. Colby Howard
  24. Tommy Joe Martins
  25. Cody Ware
  26. Justin Allgaier
  27. Ryan Sieg
  28. Noah Gragson
  29. Stephen Leicht
  30. Jeffrey Earnhardt
  31. Andy Lally
  32. Bayley Currey
  33. Preston Pardus.- Transmission
  34. Timmy Hill
  35. AJ Allmendinger
  36. Jade Buford – Suspension
  37. Ryan Vargas
  38. David Starr – Transmission
  39. Riley Herbst – Accident
  40. Natalie Decker – Accident


All “Rhodes” Lead to Second Consecutive Daytona Triumph

By
Official Release
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Ben Rhodes Adds DAYTONA Road Course Victory Friday After Tri-Oval Win a Week Ago

NASCAR Wire Service

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 19, 2021) – Ben Rhodes wrapped up a perfect pair of race outings at Daytona International Speedway answering his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory on the oval last week with a dramatic win Friday night on the infield road coursing the BrakeBest Select 159 Presented by O’Reilly Auto Parts.

It took three overtime starts to secure the victory over 2020 series champion Sheldon Creed, but Rhodes’ work in the No. 99 ThorSport Racing Toyota marked only the third time in series history a driver has opened the season with back-to-back wins. And it marked the 200th victory for Toyota in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

Rhodes, 23, of Louisville, Ky., crossed the finish line .320-seconds ahead of Creed – the running order frozen, however, when a caution – one of 10 on the night – came out with a half-lap remaining in overtime.

John Hunter Nemechek, who won Stage 1 and led 14 laps on the night, finished third. Todd Gilliland, who started 31st, rallied to an impressive fourth-place finish and Riley Herbst rounded out the top five.

Matt Crafton, Derek Kraus, Kaz Grala, Timmy Hill and Christian Eckes completed the top 10. Rookie Hailie Deegan was running in the top-10 until a spin on the final lap of overtime. She finished 28th.

“Unbelievable, I don’t even have words for it,” Rhodes said after climbing out of this truck just below the flag-stand on the frontstretch. “I don’t even know what to say, this is so cool.

“I just have to thank my team. The Bombardier Tundra was fast all day. ThorSport Racing gave me a truck that handled this year and we were fast. Rich (Lushes) is a really good crew chief. It’s good to be paired up with him and all of the guys on my team. I’m just thrilled. I don’t know what to say. I’ve been on cloud nine all week, so it’s above that. I’m just so happy.”

Certainly, Rhodes was in a celebratory mood following the race, but it was a tense finish. He was about 50-yards shy of the flag-stand on the first overtime period when a caution came out extending the race instead of earning him the trophy then.

He and Creed – who led a race best 17 laps – dueled for the lead multiple times in the closing laps – often exchanging the point during the infield series of turns of the road course.

“Never fun being the first loser,” Creed said. “But my guys brought a fast truck and I felt like we were on top of the strategy there going to slicks early. Man, got hit by a lapper there leading and I don’t think that did us any favors and got to the lead, saving fuel and then worked way back to the lead got pushed out the way on the restart, just doing everything I could there. Wished it could have stayed green.”

The race started under wet conditions with teams having to decide when the track was dry enough to switch from rain tires to slicks or “dry” tires. Nemechek was the early leader – pacing the field for the opening 14 laps until his No. 4 Toyota suffered an oil pressure and fuel pick-up problem, leaving the Tundra on track and necessitating a caution. Later he ran out of gas and at one point was a lap down to the leaders before racing back to the front in the closing laps.

Rhodes had to deal with Creed and then ultimately Nemechek’s comeback as well, to earn his fifth career victory.

“It was the most stressful race of my life for sure,” said Rhodes. “There’s been stressful races, but this was really stressful. I thought it was going to be taken away from us for sure.

