Home Blog Page 2706

Ford Performance NASCAR: Busch Clash Post-Race Quotes

By
Official Release
-

Ford Performance Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Cup Series – Busch Clash
Daytona International Speedway | Tuesday, February 9, 2021

FORD FINISHING RESULTS:
3rd — Joey Logano
10th — Matt DiBenedetto
12th — Aric Almirola
13th — Ryan Blaney
14th — Ryan Newman
15th — Kevin Harvick
16th — Chris Buescher
17th — Brad Keselowski
20th — Cole Custer

FORD PERFORMANCE QUOTES

JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang — HOW DO YOU SUM UP TONIGHT? “Perseverance, just keep fighting. it’s a small field so you can always come back. All of the cars run off the road in the bus stop and got my grille packed full of mud. It’s not even grass back there, it’s just mud so I felt like I was dirt racing again. And then we got that cleaned out and was getting close to being in position to win it, I don’t understand the call NASCAR made there. I’ve got to talk to them. That’s a move that’s been made for the 10 years, 11 years I’ve been doing this. I don’t know why it’s not ok now. I just want consistent officiating. That’s all I’m looking for, so just trying to understand that a little bit better. It might be on me, I’ve got to look at it. And then we fought. We got close. I just ran out of tires there at the end and tires ended up passing us.”

RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 Menards/Great Lakes Flooring Ford Mustang — WHAT WAS YOUR POINT OF VIEW ON WHAT HAPPENED? “Just two guys going hard. We didn’t really get away from him like I needed to on the last lap there after we passed him. I didn’t get away from him. I kind of slipped up one or two corners and he was able to get into me there and kind of keep me close. I hit the mud hard on the backstretch and kind of let him get even closer and then I was trying to protect against the dive bomb there and I braked deeper in that corner than I had braked all night and he set it off in there and we came together and neither one of us won the race. It definitely sucks for sure, but I appreciate the fast car and it’s a shame it didn’t happen.”

YOU AND CHASE SPOKE CALMLY AFTERWARDS, BUT IF THAT HAPPENS IN THE 500 IS THE POST-RACE EXCHANGE ANY DIFFERENT? “A race is a race. I don’t care if it’s an exhibition race or a normal points race. I don’t care about that. It’s racing, but I was upset about it, for sure. Chase and I know each other well. I know he didn’t do it on purpose, but sending it off in there hard like anybody would do it’s just a shame we both got taken out or neither one of us won the race. If you’re gonna make a move like that make sure you either win the race, don’t let the third-place guy do it.”

CHASE SAID HE HATES THAT IT HAPPENED, BUT WHAT HAPPENED FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE? “I hate it happened, too. It didn’t work out for either of us. We were just racing hard and I had a little bit fresher tires there. We saved a set and got back to second there and his car was really good. I had to use up a lot to get to him and I kind of tried to protect and I drove into the last corner really deep to try to make sure I didn’t get dive bombed like that, but we just came together there. What are you gonna do? I appreciate the Penske boys and what they do. I missed turn one over there leading earlier and they were able to recover from that, so thanks to Great Lakes Flooring and Menards and Ford. I think we learned something for next week and excited to get the 500 going this weekend.”

Kyle Busch wins a wild conclusion to the Busch Clash

By
Andrew Kim
-
Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images.

Starting the 2021 NASCAR season with a new crew chief, a new pit crew and a new slate, Kyle Busch took advantage of a last-lap incident involving Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott to win the 43rd annual running of the Busch Clash at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course on Tuesday, February 9.

Busch, who was running in third place on the final lap and entering the final chicane prior to the straightaway for the finish line, benefitted from contact involving Elliott and Blaney, who spun, to overtake both and claim the first checkered flag of a new season of racing and the first Clash event held on Daytona’s road-course layout.

Twenty-one competitors competed in the event, all of whom met the eligibility requirements to participate: 2020 Cup pole winners, former winners of the Clash as a 2020 full-time competitor, former Daytona 500 champions as a 2020 full-time competitor, former Daytona 500 pole winners as a 2020 full-time competitor, 2020 Cup Playoff competitors, 2020 Cup race winners and 2020 Cup stage winners.  

The starting lineup was based on a random draw on Monday, February 8. With that, Ryan Blaney started on pole position with Alex Bowman starting alongside him on the front row. Chase Elliott, the reigning Cup Series champion, started at the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments.

When the green flag waved and the race commenced, Blaney jumped ahead with an early advantage on the inside lane. Behind, Tyler Reddick made a bold move on the outside lane through Turn 1 and nearly gained the lead before settling in fourth place behind Blaney, Bowman and Denny Hamlin. 

Blaney continued to lead the field through the infield turns until Hamlin made his move and took the lead entering the superspeedway Turn 1. He was able to maintain his advantage through the rest of the superspeedway turns and the two chicanes to lead the first lap over Blaney, who had Bowman and Reddick challenging him for the runner-up spot.

Earlier through the bus stop/chicane on the backstretch, Logano ran over the curb on the backstretch bus stop chicane while battling teammate Keselowski as his No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang briefly went airborne. Despite the incident, he continued on the track in the top 10.

By the second lap, Hamlin stretched his advantage to nearly two seconds over Blaney while Bowman continued to retain third place over Reddick and William Byron. Brad Keselowski was in sixth followed by Matt DiBenedetto, Joey Logano, Kyle Busch and Cole Custer. By then, Chase Elliott moved up to 16th place.

The following lap, early trouble struck for Kevin Harvick, who spun through the backstretch chicane. He was able to continue without sustaining any damage, though he fell all the way below the 21-car field, as the race remained under green. 

By the first five laps of the race, Hamlin and his No. 11 FedEx Toyota Camry continued to lead by more than a second over Blaney and his No. 12 Menards/Great Lakes Flooring Ford Mustang. Bowman remained in third place ahead of teammate Byron, Reddick and Keselowski. Behind, Kyle Busch was locked in a heated battle with Joey Logano and teammate Martin Truex Jr. for seventh while DiBenedetto slipped back to 10th. By then, Erik Jones was in 11th, Elliott was in 15th, Ty Dillon was in 17th and Harvick was in 21st.

Shortly after, DiBenedetto missed the frontstretch chicane and was forced to serve a stop-and-go penalty on the track. In addition, Kurt Busch and Logano made an early pit stop. During these events, Hamlin continued to lead the field.

The first caution of the race flew on the seventh lap due to mud reported across the bus stop chicane on the backstretch. Under caution, some competitors led by race leader Hamlin pitted while the rest led by Blaney remained on the track. Following the pit stops, Logano was assessed a penalty for having his crew members jumping over his pit wall too soon.

When the race restarted under green on Lap 10, Blaney jumped ahead again with the lead, but he overshot the first turn and lost a multitude of spots. With Blaney’s misfortune, Reddick jumped ahead with the lead. In addition, the field jumbled up as Harvick spun again in Turn 2.

At the front, Reddick continued to lead followed by Keselowski, Bowman, Buescher, Hamlin and Byron. By the time the field returned to the start/finish line, however, Keselowski drew himself alongside Reddick in a battle for the lead. In Turn 1, Reddick went wide, which allowed Keselowski to assume the lead. In addition, Hamlin moved up to second followed by teammate Martin Truex Jr. as Reddick fell back to fourth. Meanwhile, Harvick pitted following his second on-track incident. 

By Lap 12, the battle for the lead heated up between Hamlin and Keselowski while Truex joined the battle. Following a lengthy battle through the infield turns, Hamlin prevailed entering the superspeedway Turn 1. Truex also overtook Keselowski for second as he went to work on teammate Hamlin for the lead. Trailing the top-three competitors by nearly three seconds was Reddick while Elliott overtook Erik Jones and cracked the top five. 

The following lap, Hamlin got loose entering the bus stop and Truex took advantage of his teammate’s slip to take the lead. Shortly after, names like Reddick, Jones, Bowman and Logano pitted. Following the pit stops under green, however, Bowman was black-flagged due to speeding on pit road. 

By the time the field completed Lap 15 and with Truex still leading, names like Elliott, Austin Dillon, Kurt Busch, Blaney and Harvick also pitted. Not long after, the competition caution flew.

Just as the caution flew, trouble struck for the leader Truex, who missed the frontstretch chicane and was tagged with a penalty to restart at the rear of the 21-car field. Under caution, the entire field pitted for adjustments and fuel. Following the pit stops, Kurt Busch assumed the race lead with a two-tire pit stop. Austin Dillon moved up to second place after electing for no tires while Hamlin exited in third place and as the first car on four fresh tires. Keselowski, Blaney, Logano, Kyle Busch, Ryan Newman, Cole Custer and Chris Buescher exited from pit road in the top 10.

