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Era Motorsport Sweeps Asian Le Mans Series Debut

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Official Release
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DUBAI, UAE. (February 15, 2021) – Riding the momentum of their January victory at the Rolex 24 at Daytona last month, Era Motorsport keeps the winning streak alive following a successful debut weekend in the Asian Le Mans Series with JOTA Sport. The LMP2 team claimed top honors in the Am class, winning both races from pole position with drivers Kyle Tilley, Dwight Merriman, and Andreas Laskaratos.

The four-race season championship began with a double header at the Dubai Autrodrome, with Saturday and Sunday hosting the back-to-back races. Over 100 drivers from around the globe descended on Dubai to race 36 cars in the opening event. The No. 18 Oreca LMP2 car qualified on LMP2 Am pole position for race one, starting sixth overall.

Laskaratos took the green flag in warm, overcast conditions, moving up to fifth place on the start, avoiding early race drama to maintain position. The No. 18 Oreca got one of their required timed pit stops out of the way early, exiting pit lane just before the race leader, but the cold tires and full tank of fuel allowed the Era Oreca to slip a lap down. Undeterred, the team stayed focus on the next stint, encouraging Dwight Merriman to have a clean and consistent run, knowing they could move back up to the Am lead during the remaining three hours. Kyle Tilley took command of the car with roughly two and a half hours to go. A full course caution at the halfway point brought the field back together and cleaned up the track. Tilley ran a double stint, setting a good pace to keep up with the field and conserving tires and fuel for a final charge. The patience paid off, and the team was able to save roughly five laps through fuel saving. With just over an hour, fifteen minutes remaining, the No. 18 Era Oreca passed the #11 Eurointernational Ligier JS P217 Gibson, taking the class lead. Laskaratos resumed his driving duties for the final hour, conserving his tires but maintaining position to finish the race first in the LMP2 Am class, sixth overall.

The following morning, Dwight Merriman lead the LMP2 Am cars to green, but a brief lock up in the opening turns moved the No. 18 Oreca to second in class as the No. 11 took the lead. The team pitted just as a first course yellow came out in the first fifteen minutes of the race and were able to complete their first of three required 110-second pit stops. He had a competitive run, putting in a good pace on triple stinted tires to bring the car back into a position to fight with the pack. Kyle Tilley took over with two and a half hours remaining, starting his stint in tenth overall, leading the LMP2 Am class. Tilley ran a double stint, moving up to the top five overall positions. Andreas Laskaratos again took over for the final stint, keeping the No. 18 Oreca at the front of the field to the waving of the checkered flag, earning the team their second LMP2 Am class win of the weekend.

Rounds three and four, the final two rounds of the Asian Le Mans Series, will take place roughly 60 miles southwest at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi. Testing begins on Wednesday, with Friday hosting qualifying and race three, followed by race four on Saturday. Both races will air live on the Asian Le Mans Series website, Facebook, and YouTube.

Event Schedule
Wednesday, February 17
6:00PM – 6:55PM (9:00AM – 9:55AM U.S. Eastern) Testing
8:00PM – 8:55PM (11:00AM – 11:55AM U.S. Eastern) Testing
10:00PM – 10:55PM (1:00PM – 1:55PM U.S. Eastern) Testing

Thursday, February 18
10:10AM – 12:10PM (1:00AM – 3:10PM U.S. Eastern) Testing
2:30PM – 4:00PM (5:30AM – 7:00PM U.S. Eastern) Free Practice 1
6:30PM – 8:00PM (9:30AM – 11:00AM U.S. Eastern) Free Practice 2

Friday, February 19th
09:40AM – 10:45AM (12:40AM – 1:45AM U.S. Eastern) Qualifying Race 3
11:25AM – 12:30PM (2:25AM – 3:30AM U.S. Eastern) Qualifying Race 4
4:00PM – 8:00 (7:00AM – 11:00AM) U.S. Eastern) Race 3

Saturday February 20th
4:10 – 8:10 (7:00AM – 11:00AM) Race 4

Driver Quotes

Kyle Tilley
Two wins from two races. You can’t ask for more than that! To have won the first ever LMP2 Am class race is pretty special also. Everyone at JOTA has been a pleasure to work alongside and I’m excited to go to Yas Marina next week for rounds three and four. Both Dwight and Andreas drove very well, and I think we’re in great shape going into next week!

Dwight Merriman
I’m proud of our strong opening weekend in the Asian Le Mans Series. Jumping into a new series always comes with a learning curve, especially in a field as competitive as this LMP2 class. Everyone at JOTA Sport and Era Motorsport did an incredible job putting together a great car to fight over the four hours, and Kyle and Andreas are great co-drivers. I’m excited to move on to Yas Marina to see what the next two rounds have in store.

Andreas Laskaratos
Our first ever Asian Le Mans race weekend, with two races back-to-back could not have gone better, securing two first places in the LMP2 Am class, as both my teammates, Kyle and Dwight have done a superb job.

Of course, we had our fair share of setup challenges starting the week, but we managed to push through those issues and learned a lot. I’m ready now to continue pushing next week in Abu Dhabi!

About Era Motorsport
Era Motorsport was formed in 2018 with the idea of providing unmatched excellence in historic racing. Just two years later, the team expanded to the world of professional sport car racing, fielding an Oreca 07 in the prolific IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In 2021, the team went on to win at the iconic Rolex 24 At Daytona, in what was their second attempt competing in the event. Motorsport isn’t just a hobby, it is a way of life: a passion that is in the team’s blood. Whether you find us in the IMSA WeatherTech paddock with modern prototypes or chasing down lap records in our fully restored classic sports cars, or even globetrotting to experience historic F1 at some of the world’s most iconic circuits, Era Motorsport has something for everyone. In 2021, the team will return to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for limited events and also contest in the full season of the Asian Le Mans championship.

About JOTA Sport
Competing on the global stage, JOTA can count upon many significant victories in one of the toughest and most challenging branches of motorsport. A JOTA entered LMP2 car took a sensational victory at the 2014 Le Mans 24 Hours, a win which was labelled as “a modern classic” at the famed French endurance event. 2014 was followed by 6 more podiums including an additional win at the 24 hours Le Mans over the next 6 years taking the team to an incredible “7 in 7” at the prestigious event. Alongside the great success at Le Mans JOTA finds itself as a front running, race winning LMP WEC team taking victories at events such as Sebring, Fuji, Shanghai and Bahrain.

Parker Chase to Pilot No. 51 Tundra in Two Road Course Events

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Official Release
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19-Year-Old Driver to Make Truck Series Debut at Daytona Road Course

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Feb. 15, 2021) – Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) announced today that Parker Chase will make two starts behind the wheel of the organization’s No. 51 Tundra in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2021. The 19-year-old driver will make his Camping World Trucks debut Feb. 19 at the Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway Road Course. The Texas native will also compete May 22 at Circuit of the Americas (COTA), in Austin, Texas, when the series visits the 3.41-mile, 20-turn course for the first time.