“I’m not sure if they showed me throwing my hands up, I hope they didn’t. Hope they didn’t listen to the radio either. I was a little frustrated. Gosh, it all worked out now. So stressful, so stressful. I don’t think I’ve had one that stressful before.”

Round two of the Daytona NASCAR Weekend tripleheader continues Saturday with the SuperStart 188 At DAYTONA presented by O’Reilly AutoParts (52 laps) for the Xfinity Series, which gets the green flag at 5 p.m. ET (frontstretch gates open at 3 p.m.). The O’Reilly Auto Parts 253 for the NASCAR Cup Series will get a 3 p.m. ET start on Sunday (frontstretch gates open at 12:30 p.m.). The event will consist of 70 laps.

A limited number of tickets are still available with kids starting at only $10. Kids 12 and under are FREE on Saturday in select sections. To be a part of the action, fans can visit www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or call 1-800-PITSHOP.

All events will be conducted in accordance with enhanced safety protocols and procedures to provide a safe environment for guests, NASCAR competitors, employees and the local community. All guests will be screened before entering the facility and will be required to wear face coverings while maintaining six feet social distancing throughout their visit.

Fans can stay connected with Daytona International Speedway on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for the latest speedway news.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race – BrakeBest Brake Pads 159 at Daytona Presented by O’Reilly

DAYTONA Road Course

Daytona Beach, Florida

Friday, February 19, 2021

               1. (1)  Ben Rhodes, Toyota, 51.

               2. (5)  Sheldon Creed, Chevrolet, 51.

               3. (4)  John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota, 51.

               4. (32)  Todd Gilliland, Ford, 51.

               5. (25)  Riley Herbst(i), Ford, 51.

               6. (9)  Matt Crafton, Toyota, 51.

               7. (31)  Derek Kraus, Toyota, 51.

               8. (24)  Kaz Grala(i), Chevrolet, 51.

               9. (34)  Timmy Hill(i), Chevrolet, 51.

               10. (16)  Christian Eckes, Toyota, 51.

               11. (30)  Stewart Friesen, Toyota, 51.

               12. (8)  Chandler Smith #, Toyota, 51.

               13. (37)  Camden Murphy, Chevrolet, 51.

               14. (3)  Carson Hocevar #, Chevrolet, 51.

               15. (14)  Austin Wayne Self, Chevrolet, 51.

               16. (7)  Codie Rohrbaugh, Chevrolet, 51.

               17. (38)  Dawson Cram, Chevrolet, 51.

               18. (19)  Johnny Sauter, Toyota, 51.

               19. (28)  Tate Fogleman, Chevrolet, 51.

               20. (33)  Tanner Gray, Ford, 51.

               21. (26)  Tyler Ankrum, Chevrolet, 51.

               22. (29)  Chase Purdy #, Chevrolet, 51.

               23. (22)  Parker Chase, Toyota, 51.

               24. (27)  Timothy Peters, Chevrolet, 51.

               25. (21)  Brett Moffitt, Chevrolet, 51.

               26. (12)  Raphael Lessard, Chevrolet, 51.

               27. (13)  Bobby Reuse, Chevrolet, 50.

               28. (23)  Hailie Deegan #, Ford, 50.

               29. (35)  Jett Noland, Chevrolet, Accident, 49.

               30. (15)  Danny Bohn, Toyota, 49.

               31. (2)  Ryan Truex, Chevrolet, 48.

               32. (39)  Norm Benning, Chevrolet, 48.

               33. (20)  Austin Hill, Toyota, 48.

               34. (6)  Cory Roper, Ford, Fuel Pressure, 47.

               35. (17)  Jennifer Jo Cobb, Chevrolet, 47.

               36. (40)  Lawless Alan, Toyota, 45.

               37. (36)  Sam Mayer, Chevrolet, Accident, 41.

               38. (18)  Jason White, Chevrolet, 41.

               39. (10)  Spencer Boyd, Chevrolet, Transmission, 38.