With 17 laps remaining, the race restarted under green. At the front, Kurt Busch jumped ahead with the lead until he overshot the first turn. With Busch falling all the way to the back of the field after overshooting the track, Hamlin reassumed the lead followed by Blaney, Logano, Austin Dillon and Kyle Busch.

With 15 laps remaining, Hamlin continued to lead by less than a second over Blaney while teammate Logano was situated in third place. Kyle Busch was in fourth ahead of Austin Dillon and Custer while Keselowski, Buescher, Jones and Reddick were in the top 10. Truex, meanwhile, was in 11th  while teammates Byron, Bowman and Elliott were in 13th, 14th and 15th. Harvick was in 18th while Kurt Busch was still back in 21st. By then, the bumping and on-track battling started to ensue around every turn of the track.

The following lap, the caution returned when Custer, who missed the frontstretch chicane and was set to serve a stop and go penalty, stalled his No. 41 Haas Ford Mustang near the chicane. Soon after, fire and smoke started to come out of Custer’s car as the safety workers arrived for assistance.

Under caution, some like Blaney, Logano, Byron, Bowman, Elliott, Newman, Kurt Busch, Reddick, Buescher, Harvick and Aric Almirola pitted while the rest led by Hamlin remained on the track. 

A lap prior to the restart, the left-rear tire of Byron’s No. 24 AXALTA Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE shredded, which forced him to make another pit stop for a new tire. In addition, Logano was forced to drop to the rear of the field for not entering pit road in a single file earlier.

With 11 laps remaining, the race restarted under green. At the front, Hamlin jumped ahead with the lead and he was able to retain it through the first two turns while the field behind fanned out to three lanes. Behind, Truex, who smoked his front tires entering the first turn, made his way through Austin Dillon for the runner-up spot as Kyle Busch also moved up the leaderboard. Behind, Blaney, who used the outside lane at the start to his advantage and gain a bevy of spots, challenged Dillon for fourth. 

The following lap, Hamlin retained the lead by three-tenths of a second over teammate Truex as Kyle Busch settled in third. Blaney was in fourth, but closing in on Busch’s No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry for more. Austin Dillon was in fifth followed by Elliott, Keselowski, DiBenedetto, Bowman and Reddick. 

Two laps later, the battle for the lead heated up as Truex drew himself alongside Hamlin through the infield turns. Truex was able to pull off a crossover move and grab the lead exiting the infield turns and entering the superspeedway turns. His race, however, went away through the bus stop/backstretch chicane when he ran over the mud, got loose, spun and made hard contact against the outside wall in Turn 10.

With Truex out of the race following his accident, Blaney emerged with the lead followed by Hamlin, Elliott, Kyle Busch and Bowman. Under caution, however, Blaney and Hamlin led a number of competitors down pit road while Elliott, Kurt Busch, Logano, Reddick, Buescher and Aric Almirola remained on the track. This moved Elliott into the lead.

With five laps remaining, the race restarted. At the start, Elliott pulled away with the lead and he retained it through the first turn. Behind, Kurt Busch went wide again and lost a bevy of spots. Meanwhile, Logano moved into the runner-up spot followed by Buescher, Blaney, Reddick and Kyle Busch.

When the field returned to the start/finish line, Elliott remained at the front of the pack by less than a second over Logano with a hard-charging Blaney closing in. Through the bus stop/backstretch chicane, Keselowski, who was in eighth, spun in front of Byron. In addition, Reddick got into Buescher as Buescher spun through the chicane and clipped Bowman before coming to rest on the track. Despite the incidents, the race remained under green.

At the front, Blaney, racing on fresh tires, closed in on Elliott for the lead through the infield turns, the superspeedway turns and the bus stop/backstretch chicane. With two laps remaining, Blaney made a move beneath Elliott through the dogleg turn as he took the lead, though Elliott kept Blaney in his sights.

When the final lap of the exhibition event started, Blaney was still ahead by nearly half a second over Elliott. Through the infield turns, the superspeedway turns and the backstretch chicane, Blaney continued to retain the top spot while Elliott continued to close in. 

Then entering the frontstretch chicane, Elliott made a move beneath Blaney in a bid for the win. Hen then made contact with Blaney as Blaney spun through the chicane. Following the contact, Kyle Busch, who was trailing the two leaders, made his way through the incident and overtook Elliott to win and grab the checkered flag by nearly eight-tenths of a second. 

The victory was Busch’s second in the Clash as he recorded the 10th Clash win for Joe Gibbs Racing and the sixth for the Toyota nameplate. In addition, Busch achieved his first victory with new crew chief Ben Beshore.

“I just knew to keep my head down, keep focused ahead and just seeing if I could hit my marks and get close enough to have a shot like that if something like that were to materialize,” Busch said on FS1. “Fortunately, it did for us. I can’t say enough about [crew chief] Ben Beshore and this whole M&M’s team, everybody over the off season. A new M&M’s team…It’s awesome to start off the year with a win. Non-points win, but we’d love nothing more than to be right here this Sunday.”

Elliott limped across the finish line in second place while Blaney fell all the way back to 13th place. Following the race, both competitors met on pit road for a post-race discussion.

“Neither one of us won, that’s the big one,” Elliott said on FS1. “I was close enough to drive it in there. I feel like I’d be mad at myself for not, at least, trying. Obviously, I don’t mean to wreck anybody, especially [Blaney]. Some guys, I wouldn’t mind, but he’s not one of them. Hopefully, he’s not too mad at me. I feel like you got to go for it here at an event like this in a situation. I can’t be sorry about going for the win, but certainly didn’t mean to wreck him. [I] Drove it in there. That corner gets so tight. I didn’t want to just completely jump the curb to the right, but I felt like I tried to get over there as far as I could to it and that point, we were coming together at the same time…We’ll try again Sunday.”

“I hate it happened too,” Blaney added. “It didn’t work out for either of us. We were just racing hard. I had a little bit fresher tires there…I tried to protect and I drove into the last corner really deep to try to make sure I didn’t dive-bombed like that. We just came together there. What are you gonna do?”

Logano finished in third place followed by Reddick and Byron. Hamlin, Bowman, Jones, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and DiBenedetto rounded out the top 10.

There were 13 lead changes for eight different leaders. The race featured four cautions for eight laps.

Results.

1. Kyle Busch, one lap led

2. Chase Elliott, four laps led

3. Joey Logano

4. Tyler Reddick, one lap led

5. William Byron

6. Denny Hamlin, 21 laps led

7. Alex Bowman

8. Erik Jones

9. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

10. Matt DiBenedetto

11. Austin Dillon

12. Aric Almirola

13. Ryan Blaney, five laps led

14. Ryan Newman

15. Kevin Harvick

16. Chris Buescher

17. Brad Keselowski, one lap led

18. Ty Dillon

19. Kurt Busch, one lap led

20. Cole Custer, three laps down

21. Martin Truex Jr. – OUT, Accident, two laps led

The NASCAR Cup Series will return the following day, February 10, for the Daytona 500 pole position qualifying session, which will occur at 7 p.m. ET on FS1, followed by the Bluegreen Vacations Duel races at Daytona on Thursday, February 11, which will also commence at 7 p.m. ET on FS1. All of this will lead up to the 63rd running of the Daytona 500 scheduled on Sunday, February 14, at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX.

Jordan Anderson Partners with Swann® Security for Daytona NASCAR Camping World Truck Series

By
Official Release
-

Statesville, N.C. (February 8, 2021) – Jordan Anderson’s 2021 return to the Camping World Truck Series race at Daytona International Speedway will come with a new partner.

Jordan Anderson Racing is proud to reveal the No. 3 Swann® Enforcer™ Chevrolet Silverado that Anderson will drive in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series’ NextEra Energy 250 on Friday, February 12, at Daytona International Speedway. Swann will also serve as the primary sponsor for Anderson’s car in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Darlington Raceway later this year on Saturday, Sept. 4.

“Swann is thrilled to be a primary sponsor with Jordan Anderson Racing for the NASCAR NextEra Energy 250 at Daytona,” said Mike Lucas, CEO of Swann. “We are looking forward to this NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event and will be cheering on Jordan Anderson to a great finish in his No. 3 Swann Enforcer Chevrolet.”