Primary sponsorship for the Daytona Road Course event will come from Vertical Bridge, the largest private owner and operator of communications infrastructure and locations in the United States, while Tige Boats, the world’s leading innovator, designer, and manufacturer of wakesurfing, wakeboarding, and waterskiing boats, will adorn the hood of Chase’s Tundra at COTA. The paint schemes for both races will be based off designs that are featured on current Tige Boats models.

Chase, an up-and-coming sports car driver who is competing full time in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge this season, was a teammate of KBM owner Kyle Busch on the AIM Vassar Sullivan No. 14 entry that finished ninth in the 18-car GTD class in the 2020 Rolex 24. He earned a top-10 finish in his ARCA Menards Series debut on the Daytona Road Course in 2020 and earned top-10 finishes in both of his Late Model Stock races at Hickory (N.C.) Motor Speedway last year. In 2018, Chase and co-driver Ryan Dalziel, captured the Pirelli World Challenge GT SprintX Pro/Am Championship.

“I’m really looking forward to making my NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Debut at the Daytona Road Course this week,” Chase said. “KBM is a race winning organization and I am hoping to put my experience at Daytona to good use in their equipment. I have been able to spend some time working with the guys in the shop in preparation for these events and we are ready to get started. Vertical Bridge and Tige Boats have come on board to support the effort and I am ready to represent them at Daytona and Circuit of the Americas.”

“Not being able to get any actual practice time prior to making his first Camping World Truck Series start isn’t an ideal situation for Parker, but he put the effort in to come to North Carolina a few weeks ago. We were able to get him some time on the Toyota Racing Simulator, and he was also able to do some live pit stop practice,” said Mardy Lindley, crew chief of the No. 51 Tundra team. “He’s got some experience on the Daytona Road Course the last few years, the ARCA Menards race last year where he ran inside the top five for a lot of the race before finishing 10th. We’re confident that he can have a solid run and be right in the mix for us on Friday, and then we will build on that at COTA when there will be practice and qualifying before that race.”

Live coverage of Friday night’s BrakeBest Brake Pads 159 at the Daytona Road Course will be on FS1, Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM at 7:30 p.m. ET.

About Vertical Bridge:

Vertical Bridge REIT, LLC is the largest private owner and operator of communications infrastructure and locations in the United States. The Company owns, operates and master leases over 300,000 tower, rooftop, billboard, utility attachment and other site locations in support of wireless network deployments. Based in Boca Raton, Florida, Vertical Bridge was founded in 2014 by key executives from Digital Bridge Holdings, LLC (now part of Digital Colony) and former senior officers of Global Tower Partners. The senior management team at Vertical Bridge has over 300 years of collective experience in tower infrastructure and related sectors. For more information, please visit http://www.verticalbridge.com.

About Tige Boats:

Tige Boats is the world’s leading innovator, designer, and manufacturer of wakesurfing, wakeboarding, and waterskiing boats. Celebrating their 30th anniversary, Tige has cultivated its iconic brand image through industry-leading innovation, luxurious diamond-stitched interiors, and multisport versatility. From their world-class manufacturing facility and across the 2021 product line, Tige’s consistent design-driven mentality has refined the marketplace, while forever intensifying the love of life on the water. Experience the Tige lineup now at tige.com

About Kyle Busch Motorsports:

Since debuting in 2010, Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) has quickly established itself as one of the most successful teams in all of NASCAR. Owned by two-time Cup Series champion Kyle Busch and fueled by his passion for winning, the organization holds the Camping World Truck Series records for most career wins (80) and most wins in a single season (14 in 2014). In addition to collecting a series-record seven Owner’s Championships, the organization has produced two championship-winning drivers: Erik Jones (2015) and Christopher Bell (2017).

KBM prepares a fleet of race-winning Toyotas out of its state-of-the art 77,000-square-foot facility in Mooresville, N.C. Fans can stay up-to-date with all the latest KBM news online at www.KyleBuschMotorsports.com, by liking the team on Facebook (KBMteam) and by following the team on Instagram (KBMteam), and Twitter (@KBMteam).

Early Crash Relegates DiBenedetto to 33rd – Place Finish in Daytona 500

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Official Release
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The 63rd running of the Daytona 500 ended early for Matt DiBenedetto and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team.

DiBenedetto, who had started 23rd, was running 18th on Lap 15 when contact at the front of the field triggered a multi-car crash.

Although DiBenedetto initially steered past some of the spinning cars, he eventually was collected and wound up bouncing off several other drivers involved in the 16-car melee.

DiBenedetto was able to drive back to pit road just as the red flag was displayed first for lightning then continued for rain.

After a five-hour, 40-minute delay, the red flag was lifted, replaced by the caution flag.

The Motorcraft/Quick Lane team went to work on the No. 21 Mustang, but the damage was too severe to continue.

DiBenedetto was able to overtake three drivers also involved in the wreck, but was forced out of the race due to NASCAR’s damaged vehicle policy.

He was left with a 33rd – place finish.

“We had a great piece,” he said. “This was not what we had planned.”

DiBenedetto added that he sensed trouble was ahead just prior to the crash and told his spotter Doug Campbell to help him get out of the pack. But before that could happen the spinning started.

“It was getting crazy,” he said.

The team will return to Daytona International Speedway next Sunday for the O’Reilly Auto Parts 253 on the track’s 14-turn infield road course.

About Motorcraft:

Motorcraft offers a complete line of replacement parts that are recommended by Ford Motor Company. From routine maintenance to underhood repairs, Motorcraft parts offer value with high quality and the right fit at competitive prices. Motorcraft parts are available nationwide at Ford and Lincoln Dealers, independent distributors and automotive parts retailers, and are backed by the Service Parts Limited Warranty of Ford Motor Company. For more information, visit www.motorcraft.com.

About Omnicraft:

Omnicraft is part of the Ford lineup of parts brands: Ford Parts, Motorcraft and Omnicraft. Omnicraft is the exclusive non-Ford/Lincoln parts brand of premium aftermarket parts. With over a century of parts heritage to build upon, Omnicraft provides excellent quality and fit and is a preferred choice of professional automotive technicians. To find out more about Omnicraft, visitwww.omnicraftautoparts.com or contact your local Ford or Lincoln Dealership.

About Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center

Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center offers extraordinary service for routine vehicle maintenance including tire repair and replacement with a Low Tire Price Guarantee and a full menu of automotive services including oil and filter, brakes, alignments, batteries, and shocks and struts on all vehicle makes and models. Service is performed by certified technicians at more than 1,000 locations worldwide while you wait, and no appointment is necessary. For more information about Quick Lane, please visit www.quicklane.com.