               40. (11)  Zane Smith, Chevrolet, Accident, 35.

Average Speed of Race Winner:  67.044 mph.

Time of Race:  2 Hrs, 44 Mins, 46 Secs. Margin of Victory:  Under Caution Seconds.

Caution Flags:  10 for 20 laps.

Lead Changes:  9 among 6 drivers.

Lap Leaders:   J. Nemechek 1-14;S. Creed 15-21;R. Lessard 22-26;S. Creed 27-33;R. Herbst(i) 34;S. Friesen 35;B. Rhodes 36-41;S. Creed 42-44;B. Rhodes 45-51.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  Sheldon Creed 3 times for 17 laps; John Hunter Nemechek 1 time for 14 laps; Ben Rhodes 2 times for 13 laps; Raphael Lessard 1 time for 5 laps; Stewart Friesen 1 time for 1 lap; Riley Herbst(i) 1 time for 1 lap.

Stage #1 Top Ten: 4,99,18,45,40,88,13,16,2,17

Stage #2 Top Ten: 24,02,21,22,38,88,1,2,23,15

About Daytona International Speedway

Daytona International Speedway is the home of The Great American Race – the DAYTONA 500. Though the season-opening NASCAR Cup Series event garners most of the attention – as well as the largest audience in motorsports – the approximately 500-acre motorsports complex boasts the most diverse schedule of racing on the globe, thus earning it the title of World Center of Racing. In addition to eight major weekends of racing activity, rarely a week goes by that the Speedway grounds are not used for events that include civic and social gatherings, car shows, photo shoots, production vehicle testing and police motorcycle training.

Toyota Racing NCWTS Post-Race Recap — Daytona Road Course 2.19.21

By
Official Release
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BEN RHODES SCORES TOYOTA’s 200th NASCAR TRUCK SERIES WIN
Rhodes goes back-to-back for the first time in his career

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 19, 2021) – Ben Rhodes took his Tundra back to Victory Lane at Daytona International Speedway – this time on the road course as the Kentucky-native scored Toyota’s 200th NASCAR Truck Series victory.

Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Daytona International Speedway Road Course
Race 2 of 23 – 44 Laps, 158.8 Miles

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, BEN RHODES
2nd, Sheldon Creed*
3rd, JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
4th, Todd Gilliland*
5th, Riley Herbst*
6th, MATT CRAFTON
7th, DEREK KRAUS
10th, CHRISTIAN ECKES
11th, STEWART FRIESEN
12th, CHANDLER SMITH
18th, JOHNNY SAUTER
22nd, PARKER CHASE
30th, DANNY BOHN
33rd, AUSTIN HILL
36th, LAWLESS ALAN
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

BEN RHODES, No. 99 Bombardier LearJet 75 Toyota Tundra, ThorSport Racing
Finishing Position: 1st

How do you describe this week and this moment?

“It’s unbelievable. I don’t have words for it. I don’t even know what to say. This is so cool. I just have to thank my team. The Bombardier Tundra was fast all day. ThorSport Racing gave me a truck that handled this year and we were fast. Rich (Luches) is a really good crew chief. It’s good to be paired up with him and all of the guys on my team. I’m just thrilled. I don’t know what to say. I’ve been on cloud nine all week, so it’s above that. I’m just so happy.”

Can you describe your emotions after winning at Daytona for a second time in seven days?

“We did the sweep. I didn’t know that there was a sweep possible at Daytona, but we did it. I don’t know what to say. This Bombardier Tundra was fast from the get-go. Starting on the pole, I knew that if we just played it safe, if I gave up the lead – I didn’t care about the laps led, none of that stuff. We didn’t need an ego, we needed to win the race. We played it smart all day. The rain was so fun. I prayed for the rain before the race and we got it. I just wish it had stayed the whole time because we were making so much hay once I got the handling down on it. I honestly didn’t want it to go dry, but I guess I’m glad that it did because it worked out okay.”