Anderson, one of NASCAR’s most dynamic personalities and a fan favorite in the sport, will have Swann adorning Anderson’s vibrant black, white, and blue Chevrolet Silverado.

“It’s always incredibly humbling to welcome a new partner like Swann Security into our great sport. They are a growing company on the cutting edge of developing first class security systems that I can use to protect my home and race shop while we’re on the road at the race track.” said Jordan Anderson “After our runner-up finish last year at Daytona, we’re excited to see what this years’ race has in store for us. Our crew chief Bruce Cook and the entire No. 3 crew have worked extremely hard to put together a fast Swann Enforcer Silverado for us to go compete for the win with.”

Anderson finished second behind Grant Enfinger in last year’s season-opening NASCAR Truck Series race at Daytona International Speedway. The margin of victory, 0.010, is the closest ever for a Truck Series race at Daytona. Lionel Racing manufactured a collectible die-cast to commemorate the No. 3’s second-place finish in the 2020 NextEra Energy 250.

With more than 80,000 fans across his engaging social media platforms, Anderson provides a fascinating level of access and delivers his sponsors millions of impressions every month from compelling social media content.

This content-driven partnership will allow Swann to leverage Jordan Anderson’s social media community. SwannSecurity will be included in a comprehensive content activation program including print, digital, YouTube and social media.

The Swann logo will adorn the No. 3 Chevrolet Silverado’s hood, sides and tailgate.

The NextEra Energy 250 will air live on FOX Sports 1 at 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday, February 12.

ABOUT SWANN®:
Swann® is a veteran in the global security camera market and has been in this business for over three decades. Founded in Melbourne, Australia, Swann creates innovative DIY security solutions including their patent-pending Enforcer™ Series product line, which offers enhanced crime deterrence with red and blue flashing lights when unwanted activity is detected. Also, Swann is the only brand on the market that offers a complete line up of inter-connectable wired and wireless security solutions via the Swann Security app that are completely integrated with Google Assistant and Alexa. As the global leader in wired, DIY security solutions, Swann helps its customers protect their homes, businesses, and garages no matter where life takes them – around the world or around the track. Swann’s products can be found at Best Buy, Sam’s Club, Lowe’s, Menards, Costco, Amazon, Ingram Micro, etc. Follow Swann on social media to stay updated on the latest products and news: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

About Jordan Anderson Racing

Jordan Anderson Racing (JAR) is a NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) team, and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) team, owned by owner/driver Jordan Anderson. Established in 2018, JAR has competed full-time in the last three NCWTS seasons earning multiple top ten finishes and scoring a career best second place finish in the 2020 season opening NextEra 250 at Daytona International Speedway. JAR fields a full-time entry in the NXS Series; the No. 31 Chevrolet Camaro SS driven by Jordan Anderson. JAR also fields the No. 3 Chevrolet Silverado for select drivers in the NCWTS. Be sure to follow along all season on the JAR social channels at Facebook, Twitter, and on Instagram.

Drew Dollar – No. 51 JBL Tundra Camping World Trucks Daytona Preview

By
Official Release
-

Drew Dollar Camping World Trucks Daytona Preview (printable)
Drew Dollar: Driver, No. 51 JBL® Toyota

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Overview:
Event: NextEra Energy 250, Race 1 of 22, 100 Laps – 20/20/60; 250 Miles
Location: Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (2.5-mile tri-oval)
Date/Broadcast: Feb. 12, 2021 at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR 90

The Data on Dollar:

  • Drew Dollar will make his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut behind the wheel of the No. 51 JBL Tundra in Friday night’s season-opening event at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway as part of an eight-race schedule with Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) in 2021. Dollar showed a knack for superspeedway racing last year in the ARCA Menards Series, winning at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway last June and delivering a third-place finish at Daytona last February.
  • In addition to Friday night’s race, the other seven races on Dollar’s schedule in the No. 51 Tundra this season will be Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway (May 28), Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth (June 12), Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway (June 18), Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway (Sept. 16), Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway (Sept. 24), Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway (Oct. 2) and the series finale at Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway (Nov. 5). Dollar’s Toyota will feature primary sponsorship from Sunbelt Rentals, the premiere rental company in North America; JBL, the authority in engineering superior sound; and another sponsor to be named later this season.
  • The Toyota Racing Development driver finished fourth in the ARCA Menards Series championship standings in 2020 after recording one win, four top-five and 14 top-10 finishes across 20 starts. Dollar led 40 laps en route to his lone series victory at Talladega Superspeedway last June. He also finished inside the top 10 in both of his ARCA Menards Series starts in 2019, including a sixth-place finish in his series debut at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway. In addition to his part-time Camping World Truck Series schedule this season, he will also run 13 races on the ARCA Menards Series schedule this year.
  • Dollar recorded two top-five and seven top-10 finishes with 49 laps led across eight NASAR K&N Pro Series East starts in 2019. He earned his first late model victory at South Boston (Va.) Speedway in June of 2019 and racked up numerous top-five and top-10 finishes that year. The Georgia native began his racing career in Bandoleros at Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway in 2016 and in 2018 moved up to Legend Cars where he won 20 races across the country and was crowned the INEX Semi-Pro National Points champion.
  • The Tundra that Dollar will be piloting on Friday night, KBM-26, is the same truck that Raphael Lessard drove to his first-career Camping World Trucks victory at Talladega last October. Lessard narrowly edged past former Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne just before a caution on the final lap ended the race.
  • Mardy Lindley begins his first season as a crew chief at Kyle Busch Motorsports. Lindley has guided his drivers to 32 wins and four ARCA Menards Series East championships since 2013, including back-to-back titles with Sam Mayer the last two seasons. Additionally, he earned the ARCA Menards Series Sioux Chief Showdown championship with Mayer in 2020. Behind the wheel, the second-generation driver won 11 races on the Pro Cup Series from 2000 to 2006 and was crowned the series champion in 2001.
  • KBM owner-driver Kyle Busch will make five starts in the No. 51 Cessna Tundra in 2021. Busch will get behind the wheel for the first time at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (March 5) and his schedule will also include Atlanta Motor Speedway (March 20), Richmond (Va.) Raceway (April 17), Kansas Speedway in Kansas City (May 1) and Pocono (Pa.) Raceway (June 26).

Drew Dollar, Driver Q&A:
Drew Dollar | Daytona Preview
How excited are you for your eight-race schedule with KBM?
“I’m really excited about these eight races that I have coming up. It is a great opportunity with a good team and a team with a lot of history. It’s really the best opportunity that I could ask for. I’m ready to put in the work and get after it this season.”

Do you think superspeedway racing is something that you are going to excel at this year?
“Last year, we were really good in the Camry in the ARCA series. I was comfortable on the tracks. I think our JBL Tundra will be good this season in the trucks. I am looking forward to it. Hopefully, we keep the same pattern going on and end up at the front of the field.”

How have you prepared for Daytona?
“I have been in the simulator for a little bit of everything feeling out the trucks. I have been watching a lot of film from past Daytona races. I have also been in the gym working on the physical and mental stuff because I feel like those are important when showing up at Daytona. I feel confident heading into the season. I think Daytona is a good race to start it off at.”

Drew Dollar Career Highlights:

  • Across 22 career ARCA Menards Series starts has one win, 47 laps led, four top-five and 16 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 8.6.
  • Picked up his first career ARCA Menards Series victory at Talladega Superspeedway June 20, 2020.
  • Finished fourth in the ARCA Menards Series championship standings in 2020 after recording one win, four top-five and 14 top-10 finishes across 20 starts.
  • Recorded two top-five and seven top-10 finishes with 49 laps led across eight NASAR K&N Pro Series East starts in 2019.
  • Began his racing career in Bandoleros at Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway in 2016 and in 2018 moved up to Legend Cars where he won 20 races across the country and was crowned the INEX Semi-Pro National Points champion.

Drew Dollar’s No. 51 JBL Tundra:

KBM-026: The No. 51 JBL team will unload KBM-26 for Friday night’s season-opening event. Raphael Lessard picked up his first-career Camping World Truck Series at Talladega Superspeedway last October in the Tundra’s last outing. In addition to one career win, KBM-26 earned the pole once, with David Gilliland at Talladega in 2018.

KBM Notes of Interest:

  • KBM drivers have collected one win, three poles, 102 laps led, four top-five and eight top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 17.1 across 28 starts at Daytona. Owner-driver Kyle Busch picked up the team’s lone victory at the 2.5-mile tri-oval in dramatic fashion in the 2014 season opener, finishing .016 seconds ahead of fellow Toyota competitor Timothy Peters.
  • KBM 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).
  • With 34 victories, the No. 51 is the winningest number in KBM’s Truck Series fleet.