About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is a global company based in Dearborn, Michigan. The company designs, manufactures, markets and services a full line of Ford cars, trucks, SUVs, electrified vehicles and Lincoln luxury vehicles, provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company and is pursuing leadership positions in electrification, autonomous vehicles and mobility solutions. Ford employs approximately 200,000 people worldwide. For more information regarding Ford, its products and Ford Motor Credit Company, please visit www.corporate.ford.com.

Wood Brothers Racing

Wood Brothers Racing was formed in 1950 in Stuart, Va., by Hall of Famer Glen Wood. Wood Brothers Racing is the oldest active team and one of the winningest teams in NASCAR history. Since its founding, the team won 99 races (including at least one race in every decade for the last seven decades) and 120 poles in NASCAR’s top-tier series. Fielding only Ford products for its entire history, the Wood Brothers own the longest association of any motorsports team with a single manufacturer. Glen’s brother, Leonard, is known for inventing the modern pit stop. The team currently runs the Ford Mustang driven by Matt DiBenedetto in the famous No. 21 racer.

Ford Performance Sweeps Daytona

By
Official Release
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Daytona Beach, FL – February 15, 2021 – Michael McDowell and Austin Cindric brought home two victories for Ford Motor Co., sweeping the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity races at Daytona. McDowell, from Front Row Motorsports, won his first Daytona 500 and NASCAR Cup Series race. While Cindric captured his first Xfinity win at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday night for Team Penske.

“Congratulations to Michael, Drew, Jerry, Bob and the Front Row Motorsports organization for winning the Daytona 500,” said Doug Yates, President and CEO of Roush Yates Engines. “This was such an amazing weekend of racing, to win both the Cup and Xfinity races is such a blessing. Congrats, to Austin, Brian, Roger, and Team Penske for winning the Xfinity race and marking Roush Yates Engines’ 150th NASCAR Xfinity win. I’m so proud of our entire team and our partnership with Ford Performance to power these fast Fords.”

It was a story book ending for McDowell, recording the Ford Mustang’s first Daytona 500 win and his first win in his 358th career start. McDowell is the eighth driver to get his first win at Daytona.

“I just can’t believe it,” McDowell commented. “The only thing I can think of is just God is so good. For so many years I’ve just been grinding it out trying to stay in this sport. Bob Jenkins gave me a great opportunity to go full-time in a competitive car and Drew Blickensderfer and my whole entire team we’ve been working so hard for years to get into this position and I’m so thankful to Love’s Travel Stops and Speeco and Ford, Doug Yates. All of my Ford partners out there. I just can’t believe it. I’m so thankful. It’s amazing.”

The 500-mile, Great American Race all came down to the last lap. McDowell, following Ford teammates Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski, found himself in position to take the lead after Logano and Keselowski had an on-track incident in Turn 3 of the final lap. McDowell took the lead, and it became a drag race to the checkered flag with Chase Elliott and Austin Dillon. After a video tape review, McDowell was announced the official winner, beating Elliott by over a car length as the raced ended under caution.

“There’s no better way to start the season than by winning NASCAR’s biggest race,” said Mark Rushbrook, global director, Ford Performance Motorsports. “There aren’t many things that Mustang hasn’t achieved in its storied history, but winning the Daytona 500 was one of them and we’re excited about adding that to the list.”

Stewart-Haas Racing teammates Kevin Harvick finished P4 and Cole Custer P11, while Team Penske teammates Logano and Keselowski finished P12 and P13 respectively.

Austin Cindric, in the No. 22 Team Penske Ford Mustang, brought home the first NASCAR Xfinity Series win of 2021. This marked Cindric’s first win at Daytona International Speedway, securing his position in the 2021 Playoffs to defend his 2020 Championship title.

In an overtime finish, the current NASCAR Xfinity Series Champion, Cindric held off a hard charging Brett Moffitt on the last lap, to take the checkered flag .104 seconds in front of Moffitt to record his ninth career win. This also marked the first Xfinity win at Daytona for team owner Roger Penske.

“What a way to kick off the season,” commented Cindric. “I’m really proud of the speed our boys brought with me in the Verizon 5G Ford Mustang. I really feel like over the no practice races we made our superspeedway cars better, so to be able to showcase that tonight makes me really proud, proud of the effort of the guys in the shop and obviously our road crew. To start off our season like this is incredible.”

Ford Performance teammates led a combined 67 laps out of the 122-lap race, led by Cindric with 28 laps and newcomer Ryan Sieg from RSS Racing with 23 laps before he was collected in an on-track incident to finish 31st. Jason White of NXT Motorsports finished tenth and Stewart-Haas Racing’s Riley Herbst finished 26th.

The NASCAR Series will be back at Daytona International Speedway this weekend to run the Road Course.

33 CHAMPIONSHIPS – 414 WINS – 371 POLES!

*Photos courtesy of NASCAR Media & Getty Images

About Roush Yates Engines
Roush Yates Engines is a leading-edge engine development company based in Mooresville, NC consisting of two state-of-the-art facilities – Roush Yates Engines and Roush Yates Manufacturing Solutions, a world class ISO 9001 / AS9100 certified CNC manufacturing facility. The company’s core business includes designing, building and testing purpose-built race engines.

Ford Performance in partnership with Roush Yates Engines is the exclusive engine builder of the NASCAR FR9 Ford V8 engine and Ford Mustang 5.2L V8 engine, used in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge series.

With an unparalleled culture of winning and steeped in rich racing history, Roush Yates Engines continues to follow the company’s vision to lead performance engine innovation and staying true to the company’s mission, provide race winning engines through demonstrated power and performance.

3 Series – 17 Teams – 81 Races

RCR Post Race Report – Daytona 500

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Official Release
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Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops / TRACKER Off Road Chevrolet Team Narrowly Miss DAYTONA 500 Victory In Exciting Last-Lap Finish

Finish: 3rd
Start: 4th
Points: 1st

“Oh man! That was so close. I don’t know what else I could have done, really. Justin Alexander and the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops / TRACKER OFF Road Chevrolet team built a rocket. We scored a bunch of points over the entire weekend, which will be helpful as we head into the 2021 season. The manufacturers are so tight, and you’re running so close at the end. We had gotten to a point where we were in a decent position to put the Chevys in Victory Lane. We had two Chevys that finished second and third, but just needed a couple more feet to get one of us to Victory Lane. I can’t say enough about ECR, RCR and the effort everyone put into our superspeedway program over the off season. We struggled last year at Talladega Superspeedway, so we came back and worked on things. It was a lot of hard work by everyone during the off season and it paid off.” -Austin Dillon