How difficult were all the restarts at the end of the race?

“It was the most stressful race of my life for sure. There’s been stressful races, but this was really stressful. I thought it was going to be taken away from us for sure. I’m not sure if they showed me throwing my hands up, I hope they didn’t. Hope they didn’t listen to the radio either. I was a little frustrated. Gosh, it all worked out now. So stressful, so stressful. I don’t think I’ve had one that stressful before.”

What does it mean to get the 200th win for Toyota in this series?

“So cool. 200 wins for Toyota, I’m so proud to be able to get that for them. You always want to be the guy that delivers for people and I’m glad that I could be the delivery man. That’s so cool. Toyota, they’ve given so much support to us. I think that’s a big reason why we’ve been in victory lane both weeks.”

What has it felt like to come out so strong with Toyota in the first two races back?

“It feels good to sweep Daytona for them. I saw Jack Irving (TRD) over in victory lane and it’s a sweet homecoming. It makes everything worth it. For Duke and Rhonda Thorson (team owners), they put so much into this, so much effort and so much time out of their days. They have so much other stuff to worry about than just running a race team and they do so good with it, they’ve done it for so long. For them to be in the position they’re in now and with the drivers they have now, the people on the team they have now, I truly believe I have the fastest teammates in the series. They set themselves up so well with this new partnership and I couldn’t be more proud of the team and just so grateful for the place that I’m in. I’m so grateful for it. I count my blessings everyday because it’s such an honor to race for them. I tell them all the time how much I truly mean that.”

Can this be a championship season?

“It’s looking better now with these extra Playoff points. I’ve learned that Playoff points are the winning ticket. They get you to the final four and I guess we’re at 10 now or maybe 11. That’s such a relief and we came into this race, I finished horrible here last year, had a horrible race last year and basically fell out of the seat. I was struggling physically hardcore with all the heat at this race. I was a little intimidated coming back to this road course, not going to lie. I feel like to conquer this and to conquer the speedway, this is our championship year, I really believe that. I don’t know, a lot of racing left and a lot of season left so we’ll see what happens.”

What has the switch back to Toyota done for the ThorSport Racing team?

“It’s been huge. The support we get is unparalleled and the fact that their (Toyota/TRD) engineering, their engineering is what it’s all about. We’re not a Cup team, we don’t have 30 engineers. We’ve got a few, we’ve got our little engineering department that could and we get so much support from them that it bumps us to the next level. They don’t do it like anybody else and I think that’s why they have 200 wins now in the Truck Series.”

JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK, No. 4 Mobil1 Toyota Tundra, Kyle Busch Motorsports
Finishing Position: 3rd

How do you describe this race and the last few laps?

“Very frustrating day. Had a really fast Tundra and led most of the race. Second stage, we thought we were good on mileage with the wet conditions and how slow we were. Ended up running out of gas. Just a mistake. Honest mistake. We win and lose as a team. Fought hard, got our lap back and got back to the front, made some moves and we did some things there on strategy that hurt us, but put us in a good position for that last restart. I just messed up. Go back and study and be better next time.”

DEREK KRAUS, No. 19 NAPA Autocare Toyota Tundra, McAnally-Hilgemann Racing
Finishing Position: 7th

How was your race tonight?

“We just stayed patient the whole time. We minded our own business and stayed on track. Overall we had a pretty good run in our NAPA Autocare Tundra.”

How much are you looking forward to Las Vegas?

“Really, it’s the first oval race on the schedule and I really look forward to that. Last year in Vegas, we ran really good. I struggled a little bit tonight on the road course. I was really uncomfortable in the rain, and then we ended up in the top-10, so that was good. Going to Vegas, we just have to have another good clean run, get some stage points and try to be up front all night.”

CHRISTIAN ECKES, No. 98 Protect The Harvest/CURB Records Toyota Tundra, ThorSport Racing
Finishing Position: 10th

Solid start to your ThorSport Racing tenure tonight. How was your run?