CHEVY NCS AT DAYTONA: Team Chevy Advance

By
Official Release
-

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
63RD DAYTONA 500
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
DAYTONA, FLORIDA
FEBRUARY 14, 2021

TAKING THE GREEN FOR 2021
It’s among the most prestigious events in auto racing and it kicks off the 2021 season for NASCAR’s premier series: the 63rd running of the Daytona 500. The 2021 Daytona 500 and Speedweeks Presented by AdventHealth is six days packed full of events by NASCAR’s three national series that leads to the green flag of “The Great American Race”.

Daytona Speedweeks kicks off with the 43rd Annual Busch Clash at Daytona under the lights tonight, Tuesday, February 9th, at 7:00 p.m. ET. For the first time in history, the exhibition-style race will take on the track’s 14-turn, 3.61-mile road course. Wednesday’s events include Daytona 500 Qualifying Presented by Kroger, where NASCAR’s stars battle to claim the pole position for the Daytona 500. Next on tap for NASCAR’s premier series are the Bluegreen Vacations Duels, taking the green Thursday, February 11th, at 7:00 p.m. ET on FS1. The two 60-lap, 150-mile events will determine the remaining starting lineup for Sunday’s Daytona 500.

NASCAR’s three national series will take on three days of action at the 2.5-mile Florida superspeedway, with the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) kicking off their season opener weekend with the NextEra Energy 250 Friday, February 12th at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1. The ‘World Center of Racing’ has been the host of the season opener for the NCWTS since 2000. Saturday’s action will get underway with an appearance by the NASCAR Xfinity Series for the ‘Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner 300’ on Saturday, February 13th, at 5:00 p.m. ET on FS1. The 2021 Speedweeks is capped off with the NASCAR Cup Series and the 63rd Daytona 500 on Sunday, February 14th, at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX. For the 40th straight year, “The Great American Race” will start the NASCAR Cup Series’ 36-race season.

As NASCAR returns to action for the 2021 season, Daytona International Speedway will be the host to a limited number of fans for an in-person experience of the week’s events. The Daytona 500 is expected to have nearly 30,000 fans in attendance for the race, making it the largest sporting event to take place in the United States since the start of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

BUSCH CLASH AT DAYTONA
The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series gets underway tonight with the 43rd Annual Busch Clash at Daytona. For the first time in NASCAR history, the 35-lap, 126.35-mile exhibition-style race will take place on the Daytona International Speedway Road Course, which was introduced to the Series in August 2020. The field of competition is limited to: 2020 Busch Pole Award winners, past Busch Clash winners, former Daytona 500 champions, former Daytona 500 Busch Pole winners, 2020 NCS Playoff drivers, 2020 NCS race winners, and 2020 NCS stage winners.

A Chevrolet has made its way to victory lane in the Busch Clash 21 times, more than all other manufacturers. Career Chevrolet driver, Jeff Gordon, is among just six drivers to sweep both the Busch Clash and the Daytona 500 in one year (1997). Gordon also holds the record for appearing in the most consecutive Busch Clash races with 22 (1994 – 2015).

Of the 24 drivers eligible for this year’s Busch Clash, eight (8) Chevrolet drivers met the criteria to compete. Here is the Team Chevy starting lineup:

2nd Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1 1LE
5th William Byron, No. 24 Axalta Camaro ZL1 1LE
6th Tyler Reddick, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Camaro ZL1 1LE
7th Chase Elliott, No. 9 Llumar Camaro ZL1 1LE
9th Erik Jones, No. 43 RP Funding Camaro ZL1 1LE
15th Kurt Busch, No. 1 AdventHealth Camaro ZL1 1LE
19th Austin Dillon, No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Off Road Camaro ZL1 1LE
20th Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Kroger/NOS Energy Drink Camaro ZL1 1LE

RACE FOR THE FRONT ROW
The 2021 season brings the return of qualifying at select events, including the Daytona 500. The front row of the prestigious event has been swept by the Bowtie Brand an impressive 18 times, including eight of the last 10 years. The last was 2020, when Ricky Stenhouse Jr. put his No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Camaro ZL1 1LE on the pole in his debut in a Chevrolet. Joining him, Hendrick Motorsports’, Alex Bowman, qualified on the front row for the third year in a row.

With the front row set by qualifying, Thursday’s two 60-lap, 150-mile Bluegreen Vacations Duels at Daytona will determine the starting lineup for the remaining 40-car field. Hendrick Motorsports’, William Byron, is the latest Chevrolet driver to score a Duel win when he took his No. 24 Camaro ZL1 1LE to victory lane in the 2020 event, capturing his first win in a Cup Series car.

PACING THE FIELD
A trio of Chevrolet high-powered vehicles will lead all three of NASCAR’s national series to the green in the season opener weekend at Daytona International Speedway. Pacing NASCAR’s premier series in the 63rd running of the Daytona 500 will be the mid-engine Corvette Stingray coupe. A Silverado 1500 RST will be leading the field for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series’ NextEra Energy 250, with a Camaro SS 1LE pacing the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ ‘Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner 300’.

COMING TO DEFEND THE TITLE
With five NASCAR Championships up for grabs heading into the 2020 Season Championship at Phoenix Raceway, Chevrolet closed the season with four titles: 2020 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Driver Championship, 2020 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Manufacturer Championship, 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series Manufacturer Championship, and the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Driver Championship.

After piloting his No. 2 GMS Racing Chevrolet Silverado to victory lane in the season finale at Phoenix Racing, Sheldon Creed captured his first-career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series title, Chevrolet’s 14th Driver’s Championship in the series. In addition, with 10 Chevy Silverado trips to victory lane among five Team Chevy drivers during the 23-race season, the Bowtie Brand earned its 10th Manufacturer Championship.

The 2020 season brought Chevrolet its 22nd Bill France Performance Cup in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, the most of any other manufacturer. Four Team Chevy drivers were able to put a mark in the ‘win’ category, giving the Bowtie Brand 10 wins throughout the series’ 33-race season.

It was a year of records for Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott when his trip to victory lane at Phoenix Raceway named him the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Champion, his first title in NASCAR’s premier racing series. Elliott captured the checkered flag five times during the 2020 season, the most in one season of his career. After adding his name to the Championship history book alongside his NASCAR Hall of Fame father, Bill Elliott, they became just the third father-son combo to win a championship in NASCAR’s premier series, joining the Petty family, Lee and Richard, and the Jarrett family, Ned and Dale. Elliott’s title delivered Chevrolet its 32nd NASCAR Cup Series Drivers Championship, a number surpassing any other manufacturer.

NEW TO THE LINEUP
The 2021 season will bring new faces to the Team Chevy lineup for the NASCAR Cup Series:

· Making their NASCAR Cup Series debut at the 2021 Daytona 500 is Trackhouse Racing. Co-owned by Justin Marks and Grammy Award-winning global superstar Pitbull, the No. 99 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE will join the lineup, piloted by 29-year-old Daniel Suarez. Coming into his fifth season in NASCAR’s premier series, Suarez has eight top-five and 32 top-10 finishes.

· Erik Jones will pilot the iconic No. 43 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE for Richard Petty Motorsports. Entering into his fourth full-time season in the NASCAR Cup Series, Jones has scored two wins, 33 top-five finishes, and 62 top-10 finishes in 147 career starts in the series.

· Corey LaJoie will drive the Spire Motorsports No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE in the NASCAR Cup Series full-time in 2021, his third season in NASCAR’s premier series. Fielding two cars this season, the team’s No.77 will find a variety of drivers behind the wheel, with former Daytona 500 winner, Jamie McMurray, to make a one-time appearance at the 2021 Daytona 500 to kick off the car’s season.

· Returning to the NASCAR Cup Series, Kyle Larson will pilot the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE for Hendrick Motorsports, the first time the organization will field the team’s flagship number since 2017. In 223 NASCAR Cup Series starts, Larson has captured six wins, 56 top-fives and 101 top-10’s, all in a Chevrolet. In his NASCAR career, he’s scored 20 points-paying wins among all of NASCAR’s national series.