Tyler Reddick and the No. 8 Lenovo Team Show Perseverance After Early On-Track Incident in DAYTONA 500

Finish: 27th
Start: 29th
Points: 27th

“I’m proud of my No. 8 Lenovo team for sticking with it all night long to get as much out of our race as we could. We had such a solid No. 8 Lenovo Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE that my team worked so hard on over the last couple of months. It’s really unfortunate that we got caught up in one of the big ones early after just 15 laps of the DAYTONA 500. I hate it for all our partners and fans, but it’s part of racing here. My team did a great job repairing what they could and getting me back out there after that lengthy rain delay. Every point and position matters out here, so I’m glad we were able to get back out there to grab a few more spots and finish out the night. It’s not the clean start to the season that we wanted, but we’ll regroup. I look forward to coming back down here next weekend for the road course. We had a lot of speed during the Clash that we can capitalize on to get ourselves a good finish.” -Tyler Reddick

Michael McDowell And Mustang Win First Daytona 500

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Official Release
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Michael McDowell And Mustang Win First Daytona 500 In Dramatic Last-Lap Finish at Daytona International Speedway

  • Michael McDowell drove Mustang to its first Daytona 500 victory in the 63rd running of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway.
  • The win is Ford’s 16th Daytona 500 triumph overall and fifth in the last 11 years.
  • It’s the first NASCAR Cup Series win for McDowell and first for Mustang in the Daytona 500.

DAYTONA BEACH, FL, February 14, 2021 – The Ford Mustang recorded another milestone moment in its illustrious history today when Michael McDowell captured the 63rd running of the Daytona 500, giving the famous muscle car its first win in The Great American Race.

McDowell registered his first NASCAR Cup Series victory in his 358th career start in dramatic fashion as he survived a last-lap accident that took out Team Penske drivers Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski. The ensuing multi-car accident resulted in NASCAR throwing the caution flag and after a video review deemed McDowell the winner.

“My plan was to stick to the 2 car. I knew he would go for a race-winning move and my plan was to let him make that move and then coming off of four try to get to his outside or inside,” said McDowell of his desire to stay behind Keselowski. “I knew I didn’t want to make my move too early, so I was committed to the 2 car’s bumper and when he made the move, the hole opened up. It’s just unbelievable.”

Mustang, which has been recognized as the world’s best-selling sports coupe five years in a row, is in its third season competing in the NASCAR Cup Series. It has now won 29 races in 73 career starts, including a manufacturer-best 18 victories last season that ended with Ford capturing the manufacturer’s championship.

“There’s no better way to start the season than by winning NASCAR’s biggest race,” said Mark Rushbrook, global director, Ford Performance Motorsports. “There aren’t many things that Mustang hasn’t achieved in its storied history, but winning the Daytona 500 was one of them and we’re excited about adding that to the list.”

McDowell is the 13th different driver to win the Daytona 500 with Ford, which has now won The Great American Race six times in the last 13 years. The Daytona 500 win is the first for Front Row Motorsports and third Cup win in the organization’s history.

Ford Daytona 500 Race Winners (Owner):
1963 – Tiny Lund (Wood Brothers)
1965 – Fred Lorenzen (Holman-Moody)
1967 – Mario Andretti (Holman-Moody)
1969 – LeeRoy Yarbrough (Junior Johnson)
1978 – Bobby Allison (Bud Moore)
1985 – Bill Elliott (Harry Melling)
1987 – Bill Elliott (Harry Melling)
1992 – Davey Allison (Robert Yates)
1996 – Dale Jarrett (Robert Yates)
2000 – Dale Jarrett (Robert Yates)
2009 – Matt Kenseth (Jack Roush)
2011 – Trevor Bayne (Wood Brothers)
2012 – Matt Kenseth (Jack Roush)
2015 – Joey Logano (Roger Penske)
2017 – Kurt Busch (Stewart-Haas)
2021 – Michael McDowell (Front Row Motorsports)

About Ford Performance
Ford’s racing program is part of the Ford Performance organization based in Dearborn, Mich. It is responsible for major racing operations globally, including NASCAR (Cup Series, Xfinity Series, Camping World Truck Series), IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge, FIA World Rally Championship, Virgin Australia Supercars, Formula Drift, NHRA Funny Car, off-road desert racing, and sportsman drag racing. In addition, the organization also oversees the development of Ford’s racing engines, as well as the outreach programs with all Ford Clubs and Ford enthusiasts. For more information regarding Ford racing’s activities, please visit www.fordperformance.com, www.facebook/FordPerformance, Ford Performance on Instagram and @FordPerformance on Twitter.

About Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) is a global company based in Dearborn, Michigan. The company designs, manufactures, markets and services a full line of Ford cars, trucks, SUVs, electrified vehicles and Lincoln luxury vehicles, provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company and is pursuing leadership positions in electrification; mobility solutions, including self-driving services; and connected services. Ford employs approximately 187,000 people worldwide. For more information regarding Ford, its products and Ford Motor Credit Company, please visit corporate.ford.com.

Michael McDowell Pulls off a Stunner with Last-Lap DAYTONA 500 Victory

By
Official Release
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NASCAR Newswire

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 14, 2021) – In a stunning upset at the end of an action-filled, rain-interrupted DAYTONA 500, Front Row Motorsports driver Michael McDowell claimed his first NASCAR Cup Series victory after charging into the lead during a brutal multicar wreck in Turn 3 on the final lap.

“I can’t believe it,” McDowell said. “I’ve got to thank God. So many years of just grinding it out, hoping for an opportunity like this. I’ve got to thank (team owner) Bob Jenkins for giving me this opportunity. I’m so thankful. 

“What a great way to get a first victory—in the DAYTONA 500!”

In fact, McDowell, who led only the final lap at 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway, is the eighth driver to get is first Cup win in the Great American Race. His victory is the third for Front Row Motorsports—all coming in the No. 34 Ford with three different drivers: David Ragan at Talladega, Chris Buescher at Pocono and McDowell at Daytona.

Reigning series champion Chase Elliott finished second after contact between the Team Penske Fords of Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano ignited the final wreck, sending the Toyota of Kyle Busch rocketing into the outside wall. When NASCAR illuminated the caution lights, McDowell was in the lead over Elliott by a car-length. 

“I saw the lights come on (for the caution), and I knew it was over right then,” Elliott said. “We had a fast car. We weren’t as good as I thought we were on Thursday (in the Duel 150-mile qualifying race). I thought we did a really good job of executing today, staying out of trouble.

“That’s not something I’ve done a very good job of here in this race, so I’m glad we could at least finish this race and have something to build on for when we come back and try to do better.”

Austin Dillon ran third, followed by Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin, who fell short in his attempt to win a record third straight DAYTONA 500. Hamlin won the first two stages but lost the lead during the final cycle of green-flag pit stops when the small contingent of Toyotas got separated while exiting pit road.