“It was a good first day, a good first day with ThorSport. We fought a lot of obstacles throughout the day. We tried some things that didn’t really work and then we got spun with three to go and came from all the way in the back to finish 10th, so overall, a decent first day. I’m looking forward to getting back in a Tundra with this team in Vegas.”

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. and North America for more than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands. During that time, Toyota has created a tremendous value chain as our teams have contributed to world-class design, engineering, and assembly of more than 40 million cars and trucks in North America, where we have 14 manufacturing plants, 15 including our joint venture in Alabama (10 in the U.S.), and directly employ more than 47,000 people (over 36,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.) sold nearly 2.8 million cars and trucks (nearly 2.4 million in the U.S.) in 2019.

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.

Why Opt for Car Removal Services

By
SM
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Your car that has been in use for decades has depreciated significantly. It may not even be working anymore. 

While some in this position choose to let their carrot on their farm, others abandon it in their garage, while others let their unwanted vehicle waste away in the driveway.

Old age, mechanical issues are unexpected accidents are some of the common reasons that lead to this. 

In some instances, the car could have issues after being on the road for a few years. Malfunctioning rare parts can cause issues to become irreparable, or the owner has to make frequent and expensive trips to the mechanic just to keep it safe to drive.

If you find yourself in this situation, it makes sense to sell your wrecked vehicle to a car removal company. You can earn top cash for the car which can be put toward the purchase of your next vehicle.

Here are a few more reasons why you would opt for car removal services.

Car Scrappers Purchase Vehicles Damaged By Nature

Nature is unforgiving as it can easily damage cars beyond repair. In such cases, the car should not be left to deteriorate on the side of the road.

As the owner, you should make money out of it while you still can. This is where car removal companies come in.

Nature-damaged vehicles can often no longer be repaired. Even if it is repairable, you will spend a lot of money on maintaining it, making it not worthwhile.

Instead, simply contact your local car scrapper and earn something for it.

Car Wreckers Purchase All Makes & Models

Car removal companies are usually wreckers themselves or work closely with wrecking car yards. These wreckers are interested in all vehicle makes and models to keep their scrap yards and spare parts stores fully stocked.

This is why car removal companies purchase all vehicle makes and models for their wrecking departments. Not only that, but they also take vehicles in any condition too.

Even when your car appears to have no value, a car removal service will still pay you for it. To sweeten the deal, the towing is free. You do not have to pay a cent to have it removed.

The car removal company will extract metal and spare parts that are still usable. Also, if there is an increased demand for iron, steel, and aluminum, you will get paid a few dollars more than usual. 

You Get the Value of Your Scrap Car

Trustworthy car removal companies do not take advantage of the fact that you must dispose of the vehicle quickly. They will give an accurate figure and pay you the market value of your scrap car.

Of course, you cannot expect the private sale market value of your car, as your car is not being resold as a usable vehicle. Instead, you need to consider the value of scrap metal at the time. This is because your car is being sold to car scrappers.

Conclusion

Car removal services come in handy when you have a car that no individual is willing to buy. When you have a car that is nearing its end of life that you have held on to, they will buy it when it is time to let it go.

It is a good way to stop the pollution and the injuries that could come from driving an unsafe vehicle. With these services, you will get the best pay possible based on the scrap value.

Of course, the amount you get depends on the actual condition of your vehicle and type. As expected, larger vehicles such as vans and trucks tend to pay more than smaller compact cars.

The story of license plates and its transformation into a capsule of vehicle related information

By
SM
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We have become so much used to license plates of automobiles that we rarely ponder its origin and history, the reason for its invention, and when it first appeared. License plates give an identity to vehicles that help to track them throughout its life. It also ensures your vehicle’s safety because police can track your vehicle based on the license plate if it gets stolen. License plates play varied roles in modern societies across the globe, and their history is indeed fascinating. 