BOWTIE BULLETS:
· Victories by current Chevrolet drivers at Daytona International Speedway:
Kurt Busch, No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Camaro ZL1 1LE, has one win (February 2017)
Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Camaro ZL1 1LE, has one win (July 2017)
Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Camaro ZL1 1LE, has one win (February 2018)
William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 1lE, has one win (August 2020)

· Chevrolet has made the trip to Daytona 500 victory lane 24 times, more than all other manufacturers. In addition, the Bowtie Brand has won 92 times at the 2.5-mile superspeedway across all three NASCAR National Series, making Chevrolet the winningest manufacturer at Daytona International Speedway in NASCAR history.

· Of the 147 appearances made by NASCAR’s premier series at the “World Center of Racing”, Chevrolet has recorded 50 poles, 218 top-five’s, 437 top-10’s, and led 8,004 laps.

· A Bowtie Brand machine is no stranger to starting from the pole in the ‘Great American Race’. Chevrolet leads all manufacturers in Daytona 500 poles with 28, including a string of eight consecutive years; a record-long streak of topping any manufacturer at Daytona International Speedway. Accompanying the pole winner, Chevrolet has swept the Daytona 500 front row 18 times, including eight of the past 10 years.

· In 2019, Chevrolet team, Hendrick Motorsports, made Daytona 500 history when teammates William Byron, Alex Bowman, Jimmie Johnson and Chase Elliott swept the top four qualifying positions for the first time.

· Coming off of his first-career NASCAR Cup Series Championship title, Elliott could potentially become just the fifth champion in NASCAR history to claim the Harley J. Early trophy the following season. He would join the company of NASCAR Cup Series Champions Dale Jarrett (2000), Jeff Gordon (1999), Cale Yarborough (1977) and Richard Petty (1973).

TUNE IN
FOX will telecast the 200-lap, 500-mile race live at 2:30 p.m. EST Sunday, February 14. Live coverage can also be found on MRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

QUOTABLE QUOTES:
AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING CAMARO ZL1 1LE
YOU’VE HAD SUCCESS AT DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY. HOW DO YOU NEGOTIATE STAYING OUT OF THE WRECKS THROUGHOUT THE RACE SO THAT YOU CAN BE IN CONTENTION AT THE END?
“It’s tough. It’s a game of putting yourself in position. I call it high-speed chess because you know at some point in time, you’re going to be vulnerable. You hope that someone doesn’t take advantage of that too much and cause a big wreck. It’s one of those things where you are constantly moving and trying to guess the flow of the pack. I think the best place to be is in the front most of the time, but it’s impossible now with the way we race to keep yourself up there for the entire race. You see guys do it for long periods of time. Denny Hamlin has been pretty amazing at putting himself in the right position as of late. I’m going to do my best this time around to put ourselves in position for another shot at the Daytona 500.”

DO YOU FEEL THE “BIG ONE” COMING OR DOES IT HAPPEN SO FAST THAT YOU’RE JUST IN IT?
“Sometimes you’re in it, and there is nothing you can do about it because you know time is running out and you’re in it either way. It’s an odd feeling knowing your putting yourself out there and something is about to happen. It’s an issue of timing. You’re hoping you just get through it. I’ve been fortunate to sneak through some of them, or be in front of some of them. You usually know when the intensity is rising and the pack is starting to get a little bit out of control. You try to do your best to give yourself an out or be in front of it.”

YOU WERE ABLE TO GET SOME EXPERIENCE ON THE DAYTONA ROAD COURSE BY COMPETING IN THE ROLEX 24 THIS YEAR. DID ANYTHING JUMP OUT AT YOU ABOUT THE TRACK THAT YOU CAN USE FOR THE BUSCH CLASH THIS YEAR?
“It’s not so much of a technical track like some of the tracks that we go to that are road courses. It’s pretty self-explanatory. I like the fact that the tires seem to wear quite a bit at the track. I haven’t gotten to run the new chicane coming off Turn Four, so I need to make sure I try to stop when I get over there this time around from the Rolex to this race. I enjoyed it and I think the experience I got in the 24 was great. We’ll see how it all plays out in the end.”

COREY LAJOIE, NO. 7 SPIRE MOTORSPORTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE
“It’s awesome to be joining Team Chevy this season with Spire Motorsports. My dad had a ton of success behind the wheel of a Chevrolet, so I hope to continue that success, starting at Daytona.”

TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING CAMARO ZL1 1LE
THIS WILL BE YOUR DEBUT START IN THE CLASH AT DAYTONA. HOW ARE YOU AND THE I AM SECOND TEAM APPROACHING THE RACE?
“I’m looking forward to being part of the Clash at DAYTONA this year. It has been fun in the past watching the drivers and teams go out there every year and kick off the season with an exhibition race, but I’m excited to be part of the action this year. With NASCAR making the change to have the Clash on the road course, it also helps serve as a bit of a test session for our Daytona Road Course race later this month. Having no practice that weekend makes the Clash race this week even more valuable as far as on-track time.”

YOU’RE KICKING OFF YOUR SOPHOMORE YEAR IN THE CUP SERIES THIS WEEKEND WITH YOUR THIRD DAYTONA 500. WHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS?
“It’s hard to predict what will happen in the DAYTONA 500 just because of the nature of that race, but I’m excited to have another shot at it. I feel like I learn more during each superspeedway race I have in the Cup Series. My team and I worked really hard during the off-season to identify where we struggled last year and how we were going to be better in 2021. Sunday will be the first major test for us, but I’m confident in my No. 8 Lenovo team and our plan for the year.”

CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE
“I’m looking forward to getting the season started. It’s the start of a very long road in our season. This is always very exciting week. I feel like every time I get to Daytona, I’m excited and ready to get started. It’s a great week for our sport and a big event, but also the first days of a very long season. I think anyone that travels this deal knows that. So, it’s a long road ahead.”

WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1 1LE
BYRON ON BEING EAGER FOR THE START OF THE 2021 SEASON:
“I’m excited to get back to Daytona and get the season started. I’ve put in a lot of work in during the offseason preparing for this year, and I know Rudy (Fugle) and the team guys have done the same. We want to be as prepared as we possibly can be to get the season started off on the right foot. Good finishes in the first few races of the year can really change the strategy and dynamic compared to a few bad ones that put you in a hole. As a team, we’re all on the same page and all have the same goals, and that is to improve off last year, get as many wins as we can and hopefully be in contention for a championship at the end of it. I think we’re fully capable of that.”

BYRON ON WORKING WITH FUGLE AGAIN:
“It’ll be great to work with Rudy again. We had a lot of success together in the truck series. Since then, I have gained a lot of on-track and off-track knowledge. Rudy’s worked hard to get adjusted this offseason, and I think all of our efforts will benefit us. We’ve always had a good working relationship and level of communication with each other. I feel like we have basically picked up where we left off and that familiarity will hopefully translate to our on-track performance.”

RUDY FUGLE, CREW CHIEF, NO. 24 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1 1LE
FUGLE ON THE OFFSEASON PREP WITH HIS NEW TEAM:
“While I’m new to Hendrick Motorsports and the No. 24 team, it really has been a pretty smooth transition getting ready for the season. I’ve done what I can to learn the processes and get up to speed, and now we’re working on improving as one unit. William has definitely put in extra time this offseason as well to take us to that next level. Every week is going to be a building block to put us in the position we want to be in. I fully believe that this team is capable of winning races early on and that’s going to be our goal.”

FUGLE ON THE OPPORTUNITIES DAYTONA OFFERS:
“I think Daytona provides a good opportunity to get the season started off on the right foot. We have so much track time between the Clash, the Duels and practice sessions, that you really should have your car and strategy dialed in when you get to the start of the DAYTONA 500. If you get through that opening week of racing with good results, that only strengthens your team and gives you an extra boost of confidence heading into the few weeks.”

RYAN PREECE, NO. 37 COTTONELLE CAMARO ZL1 1LE
“I expect to be fast, wide-open and holding the bottom with my No. 37 Cottonelle Camaro. It’s really going to come down to preparation and not having a strong headwind or anything like that when I go out to qualify. I’m not stressed about it at all. If everything works out the way I think it’s laid out, we should qualify on speed. So, I feel pretty confident with it. Working with Trent (Owens, crew chief) and the team, I feel confident that we should have plenty of speed and we can get in on time, which will make the Duels that much less difficult. No matter what plan you come up with when it comes to Daytona, you can be as prepared as possible, but you never know what’s going to happen. If we qualify in on time, everything becomes easier throughout the weekend. If we don’t then it will come down to executing and making sure everything goes right to get ourselves in. You always show up every single week to the track, do your best and get the most out of your equipment. Our approach for Daytona is the same as it has been every year with our Cottonelle Camaro, except we’ll be a little more aggressive than we have been in years past when it comes to stages. We’ve typically tried to lay back and make sure we are there at the end. I think stage points are so important now that you have to race every single lap.”