Hamlin took the lead in the second stage after a cycle of green-flag pit stops and held it through the fifth caution of the race, which waved when Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Christopher Bell cut a left rear tire and spun into the Chevrolet of Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

At that point, Hamlin had led 58 laps, bringing his total of laps led in the Daytona 500 to 434, fifth-all-time and one ahead of Bobby Allison. Hamlin had led 34 consecutive laps to win Stage 1 after racing resumed on Sunday night. He finished with a race-high 98 laps led.

On Lap 14, before a long rain delay, off-center contact from Bell’s Toyota to the rear bumper of Aric Almirola’s Ford sent Almirola spinning near the front of the field, triggering a massive 16-car pile-up that inexorably altered the complexion of the race.

We were just getting pushed too hard too early,” Almirola said. “It’s a long, long race. Man, we were in a fine position, just sitting there riding around in the top two, three, and the 20 (Bell) just came with a big run and hit me really hard in a bad spot and it turned me to the right and tore up our race car and ended our Daytona 500 way too early.” 

Collected in the wreck were: Ryan Newman, making his first Daytona 500 start since the devastating last-lap wreck that put him in the hospital a year ago; Erik Jones, in his first start in a points race for his new team, Richard Petty Motorsports; Daniel Suarez, in his first run with newly formed Trackhouse Racing, a joint venture between Justin Marks and rapper Pitbull; and pole winner Alex Bowman, whose No. 48 Chevrolet was wiped out when Almirola shot up the track into the side of his car and rammed it into the wall. 

“It looks like the No. 10 (Almirola) kind of got turned sideways there, and I was the guy that got ran into,” Bowman said after an obligatory trip to the infield care center. “Bummer – I hate it for (sponsor) Ally. Obviously, we had a really fast Camaro. The Chevrolets were working good together; hopefully, a Chevy still ends up in Victory Lane.

“Hats off to everybody at Hendrick Motorsports; they built some really fast race cars. Hate that superspeedway racing works out that way sometimes, but that’s just part of the game.”

Also heavily damaged in the melee were the cars of William Byron, Kurt Busch, Tyler Reddick, Ryan Blaney, Chris Buescher, David Ragan, Jamie McMurray and Matt DiBenedetto. To add insult to injury, nearby lightning strikes delayed the restart of the race, and heavy rains followed shortly thereafter.

Five hours and 40 minutes later, after the rain abated and the track dried, engines were re-fired at 9:07 p.m., and the race resumed with 24 cars on the lead lap. 

Notes: In his first points race for the new 23XI Racing team co-owned by Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan, Bubba Wallace ran near the front of the pack throughout the race but lost a lap with an unscheduled pit stop for a vibration on Lap 178 of 200. Wallace was caught up in the last-lap wreck and finished 17th…  Kyle Larson ran 10th in his first trip in the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet… Austin Cindric’s strong Cup debut ended in the last-lap wreck that claimed three Team Penske cars… Ryan Preece, Ross Chastain, Jamie McMurray and Corey LaJoie claimed the sixth through ninth finishing positions, respectively.

The action at Daytona International Speedway doesn’t stop as the track’s iconic road course will host NASCAR’s three top-tier series, beginning in just five days with a tripleheader weekend (Feb. 19-21). The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series hits the 14-turn, 3.61-mile layout on Friday, Feb. 19, with the NASCAR Xfinity Series on Saturday (Feb. 20) and the NASCAR Cup Series on Sunday (Feb. 21). Tickets start at $59 for adults for the Cup race with kids starting at only $10. Kids 12 and under are FREE on Friday and Saturday in select sections.

For more information, log onto www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or call 1-800-PITSHOP. Fans can stay connected with Daytona International Speedway on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for the latest speedway news.

NASCAR Cup Series Race – 63rd Annual DAYTONA 500

Daytona International Speedway

Daytona Beach, Florida

Sunday, February 14, 2021

               1. (17)  Michael McDowell, Ford, 200.

               2. (12)  Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 200.

               3. (4)  Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 200.

               4. (8)  Kevin Harvick, Ford, 200.

               5. (25)  Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 200.

               6. (11)  Ryan Preece, Chevrolet, 200.

               7. (34)  Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 200.

               8. (19)  Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 200.

               9. (16)  Corey LaJoie, Chevrolet, 200.

               10. (13)  Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 200.

               11. (27)  Cole Custer, Ford, 200.

               12. (9)  Joey Logano, Ford, Accident, 199.

               13. (24)  Brad Keselowski, Ford, Accident, 199.

               14. (10)  Kyle Busch, Toyota, Accident, 199.

               15. (39)  Austin Cindric(i), Ford, Accident, 199.

               16. (5)  Christopher Bell, Toyota, 199.

               17. (6)  Bubba Wallace, Toyota, Accident, 198.

               18. (21)  Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet, 198.

               19. (30)  Chase Briscoe #, Ford, 197.

               20. (28)  Joey Gase, Ford, 196.

               21. (35)  Cody Ware, Chevrolet, 196.

               22. (20)  Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, 195.

               23. (38)  BJ McLeod(i), Ford, 195.

               24. (37)  Josh Bilicki, Ford, 194.

               25. (26)  Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 193.

               26. (2)  William Byron, Chevrolet, 191.

               27. (29)  Tyler Reddick, Chevrolet, 188.

               28. (40)  Kaz Grala, Chevrolet, DVP, 115.

               29. (33)  Quin Houff, Chevrolet, Accident, 37.

               30. (14)  Ryan Blaney, Ford, Accident, 14.

               31. (22)  Chris Buescher, Ford, DVP, 14.

               32. (36)  Anthony Alfredo #, Ford, DVP, 14.

               33. (23)  Matt DiBenedetto, Ford, DVP, 14.

               34. (3)  Aric Almirola, Ford, Accident, 13.

               35. (1)  Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, Accident, 13.

               36. (15)  Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet, Accident, 13.

               37. (18)  David Ragan, Ford, Accident, 13.

               38. (7)  Ryan Newman, Ford, Accident, 13.

               39. (31)  Erik Jones, Chevrolet, Accident, 13.

               40. (32)  Derrike Cope, Chevrolet, Accident, 3.

Average Speed of Race Winner:  144.416 mph.

Time of Race:  3 Hrs, 27 Mins, 44 Secs. Margin of Victory:  Under Caution Seconds.

Caution Flags:  7 for 40 laps.

Lead Changes:  22 among 13 drivers.