License plates have gone through enormous evolution to meet the changing needs of the times. Today, when everything is becoming technology-driven, its application goes much beyond cars, leading to the reinvention of license plate sets.  Going ahead, we expect to see green license plates but before we move to the future, let us look back at the history of license plates.

The first appearance

The Germans presented the world with its first car when in 1886, the inventor named Karl Benz obtained a patent for his automobile Benz Patent- Motorwagen and signaled the modern motorcar’s birth.  Only the wealthy and aristocrats had the privilege to use the cars, which were just a few available at that time.  But it was only a matter of time before the masses could access cars as the automobile industry started growing and began producing on a commercial scale. The increase in the number of vehicles triggered the need to identify vehicles by relating them to the owner and establishing an official relationship between the two. 

Moreover, the license plates play a critical role in framing laws and regulations to ensure road safety by protecting the public and personal property. In 1893, the first license plate made its appearance in France. Other European countries followed suit and started issuing license plates, and the Dutch introduced national legislation about license plates in 1898. 

The license plates reach America

In the US, the states have their laws about vehicle registration, leading to varied perceptions about license plates, and its history is somewhat intricate. New York was the first state to introduce a law for mandatory registration of all cars in the state that forced car owners to stick a plate on the back of the vehicle that carried their names’ initials. Until 1909 when New York started issuing license plates, car owners got their license plates done in their way.

 In 1903, Massachusetts was the first state to issue an official license plate, and soon other states emulated the act and started doing the same. The first personalized license plate appeared in 1931 in Pennsylvania and paved the path for the vanity license plates that later became a rage. 

The impact of digital technology

Digital license plates are gaining popularity as digitization impacts our lives more deeply and in every sphere. Digital license plates are much more than an identification label of vehicles. It contains a lot of information about the car and its owner, vehicle status, and history that helps the authorities track vehicles more effectively.

Going ahead, we are going to see green license plates accompanying electric vehicles.

Ben Rhodes survives three overtimes to win at Daytona Road Course

By
Briar Starr
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Ben Rhodes celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series BrakeBest Brake Pads 159 At Daytona International Speedway on February 19, 2021. Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images.

The Truck Series returned to Daytona International Speedway once again this week, but this time on the Daytona Road Course. There were three overtime restarts and on the second restart, Ben Rhodes was close to taking the white flag, but a late yellow flew. However, Rhodes prevailed and took home the win after starting on the pole and holding off Sheldon Creed for the win.

“It’s unbelievable,” Rhodes said about winning twice at Daytona. “I don’t have words for it. I don’t even know what to say. This is so cool. I just have to thank my team. The Bombardier Tundra was fast all day. ThorSport Racing gave me a truck that handled this year and we were fast. Rich (Luches) is a really good crew chief. It’s good to be paired up with him and all of the guys on my team. I’m just thrilled. I don’t know what to say. I’ve been on cloud nine all week, so it’s above that. I’m just so happy.”

Originally, 12-13-19 made up the 44-lap race, but three late-race yellows extended the race distance to 51 laps.

Stage 1: Lap 1 – Lap 12

Prior to the race start, NASCAR had determined a wet race for the initial green-flag since late day rain showers moved through the area, and left the track damp.

John Hunter Nemechek was fast from the get-go and dominated early on. He took the lead from pole-sitter Rhodes while Raphael Lessard and Zane Smith spun each other out in Turn 1. One caution slowed the stage with eight to go when the No. 04 of Cory Roper came to a stop in Turn 3.

The late yellow brought out a one-lap restart for the stage, but Nemechek held off Rhodes for the stage victory. Chandler Smith, Brett Moffitt, Ryan Truex, Matt Crafton, Johnny Sauter, Austin Hill, Sheldon Creed and Riley Herbst were the Top 10 finishers.

During the stage break, Nemechek stayed out to maintain the lead, but there were some penalties as Chase Purdy was penalized for a safety violation and Sam Mayer was penalized for not going to the rear in the previous restart.