ERIK JONES, NO. 43 RICHARD PETTY MOTORSPORTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE
“That’s the ultimate goal at the end of it all – to hopefully win a race this year and get us in the Playoffs. Richard Petty Motorsports has been doing a lot over the last few years to really strengthen their organization and I think it’s showing in performance, too. The trend is going in the right direction and we want to keep it going that way this year; keep going to a better points finish and continue to get more and more competitive on track.”

“I look at some of the tracks that we go to this year and I think there’s opportunities to win. It’s tough to win in the NASCAR Cup Series – we all know that; I know that from experience. But I think we have a lot of opportunities this year where we can do it.”

RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 KROGER/NOS ENERGY DRINK CAMARO ZL1 1LE
“I can’t express enough how awesome it would be for me personally to win the Daytona 500 for our Kroger partners and everybody on our race team. That’s our number one goal going into Daytona is to win this thing with our No. 47 Kroger/NOS Camaro and our season-long goal is finishing races strong and minimizing mistakes. We’re planning to park our No. 47 Kroger Camaro in Victory Lane and leave our car in the Daytona Hall of Fame down there. That’s what we want to do. It would be a huge accomplishment for us and it would really be a game-changer for everybody on our race team and organization. Being fast is key, but specifically at Daytona in our Kroger/NOS Camaro. It’s about having a car that handles better. It needs to drive good so you can be more aggressive with your strategy. It’s going to be important to put myself in better situations throughout the race to battle for that checkered flag. We’ve got to do everything right to limit mistakes and put ourselves in a winning position at the end. I feel really good about our Kroger/NOS Camaro. The boys have been working really hard back at the shop. And, I’m excited for Pole night on Wednesday that’s sponsored by Kroger and keep that trophy in the organization following last year’s pole win.”

ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE
BOWMAN ON STARTING FIRST RACE WITH ALLY:
“Hendrick Motorsports has seen a ton of success at superspeedways in the past and that is a great feeling going into the first race of the year with Ally. Daytona is a place where anything can happen at any moment and you must try to stay out of trouble. This No. 48 team worked hard over the offseason to build off the momentum that we ended with last season. Every year, we bring a fast Chevrolet to Daytona and I am excited to finally be able to get on track with Ally on board. It feels like it has been forever since we announced the move to the 48 with Ally’s support, so we are pumped to finally be able to get on track.”

BOWMAN ON VARIOUS ELEMENTS OF SPEEDWEEKS:
“Daytona Speedweeks has so many different elements with the CLASH, qualifying, Duels and the 500. It is going to be exciting and interesting to run the CLASH under the lights on the DAYTONA road course. Last year we battled some issues on the road course here and there, but we fought hard and finished inside the top 15. Our summer run on the 2.5-mile tri-oval ended with a top-10 result and provides some good momentum going into the Duels and the DAYTONA 500. We have qualified well for Daytona in the past and that will determine the strategy for the Duel event.”

GREG IVES, CREW CHIEF, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE
IVES ON 2021 OUTLOOK:
“The excitement of heading to Daytona has always been prevalent throughout each offseason. The design of the new paint schemes, uniforms, equipment redone, and improvements to the team as a whole bring anxiousness to get to the track. Add in the fact that we will be working with Ally and bearing the 48 has us wanting to continue the prestigious history. Our 2020 playoff run is where our team needs to continue to perform and with the consistency in the team we have, no doubt we can pick up where we left off.”

Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series Statistics

Manufacturers Championships:
Total (1949-2020): 39
First title for Chevrolet: 1958
Highest number of consecutive titles: 13 (2003-15)

Years Won: 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015

Drivers Championships:
Total (1949-2020): 32
First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)
Highest number of consecutive titles: 7 (2005-11)

Years Won: 1957, 1960, 1961, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016

Event Victories:
Record for total race wins in single season: 26 (2007)

2020 STATISTICS:
Wins: 9
Poles: 3
Laps Led: 2,399
Top-five finishes: 51
Top-10 finishes: 120

CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:
Total Chevrolet race wins: 795 (1949 to date)
Poles won to date: 717
Laps led to date: 236,705
Top-five finishes to date: 4,065
Top-10 finishes to date: 8,402

Total NASCAR Cup wins by corporation, 1949 to date

       General Motors: 1,129
       Chevrolet: 795
       Pontiac: 154
       Oldsmobile: 115
       Buick: 65

       Ford: 804                                                         
       Ford: 704
       Mercury: 96
       Lincoln: 4

       Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467
       Dodge: 217
       Plymouth: 191
       Chrysler: 59

       Toyota: 152

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.

Toyota Racing – NCS Daytona Quotes – Ty Dillon – 02.09.21

By
Official Release
-

Toyota Racing – Ty Dillon
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

DAYTONA BEACH (February 9, 2021) – 23XI Racing and Gaunt Brothers Racing driver Ty Dillon was made available to media via videoconference prior to the Clash and Daytona 500 today:

TY DILLON, No. 23 Root Insurance Toyota Camry, 23XI Racing (Clash)

No. 96 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry, Gaunt Brothers Racing (Daytona 500)

Have you talked much to Bubba (Wallace) about the race tonight? How are you approaching this race to learn things for him or that it’s your race?

“A little bit of both. I think selfishly see this moment as a race for me – this is my race to go and take full advantage of, especially the way that this offseason has gone. This is a great opportunity that I’m very thankful that I was awarded with from 23XI Racing. To be the first official driver on-track with Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin is a really cool thing. It’s a big moment for me personally, but this whole time that I’ve worked with Wheels (Mike Wheeler, crew chief) and the guys at 23XI – there has been a conscious effort that I’m doing everything I can to help their effort as well. Hopefully, tonight’s a good night for us.”

How much do you think running the Clash is going to help you for the race in 12 days?

“I think any on track experience definitely is going to help. I think we have a little bit of a package change compared to what we raced here last time. It’s certainly going to help. It’s going to be two different teams, two different operations and different cars. There’s going to be a little bit of a difference there, but for me personally, to knock off the rust and get some laps on the track and be in some really strong equipment is going to be great.”

How do you feel about your career at this point?

“It’s definitely a unique, confusing time for me. I felt like over the past four years I’ve done enough as far as proving myself on track and off the track as far as being able to provide a lot to sponsors, and representing not only myself but our sport and the companies that I’ve been able to represent over the years very well, and for things to shake out the way that they have was hard this offseason, but I’m a strong believer and I know that God does things in his timing in way above anything that I could have ever planned. Things are working out great. I would have never thought I would have an opportunity to race for Toyota, in general, and then to have opportunities – to be connected with Joe Gibbs Racing, Gaunt Brothers Racing. This has opened up a whole new avenue and I see it as a whole new opportunity. Some things happen for a reason. Some things don’t come. Some doors close, and I see this as a chance to catapult to the next part of my career. I want to use this as a chance to tell everybody, if you are investing in me in anyway – whether its trading cards, or whatever, you better go load up because I plan on making a big case.”

How do you view yourself and your timeline?

“I see myself as unique to everyone. I think there’s some really young guys that are still trying to figure it out, and I think there’s a lot of team owners trying to figure out if really, really young guys even work. You look at the guys winning championships, and winning races, they are in their late-30s or 40s. I still have 10 years till I get to that point. Imagine the number of races I will run in the next 10 years before I will get to my so-called prime, and I’ve already done a lot of great things in the top level of the sport. I think it’s only a matter of time. I think the focus has to – for the sake of NASCAR – get shifted off just what a driver brings as far as money, backing. That’s just a sport-wide issue that we are all working on consciously. That will get handled. I think we are doing a great job of that with the new car – to be able to kind of get the gap closed up a little bit, from just financial backing to experience and opportunity and someone who could represent and talk well, and really do well for the sport. I think things are going to move in the right direction. There’s a massive gap in our sport. There are always times, but I think you can be 19 or 44 or 45 and have a chance at a championship. I’m right in the sweet spot. I’m still growing and getting better as a father and a husband and a driver, on-and-off of the track. I think even last year. It was probably my best as far as growth on-and-off of the track. I think every year from that point will get better and better. I know I’m getting physically stronger and better every time I strap in.”

Do you think the Xfinity opportunity with Joe Gibbs Racing is your best opportunity to get your first win since 2014?