Lap Leaders:   A. Bowman 1;K. Harvick 2-17;*. Grala 18-27;C. Elliott 28-29;A. Dillon 30;C. Custer 31;D. Hamlin 32-71;*. Cindric(i) 72-73;D. Hamlin 74;C. Bell 75-106;A. Dillon 107-108;C. Elliott 109;K. Larson 110;D. Hamlin 111-117;J. Logano 118;K. Harvick 119;D. Hamlin 120-128;B. Wallace 129;D. Hamlin 130-132;A. Dillon 133-136;D. Hamlin 137-174;J. Logano 175-199;M. McDowell 200.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  Denny Hamlin 6 times for 98 laps; Christopher Bell 1 time for 32 laps; Joey Logano 2 times for 26 laps; Kevin Harvick 2 times for 17 laps; * Kaz Grala 1 time for 10 laps; Austin Dillon 3 times for 7 laps; Chase Elliott 2 times for 3 laps; * Austin Cindric(i) 1 time for 2 laps; Michael McDowell 1 time for 1 lap; Bubba Wallace 1 time for 1 lap; Cole Custer 1 time for 1 lap; Alex Bowman 1 time for 1 lap; Kyle Larson 1 time for 1 lap.

Stage #1 Top Ten: 11,37,3,5,33,20,23,22,42,41

Stage #2 Top Ten: 11,4,23,9,3,22,34,5,18,2

CHEVY NCS AT DAYTONA: Post-Race Notes and Quotes

By
Official Release
-

NASCAR CUP SERIES
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
DAYTONA 500
TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTES
FEBRUARY 15, 2021

TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
2nd CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE
3rd AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 BASS PRO SHOPS/TRACKER OFF ROAD CAMARO ZL1 1LE
6th RYAN PREECE, NO. 37 COTTONELLE CAMARO ZL1 1LE
7th ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 42 CLOVER CAMARO ZL1 1LE
8th JAMIE MCMURRAY, NO. 77 ADVENTHEALTH CAMARO ZL1 1LE

TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
1st Michael McDowell (Ford)
2nd Chase Elliott (Chevrolet)
3rd Austin Dillon (Chevrolet)
4th Kevin Harvick (Ford)
5th Denny Hamlin (Toyota)

The NASCAR Cup Series season continues next weekend at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course with the O’Reilly Auto Parts 253 at Daytona on Sunday, February 21, at 3:00 P.M. ET. Live coverage can be found on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTES:
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 2nd
YOU WERE SIDE BY SIDE WITH MICHAEL MCDOWELL THROUGH THREE AND FOUR WHEN THE CAUTION CAME OUT. HOW CLOSE DO YOU THINK IT WAS RIGHT THERE?
“I don’t think it was very close. I kind of got next to him and I saw the lights come on, so I knew it was over right then. Just a huge thanks to NAPA, Chevrolet and everybody at Hendrick Motorsports. I felt like we had a fast car. We weren’t as good as I thought we were on Thursday. I felt like we did a really good job executing today. Staying out of trouble – that’s not something I’ve done a very good job of here in this race, so I’m glad we could at least finish this one and have something to build on for when we come back and try to do better.”

“The top was just so fast. It didn’t seem to matter who got down low; you couldn’t really make anything go. We all kind of tried at certain points in time; it just didn’t work out. Close – we finished one, so I’m pretty pleased with that.”

AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 BASS PRO SHOPS/TRACKER OFF ROAD CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 3rd
YOU WERE BATTLING AT THE END, BUT JUST NOT QUITE ENOUGH TO GET YOUR SECOND DAYTONA 500.
“Yeah, you know you’ve just got to be thankful to be around at those moments at the end. I pulled out to see if the bottom would work and just didn’t get enough of a run. It was close. I’ve got to thank all my sponsors like Bass Pro Shops and everybody that helps this program. We were here all weekend scoring points and that’s all I can ask for. Our team worked hard in the off-season with ECR power. What can I say? Chevy was really close. I had fun working with my guys tonight in the Chevy camp.”

ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 42 CLOVER CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 7th
“A great way to kick off the year with this No. 42 car. This Clover Chevy was fast. We tore it up at the end- hit the wall a ton coming to the checkered, but still finished seventh.”

“This was a great way to start the year. We got a few stage points. Thank you to everyone at Clover, McDonald’s, AdventHealth, Caregility – it was a good way to start. We worked well with our Chevy teammates. I still have some learning to do. I’m glad to get out of here and come back next week for the Road Course.”

COREY LAJOIE, NO. 7 YOUTHEORY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 9th
“Great way to start the year with our Spire Motorsports Chevy team. You always want to be in position to contend for a win, but to finish 9th in my first race with the team is exactly what we set out to do. Good start in points and we’ll continue to get stronger over the course of the year.”

KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 NATIONS GUARD CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 10th
“All-in-all a good day. I thought we were in an OK spot there at the end to get a top-five, if not, maybe a win if things worked out down the backstretch and through three and four. They all kind of started crashing in front of me. I almost made it through; I think I barely clipped the No. 2 (Brad Keselowski) car and then kind of slid all the way through three and four. Thought I might save it, couldn’t save it and started spinning. Lost some spots, but it was still a top-10.”

“We finished top-10 in the Duel; got some points there. We were top-10 in both stages, so not a bad day for us. Would have liked to have been a little bit better, but anytime you can see the checkered flag, somewhat, at Daytona is always a good day. We’ll come back here next week and have some fun on the Road Course.”

KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 22nd
“That was quite a finish; I just wish we could have been part of it. We had to ride around all day. Once you lose two laps, you’re pinned down. You have to stay just one lap down. Got stuck in the mud, had too much damage and never really got to race. All those boys started pushing way too hard, way too early, and we got wrapped up in it. It made for a long Speedweeks. It wasn’t the best Speedweeks I can remember.”
“We’ll bounce back. We have another race here at the Road Course, then we’re down in Miami and then we’re out of Florida. We’ll dig out of this hole. We’re a great team; we’re ready for this.”

WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 26th
“It was a long day but I’m proud of my guys for being able to fix the car as well as they did so we could finish the race. Those spots we picked up were important. It would have been nice to pick up a few more, but that’s just how things go. We’ll regroup and focus on next week’s race at the road course.”

TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 LENOVO CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 27th
“I’m proud of my No. 8 Lenovo team for sticking with it all night long to get as much out of our race as we could. We had such a solid No. 8 Lenovo Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 that my team had worked so hard on over the last couple of months. It’s really unfortunate that we got caught up in one of the big ones early after just 15 laps of the DAYTONA 500. I hate it for all our partners and fans, but it’s part of racing here. My team did a great job repairing what they could and getting me back out there after that lengthy rain delay. Every point and position matters out here, so I’m glad we were able to get back out there to grab a few more spots and finish out the night. It’s not the clean start to the season that we wanted, but we’ll regroup. I look forward to coming back down here next weekend for the road course. We had a lot of speed during the Clash that we can capitalize on to get ourselves a good finish.”

ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Sidelined by damage sustained in an accident on lap 13; Finished 35th
“It looks like the No. 10 (Aric Almirola) kind of got turned sideways there and I was the guy that got ran into. Bummer – I hate it for Ally. Obviously, we had a really fast Camaro. The Chevrolet’s were working good together; hopefully a Chevy still ends up in Victory Lane.”

“Hats off to everybody at Hendrick Motorsports; they build some really fast race cars. Hate that superspeedway racing works out that way sometimes, but that’s just part of the game.”

DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 IFLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Sidelined by damage sustained in an accident on lap 13; Finished 36th
“Sadly, we got caught in someone else’s mistake early on, and even though I made it through the wreck, my car got killed on the grass. So frustrating, such a shame. But at the same time, I’m very excited for what is coming this year. I’m so fortunate to be part of such an amazing team that gave me a very fast 99 iFly Chevy Camaro. We’ll bring another fast race car next weekend and go back to battle”

JUSTIN MARKS, OWNER, TRACKHOUSE RACING/NO. 99 IFLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE
“It’s part of the game here in Daytona. You got to be good but everyone knows you have to be lucky as well. Luck wasn’t quite on our side today but we are incredibly proud of the effort put forth to get to the track by Trackhouse Racing.”

PITBULL, OWNER, TRACKHOUSE RACING/NO. 99 IFLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE
“The great thing is Daniel is OK. He was running a great race at that point. We have many more races my friends!”

ERIK JONES, NO. 43 ARMOR ALL CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Sidelined by damage sustained in an accident on lap 13; Finished 39th
“Unfortunate end for the No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports team in the Daytona 500; it’s not what we were hoping for by any means. The No. 43 Armor All Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE was fast to start. We had raced up there into the top-10 and I think we were just outside of it when the big wreck started. Bummed, but there’s 35 more races left this season to go back out and make up for it. We’ll work hard to try and make these points up here as we go and move onto the Daytona Road Course next week.”
Team Chevy high-resolution racing photos are available for editorial use.

About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, available in 75 countries with nearly 4 million cars and trucks sold in 2019. 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 www.chevrolet.com.

Ford Performance NASCAR: McDowell Wins Daytona 500

By
Official Release
-

Ford Performance Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Cup Series – Daytona 500
Daytona International Speedway | Sunday, February 14, 2021

MICHAEL MCDOWELL WINS DAYTONA 500

  • Michael McDowell registered his first career Cup Series victory today in the Daytona 500.
  • This also marks the third series win for Front Row Motorsports.
  • McDowell is the 86th different driver to win a Cup race with Ford, and the first new winner since Cole Custer won at Kentucky last year.
  • Tonight’s win is Ford’s 705th all-time in NASCAR Cup Series competition.

FORD FINISHING RESULTS:
1st — Michael McDowell
5th — Kevin Harvick
11th — Cole Custer
12th — Joey Logano
13th — Brad Keselowski
15th — Austin Cindric
19th — Chase Briscoe
20th — Joey Gase
23rd — BJ McLeod
24th — Josh Bilicki
30th — Ryan Blaney
31st — Chris Buescher
32nd — Anthony Alfredo
33rd — Matt DiBenedetto
34th — Aric Almirola
37th — David Ragan
38th — Ryan Newman

FORD PERFORMANCE QUOTES

MICHAEL MCDOWELL, No. 34 Love’s Travel Stops Ford Mustang — “I just can’t believe it. I’ve just got to thank God. So many years just grinding it out and hoping for an opportunity like this. I’ve got to thank Love’s Travel Stops, Speedco, Bob Jenkins for giving me this opportunity. I’m so thankful. Such a great way to get a first victory — a Daytona 500. Are you kidding me? I just want to say hi to my wife back home. Happy Valentine’s Day. I know it’s been a tough week. My kids, I love you guys. I wish they could be here with me to celebrate. Maybe NASCAR will send a plane to bring them down here, but we’re the Daytona 500 champions. Thank you Doug Yates, Ford. We had our Ford partners at the end and they all crashed, but luckily I was able to make it through. I’m just so thankful. God is good.”

YOUR THOUGHTS? “I just can’t believe it. The only thing I can think of is just God is so good. For so many years I’ve just been grinding it out trying to stay in this sport. Bob Jenkins gave me a great opportunity to go full-time in a competitive car and Drew Blickensderfer and my whole entire team we’ve been working so hard for years to get into this position and I’m so thankful to Love’s Travel Stops and Speeco and Ford, Doug Yates. All of my Ford partners out there, we had a good plan coming to the white and unfortunately Joey and Brad got together and the hole opened up. I just can’t believe it. I’m so thankful. It’s amazing.”

HOW IMPORTANT WAS THE LAST PIT STOP? “It was the race. We knew it was and it always comes down to that green flag stop. If you speed, you make a mistake, you slide the tires, your day is done. We just executed perfectly. We left together. Brad and I left together hooked up on bumpers and we were able to get some good speed and when the Toyotas and Chevys joined the track we had so much momentum we were able to keep the lead. It’s unbelievable. I just can’t believe I won the Daytona 500. This is amazing.”

DRIVE US DOWN THE BACKSTRETCH. YOU WERE THIRD. “My plan was to stick to the 2 car. I knew he would go for a race-winning move and my plan was to let him make that move and then coming off of four try to get to his outside or inside. I knew I didn’t want to make my move too early, so I was committed to the 2 car’s bumper and when he made the move, the hole opened up. It’s just unbelievable.”

DOES THIS MATCH THE DREAM? “It does, but whether I win this race or not it’s not what defines you. It’s unbelievable and I’m so thankful, but I’m thankful to have a happy, healthy family and a beautiful wife and a great family. Not everybody makes it to victory lane and for 14 years I didn’t, so just to be here now is just so amazing.”

MARK RUSHBROOK, Global Director, Ford Performance Motorsports — FROM A STRATEGY STANDPOINT THE FORD TEAMS PITTED FIRST AND IT WORKED OUT. YOUR THOUGHTS ON THAT. “That was our manufacturer strategy. The teams communicated and pitted together, which was the key to the race. We couldn’t have asked for a better position to be in than when then they came off pit road and all five of them were at the front of the field. That put them all in position to win.”

IT’S A GOOD THING TO HAVE THOSE FIVE FORDS AT THE FRONT, BUT YOU ALSO KNOW ALL FIVE WANT TO WIN THE DAYTONA 500. WHAT WERE YOU THINKING AT THAT POINT? “We knew there was going to be a run coming from somebody. Certainly, each of the Fords wanted to win and that’s what we saw as all of our guys were battling each other as well as trying to hold off the Chevys and Toyotas. Unfortunately, Brad and Joey got together, but McDowell was there to get the win. That’s why we have all of the Fords work together and had them in front.”