Stage 2: Lap 14 – Lap 25

From the restart, last year’s Truck Series champion, Sheldon Creed, was able to nab the lead from Nemechek coming out of Turn 6 and going into Turn 1. The Californian dominated for the majority of Stage 2 until a late stage yellow came out on Lap 22. Stage 1 winner, Nemechek, came to a complete stop due to no oil pressure in Turn 10, prompting the yellow. During this, Creed was on pit road, changing from wet tires to dry tires.

As the yellow flag flew late, the stage ended under caution and 2020 Talladega winner Raphael Lessard took the stage victory. Grala, Zane Smith, Wayne Self, Gilliland, Crafton, Deegan, Creed, Purdy and Moffitt were the top 10. Rhodes was right outside the Top 10, finishing 11th.

Stage 3: Lap 27 – Lap 51

While the first two stages were relatively calm, the final stage saw five cautions. Creed was well on his way to victory but contact between Sam Mayer and Tanner Gray brought out the first overtime of the night.

On the first restart, Rhodes was able to get by Creed and was just inches away from taking the white flag before the yellow flew once again in a matter of seconds. This time, the No. 44 of Jett Noland, who was making his debut for Niece Motorsports, stopped in the grass and Austin Wayne Self came to a stop just off Turn 10.

The final overtime restart of the night was prompted by Jennifer Jo Cobb, who came to a complete stop on the frontstretch chicane. The restart came on Lap 48 with race leaders Rhodes and Creed battling hard with each other for the win. However, Rhodes was determined to hold off Creed and stretched out his lead over second place. After 51 laps, the finish came under yellow due to a truck stopped in the grass. Ben Rhodes would win his second consecutive race and give Toyota Racing their 200th Truck Series victory.

“So cool,” the Kentucky native added about getting Toyota Racing their 200th win, “200 wins for Toyota, I’m so proud to be able to get that for them. You always want to be the guy that delivers for people and I’m glad that I could be the delivery man. That’s so cool. Toyota, they’ve given so much support to us. I think that’s a big reason why we’ve been in victory lane both weeks.”

There were 10 cautions for 20 laps and nine lead changes among six different drivers.

Official Results:
  1. Ben Rhodes, led 13 laps
  2. Sheldon Creed, led 17 laps
  3. John Hunter Nemechek, won Stage 1, led 14 laps
  4. Todd Gilliland
  5. Riley Herbst, led one lap
  6. Matt Crafton
  7. Derek Kraus
  8. Kaz Grala
  9. Timmy Hill
  10. Christian Eckes
  11. Stewart Friesen, led one lap
  12. Chandler Smith
  13. Camden Murphy
  14. Carson Hocevar
  15. Austin Wayne Self
  16. Codie Rohrbaugh
  17. Dawson Cram
  18. Johnny Sauter
  19. Tate Fogleman
  20. Tanner Gray
  21. Tyler Ankrum
  22. Chase Purdy
  23. Parker Chase
  24. Timothy Peters
  25. Brett Moffitt
  26. Raphael Lessard, led five laps, won Stage 2
  27. Bobby Reuse, 1 lap down
  28. Hailie Deegan, 1 lap down
  29. Jett Noland, OUT, Crash
  30. Danny Bohn, 2 laps down
  31. Ryan Truex, 3 laps down
  32. Norm Benning, 3 laps down
  33. Austin Hill, 3 laps down
  34. Cory Roper, OUT, Fuel Pressure
  35. Jennifer Jo Cobb, 4 laps down
  36. Lawless Alan, 6 laps down
  37. Sam Mayer, OUT, Crash
  38. Jason White, 10 laps down
  39. Spencer Boyd, OUT, Transmission
  40. Zane Smith, OUT, Crash

Up Next: The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will take next weekend off before heading out west to Las Vegas Motor Speedway Friday night, March 5, live at 9 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1 and MRN Radio.

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