BRAD KESELOWSKI, No. 2 Discount Tire Ford Mustang — WHAT HAPPENED? “I had a big run down the backstretch and wanted to make the pass to win the Daytona 500 and it ended up really bad. I don’t feel like I made a mistake, but I can’t drive everybody else’s car, so frustrating. The Discount Tire Ford was not the fastest, but Jeremy Bullins and the whole team did a great job of keeping us in position and right then we were in position. It’s exactly where I want to be running second on the last lap at Daytona with this package and had the run, made the move and it didn’t work out.”

KEVIN HARVICK, No. 4 Busch Light #TheCrew Ford Mustang — TAKE ME THROUGH YOUR LAST COUPLE LAPS. “Brad just dropped way back and tried to stuff it in there and then everybody scattered, just trying to hope that you get the right push or push somebody. It was a really good Busch Light Ford Mustang and just came up a little bit short.”

YOU WERE IN POSITION AND THINGS DIDN’T WORK OUT. “Yeah, Brad laid way back there and got a run on the inside and then at that point when it scatters you hope that you get a push or you can wind up in the right spot and I just wound up in a spot that finished fourth. We had a great Busch Light Ford Mustang all night. We were able to position ourselves up front. It was kind of a weird race the way it would all single-file out and then you kind of scatter there a lap or two at the end and see where it all played out.”

JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang — YOU WERE IN THE LEAD AND THEN WHAT? “Pandemonium, I guess. Chaos struck. The 2 kept trying to back up, trying to get a run. I was trying to back up to him to keep the runs from being too big and just, I guess he got to the back of the 34 and it ended up being a really big run coming at me and it seemed like we all just collided in one spot. It’s a real bummer that none of the Penske cars won, but at least a Ford won and I’m really happy for McDowell. I hate that we didn’t win with our Shell/Pennzoil Mustang. I feel like we had a great shot being where we were and leading on the last lap, but if we couldn’t win I’m really happy to see McDowell win this thing. He’s a great guy, a great person, a good leader in life and has helped me a lot in my life, so it’s very cool to see him win the Daytona 500.”

ARIC ALMIROLA, No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang — WHAT HAPPENED? “We were just getting pushed too hard too early. It’s a long, long race. Man, we were in a fine position, just sitting there riding around in the top two, three and the 20 just came with a big run and hit me really hard in a bad spot and it turned me to the right and tore up our race car and ended our Daytona 500 way too early.” ARE YOU OK? “I’m fine.”

RYAN NEWMAN, No. 6 Kohler Generators Ford Mustang — “Somebody crashed in the outside row in front of us and we had nowhere to go and I got hit from some place. I had the wreck missed, but got hit from some place and that was the end of our day. I just feel bad for Kohler Generators jumping on board and getting wrecked out of the Daytona 500 so early, but unfortunately that’s part of racing. I just wish we could have had some better results.”

DAVID RAGAN, No. 36 Select Blinds Ford Mustang — “It’s just unfortunate to have a bunch of tore up race cars that early. I’ve never met a driver that said, ‘Hey, I’m gonna start this 500-mile race and just be super-aggressive.’ We all talk about give and take and making it to the end, but it seems nobody does that once they get out there. It’s frustrating that everybody is pushing and shoving and I just saw the 48 get turned and whenever someone wrecks in the top five or six it tears up a lot of cars.”

Toyota Racing Daytona 500 Recap — Daytona 2.14.21

By
Official Release
-

HAMLIN SCORES TOP-FIVE FINISH AFTER DOMINATE DAYTONA 500 PERFORMANCE
Hamlin falls just short of his third straight Daytona 500 win

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 14, 2021) – Denny Hamlin (fifth) was the top finishing Toyota in the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday evening. Hamlin won both of the opening stages and led a race-high 98 of 200 laps.

Toyota Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Daytona International Speedway
Race 1 of 36 – 500 miles, 200 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Michael McDowell*
2nd, Chase Elliott*
3rd, Austin Dillon*
4th, Kevin Harvick*
5th, DENNY HAMLIN
14th, KYLE BUSCH
16th, CHRISTOPHER BELL
17th, BUBBA WALLACE
25th, MARTIN TRUEX JR.
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 5th

Can you take us through that final lap and your race as a whole?

“I didn’t see (what happened at the end), I was too far back. We didn’t execute too good on pit road. It was just like the 125 (Duel race). We came out in front of everybody, and didn’t have any help to get up to speed. They all blew by us because they were single file, so it just took away the power that I got and that’s getting through traffic. The fact we came back to fifth there from 12th on the last couple of laps is pretty good. Dominant car.”

What exactly happened on that final pit stop to get you shuffled?

“We were too far out front. We got on-and-off pit road too good. I was just too far ahead of the pack. I figured the Chevys would make a move from two or three to go, because they are not going to win on the last lap from fifth or sixth. I was able to gain some positions. I think I was 12th and everybody was running single file, so it handcuffed me. I couldn’t really do anything. I hoped once I got to eighth as long as they make a move with two to go, I’m in the energy – in the area where I can make something happen. Dominant car, just a dominant car. Just one of those things that execute too good.”

KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 14th

What happened at the end of the race with the accident?

“I had a run down the backstretch and everybody was kind of checking up in the middle so I went high to go around the outside. I figured guys would kind of blend back to the high side and the 2 (Brad Keselowski) car just landed on my hood. Came out of nowhere. Unfortunately got caught up in the wreck and banged up pretty good. Took a couple good licks, but just a matter of plate racing I guess. For as far back as we were and what was happening, I don’t think we would have won. I think we probably would have been maybe fourth or fifth so that’s about all we were going to get anyways. Just unfortunate day for the M&M’s Camry. Hate it for my guys. It seemed like every time the points were being paid, we stumbled. First stage we went from second to outside the top-10 and then the second stage, we went from third to ninth. Then there at the end obviously, I felt like we had a top-five and finished 14th looking at the board there. Just a dismal day at Daytona, as usual.”

How do you describe the chaos of that last lap?

“Just that. It’s to be expected. It was just a matter of time before it all breaks loose and whatever happens, happens. I saw a window to the outside and all of a sudden I had the 2 (Brad Keselowski) on my hood. I don’t know. I felt like those guys were going to get bogged down on the bottom so I was trying to shoot for the top and get a run on the outside of them. That’s typically where everybody was going all night long and hopefully get a run off of (turn) four. I was just trying to shoot for a top-five. We were too far back to make aanything happen for a win. We got clobbered there a few times obviously, and just fortunate that I’m all good. Our M&M’s Camry – that one won’t live on for another day, but hopefully we will be back here next week and have a better go round on the road course and get back after it.”

# # #

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 38 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 2.8 million cars and trucks (2.4 million in the U.S.) in 2018.

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 ToyotaNewsroom.com

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