“It’s been a minute for sure. It’s been a couple years, but yes. Certainly. You get an opportunity in a Gibbs Toyota at any level, you want to take full advantage of it. I see this as a great opportunity for myself. I get four tries at it. I’m very thankful and lucky to get that opportunity, so I’m going to give it my all. No one is going to put more pressure on myself than me, but I worked really hard for this moment. I’ve grinded all off season to just try to get one ride, so I’m looking forward to the challenge. I fully believe in myself that I can get back to victory lane. I did it when I was 24, in ’14, which was a while ago. I was a lot younger than, and I’m a lot better driver – mentally, physically – then I was then, so I know I can still get the job done and probably get it done even better.”

What are your goals and expectations?

“Right now, it’s keep putting races together. I think that now that we are in Daytona the racing is starting to happen and I can start letting a little bit of performance speak for me, as well, as conversations off of the track continue. I want to continue to put races together. There are great opportunities out there. I’m very thankful for all of the opportunities that Toyota Racing has helped me with so far. Hopefully, those continue to grow. I certainly want to get back to track, full-time in the Cup Series again, hopefully, next year. Right now, I have the first two races going in the Cup Series, and I’ve got four so far in the Xfinity Series. I’m going to keep digging really hard and hopefully, you never say never, we can still keep putting races together all the way through the year. Now it’s time to start getting some of the performance in there to help boost some of the stock. I know there’s going to be a lot of eyes on the sport for the first couple of shows. I’m looking forward to that opportunity.”

Do you few your opportunity with Gaunt Brothers Racing as you think these two races could help you put more together?
“Absolutely, and you guys carry weight in that too, as well as you guys report on someone like myself getting an opportunity, needing a chance, needing backing that I can go out with a team like Gaunt Brothers, who is going to put a great car behind me in the 500 and in the road course. That just spurs more interest and I think we as a group deserve more opportunities throughout the year. It’s collaboration of things. It’s certainly running well – creates that opportunity.”

I know you try to put together something full-time, but is this situation – part-time in premier equipment – a better one for you in a way?

“I think so. I think you always want to run a full schedule. You always want to be running a lot of the races, but to be able to be in the best equipment is the ultimate goal. I was watching the Senna documentary the other day and if you are not going to race to win, you shouldn’t even be doing it. I want to be a part of teams that go out and win races. I think always having the opportunity to go out and win is forefront in my mind, whether the number of races matters or not. The first thing on the check list is getting in Victory Lane and I feel like I’m with a few teams this year that have great opportunities to do so.”

How much ribbing have you given Bubba (Wallace) because you are getting in the 23 before he does? Were you given this opportunity because of your relationship with Bubba?

“Honestly, it wasn’t. It didn’t have anything to do with that. Bubba and I’s relationship has grown so much over the past year and a half. I’m proud to be a friend of his and seen how he’s handled the last year and a half and to be there alongside to check-in and make sure he’s doing alright. He’s not only done a lot for our sport, but for the country in general as far as helping to bridge the gap. He’s also brought a guy like Michael Jordan to our sport, and many more eyes. I’m really thankful for this opportunity. I haven’t really ribbed Bubba on it, but maybe after the race if I run well, I’ll flip it to him after we get through the real Daytona road course race.”

Do you think the Playoffs is a good way to decide the champion?

“The reason we went to Playoffs – or the reason anyone goes to the Playoffs – is you look at other sports. If you would have looked at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers back in November, you wouldn’t have thought they would have won the Super Bowl. Momentum changes, momentum swings. Part of being a champion in our sport is being good from February all the way to the end of the year, whether you hit your stride and you’ve made the Playoffs and the last two or three races to go – you’re still the champion, but you’ve still got to get there. I think our Playoff model is really great. I think its setup well. It’s a little top-heavy with the stage points as far as teams that can really mount up points from 15th and 16th in points to 21st – it can get really hard because of the stage points, but it does make you have to compete even harder to get yourself in a stage point position as a team, if you want to get in there and compete. If not, you have to win a race. I think we’ve got a great model. I know that the 4 (Kevin Harvick) and the 11 (Denny Hamlin) dominated all year last year, and you would have thought for sure that they were shoo-ins to go 1-2 in the championship in some order. Not many people saw the Final Four shaking out the way that it did, and then Chase (Elliott) coming from nowhere and really taking it to the championship. So are sports. We all love the Cinderella story or the last second shot. I think you got that last year. I think our Playoffs provide a very exciting format for momentum shifts at the right time.”

What are your expectations for the Daytona road course events?

“It’s so unique. Last year, at the Charlotte ROVAL, we won the stage. I didn’t think that it would have locked me in the Shootout tonight, but here we are again at another ROVAL-style racetrack, so to speak a reward race for that. I’ve always liked road course racing. I’ve always liked the challenge, the uniqueness. I think I’ve always excelled at visually learning a track quickly. When you have unique situations, I learn very quickly and typically take off very well. I always look forward to these types of races, these kind of aspects in our sport. I think it’s a great opportunity for me. I’m going to have great equipment tonight to finally kind of show what I can do. I think really the last time I had a good shot at winning on a road course was back in the Trucks, the first time ever going to Mosport, and I got taken out in the last corner by last year’s Cup champion, so I’m looking forward to having great equipment, and getting a great opportunity again this year on a relatively new road course.”

Is this your year to make a name for yourself as you breakout from the family legacy a little bit?

“I hope it’s a breakout year. I’m very thankful for Toyota and the fact of just respecting me as an individual, believing in me as a driver and a person to go out and represent their company well as well as Gaunt Brothers Racing, 23XI and Joe Gibbs Racing – to accept me in, where it might be hard for people to understand that. For me, I’m a loyal person. As long as somebody wants me to race for them, I’m going to give it everything I have until they tell me to get out. I’m very thankful for the opportunity. I’m hoping that many more come of it and I always appreciate when people respect me as an individual, as a race car driver. This is the group and the team that gave me an opportunity and I promise you I’m going to make the most of it.”

Was there anything difficult about that decision?

“It wasn’t difficult because I wanted an opportunity to prove that I could win races as race car driver personally. When there is no opportunity there, you have to challenge yourself and challenge others to take a chance on you and show them how much you want it as a driver and want to work hard for the opportunity. It wasn’t hard, because I’ve put in so much hard work. I believe in myself. I feel like I can represent any company in this sport and represent the sport as good as anybody else, and for so many opportunities to just fall apart from a two to three-month span. I thought I had a ride going into late August last year, for this year with GEICO, and everything, and it all came tumbling down. When you’ve had a sponsor for four years as big as GEICO that sponsors all of the races, you don’t have time to talk to other sponsors or other companies just to get an opportunity for this year. For Toyota and Gibbs and 23XI and Gaunt Brothers to take an opportunity – that means a lot. In a time that most owners are just looking for money, they really took a good chance on me and I really appreciate them bringing me in.”

# # #

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands plus our 1,800 dealerships.

Toyota has created a tremendous value chain and directly employs more than 47,000 in North America. The company has contributed world-class design, engineering, and assembly of more than 40 million cars and trucks at our 14 manufacturing plants, 15 including our joint venture in Alabama that begins production in 2021.

Through its 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.

Chandler Smith – No. 18 Safelite AutoGlass Tundra Camping World Trucks Daytona Preview

By
Official Release
-

Chandler Smith: Driver, No. 18 Safelite AutoGlass® Toyota

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Overview:
Event: NextEra Energy 250, Race 1 of 22, 100 Laps – 20/20/60; 250 Miles
Location: Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (2.5-mile tri-oval)
Date/Broadcast: Feb. 12, 2021 at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR 90

Mr. Smith Goes to Daytona:

  • Chandler Smith will begin his first full-time season in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series behind the wheel of Kyle Busch Motorsports’ (KBM) No. 18 Safelite AutoGlass Tundra in Friday night’s season-opening event at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. The 18-year-old Georgia native will compete for the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award in 2021 after competing in a part-time schedule for KBM each of the last two seasons.
  • The Toyota Development Driver has finished inside the top five in half of his 16 career Camping World Truck Series starts, including a career-best runner-up finish at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway in 2019. Smith posted an average finish of 7.7 across his final seven of 12 total Truck Series starts in 2020, including third-place finishes in the series finale at Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway and his first career superspeedway start at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway in October.
  • Smith’s third-place finish at Talladega last October came in his first-ever start in any series on a superspeedway. He participated in ARCA Menards Series testing at Daytona in 2020, but since he was not 18 yet, he was only allowed to make single-car runs.
  • The talented teenager recorded nine wins, 10 poles and an average finish of 5.3 across 33 ARCA Menards Series starts the last three seasons. He captured the pole in his series debut at Fairgrounds Speedway in Nashville (Tenn.) in April of 2018 and set an ARCA Menards Series record by winning four consecutive poles to start his career. He earned his first victory at Madison (Wis.) International Speedway in just his fourth series start in June of 2018. Despite running a part-time schedule, he led the series in laps led in both 2018 and 2019.
  • Paul Andrews, KBM’s shop foreman, will serve as the interim crew chief for the No. 18 team this week while Danny Stockman serves the final race of a three-race suspension for a wheel that fell off at Texas Motor Speedway in Ft. Worth last year. Andrews is a veteran crew chief who recorded 12 NASCAR Cup Series wins with Alan Kulwicki (five), Geoffrey Bodine (four), Steve Park (two) and Jeremy Mayfield (one). Kulwicki won the 1992 Cup Series championship with Andrews atop the pit box. The Maine native’s best finish at Daytona was a runner-up result with Jeff Burton in the July Cup Series race in 2003.
  • Safelite AutoGlass – the nation’s largest provider of vehicle glass repair, replacement, and recalibration services – will adorn the hood of Smith’s No. 18 Tundra for 15 events on Camping World Truck Series schedule in 2021. JBL, the authority in engineering superior sound, will be the primary sponsor for the No. 18 team next week when teams return to Florida take on the road course at Daytona.

Chandler Smith, Driver Q&A:
Chandler Smith | Daytona Preview
How does it feel to compete full time for a championship?
“It’s a dream come true. Ever since I was a baby, I’ve always dreamed of running full time in one of the top three series of NASCAR. Here I am with a championship-caliber team in Kyle Busch Motorsports and amazing partners like Safelite AutoGlass. I am beyond blessed for the opportunity.”

What will it be like for you running every race in the same series?
“It’s huge. I can actually focus on one series. I’ve been running ARCA part time, super late models part time, and trucks part time all mixed into one schedule. Last year I was here and there focusing on different packages for different cars. Now, I can solely focus on trucks and where we are that given weekend.”

What goals have you set for yourself this season?
“I think the biggest goal for us as a team is getting to Phoenix and being in the top four with the opportunity to win the championship. I feel like we are more than capable of doing it. There should be nothing holding us back from it.”

You ran Talladega last year. What is your take on superspeedway racing? How are you preparing for Daytona?
“I have a funny story about Talladega. It was a blast for one. For two, I have this weird thing that goes on in my head where I have music playing. I was singing to myself going down the backstretch, but I loved it. It was really stressful, but plate racing is fun.”

Chandler Smith Career Highlights:

  • Across 16 career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts has recorded 93 laps led, eight top-five and nine top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 12.3.
  • Posted an average finish of 7.7 across his final seven of 12 total Truck Series starts in 2020, including third-place finishes in the series finale at Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway and his first career superspeedway start at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway in October.
  • Produced three top-five and four top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 4.2 across his first four career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts in 2019. He led 55 laps and finished eighth in his Gander Trucks debut at Iowa Speedway last July and then posted top-five finishes in his final three starts, including a runner-up finish at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway.
  • Has collected nine wins, 10 poles, 1761 laps led, 22 top-five and 29 top-10 finishes en route to an average finish of 5.2 across 33 career ARCA Menards Series starts. Set an ARCA Racing Series record by winning four consecutive poles to start his career and earned his first victory after leading a race-high 102 laps at Madison (Wis.) International Speedway in his fourth series start.

Chandler Smith’s No. 18 Safelite AutoGlass Tundra:

KBM-64: The No. 18 Safelite team will unload, KBM-64, for Friday night’s season-opening race at Daytona. It is the same Tundra that Smith piloted to a third-place finish in his first-ever superspeedway race last October at Talladega. Riley Herbst captured the pole, led 21 laps, won the opening stage and finished 12th with it at Daytona last year.

KBM Notes of Interest:

  • KBM drivers have collected one win, three poles, 102 laps led, four top-five and eight top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 17.1 across 28 starts at Daytona. Owner-driver Kyle Busch picked up the team’s lone victory at the 2.5-mile tri-oval in dramatic fashion in the 2014 season opener, finishing .016 seconds ahead of fellow Toyota competitor Timothy Peters.
  • KBM 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).
  • The No. 18, the number which was on the first Tundra that went to victory lane for KBM in 2010, has 21 career victories.

Four Off-Road Campers You Need To Know About Before Planning Your Next Adventure

By
SM
-
Photo by depositphotos at https://depositphotos.com/

Who does not like to say goodbye to their daily boring routine and head out into the wilderness for fun and epic adventure, soaking in all the love and danger nature offers?

Suppose you intend to wander profoundly into the boondocks. In that case, these rough terrain campers are the all-out bundle, offering lift, leeway, and ability so you can benefit as much as possible from your wild outing. We’ll be honest with you—this degree of extravagance and availability comes at an exorbitant cost; however, it may undoubtedly be justified regardless of the venture.

1- The Bengal by Tiger Adventure Vehicles

Tiger was making rough-terrain campers before rough-terrain campers were cool. The organization began in 1991, intending to take campers to remote, wild places they couldn’t ordinarily reach. 

With a full cab and an open living region, the truck-mounted Bengal gives campers the comforts of an RV with a truck’s portability. Furnished with a restroom, kitchen, full sunlight-based limit, and space to rest four, the Bengal has been a top decision for quite a long time.

2- The ALPHA Camper by All Terrain Warriors

Off-road Warriors isn’t playing: the forceful, useful ALPHA could be mistaken for a secret military vehicle. Worked to suit a scope of 4WD truck cab chassis, this square-shaped, extensive rough terrain camper with 4×4 accessories handles unpleasant territory easily.

Headroom for those difficult-to-reach campgrounds with zero stress over whether your rig can handle the terrain. Spoiler alert: it can. Furthermore, don’t stress over holding back on conveniences; this camper offers hot and cold running water, a shower and lavatory, cooking areas, and a theater setup for a great Offroad Living experience.

3- The EXP by EarthCruiser

Initially designed in Australia, the EarthCruiser line is made to deal with treacherous ground and bone-dry warmth. EarthCruiser raised the stakes when they moved to Bend, OR; these rough-terrain campers can also handle the extreme cold.

 For any individual who’s burnt out with a small living space or a rig that can’t do the work, the EarthCruiser’s lead EXP model—with its roomy storage capacity, assigned bed and dinette, press button lifting rooftop, restroom, and outside shower—is the solution.

4- Adventure Trucks by GXV

Need to go through rough terrain for quite a long time all at once? Global Expedition Vehicles is in that general area with you. Their Adventure Truck rough terrain camper model can be based on a Dodge Ram 5550 or Ford F550. 

It obliges up to 90 gallons of fresh water, 100 gallons of diesel fuel, and 650 watts of solar energy—enough to support you for quite a long time of rough terrain travel.

At $198,000 for a truck-and-camper transformation, the base model isn’t budget-friendly. Yet, the result could be inestimable: the opportunity to meander where no other RV can take you.

Final Words:

There are many off-roading vehicles to choose from when planning an off-road trip, but to do it in style, you have to go with the ones we picked out for you. These campers are fun, solid, and will accommodate you nicely when living off-grid.

King Shocks Sweeps Podium at King of the Hammers

By
Official Release
-
Photo Credit: Larry Chen

Randy Slawson comes from 29th starting position to take the overall win

1st Place – Randy Slawson (7:1:17.378)
2nd Place – JP Gomez (7:10:18.268)
3rd Place – Raul Gomez (7:35:34.018)

King Shocks and King of the Hammers go together for far more reasons than a common name. For one, there’s no better place for The Leader in Off-Road Shock Technology to prove the performance and reliability of the world’s premier off-road shocks than one of the most grueling off-road races in the world, with challenging rock sections, high-speed desert terrain, and an ever-evolving set of obstacles throughout the 14-hour race.

For two, this year’s KOH podium featured a clean sweep for racers on King Shocks, with Randy Slawson leading brothers JP and Raul Gomez across the finish line. It was Slawson’s record-tying third King of the Hammers win as a driver, his first since 2015, and allowed him to claim more than $70,000 in cash and prizes, including an $8,000 contingency bonus from King Shocks for the victory.

“My year begins and ends in February,” said Slawson. “It’s not in December, like everybody else’s. King of the Hammers is like the only thing that I live, eat, breathe, sleep, dream, you know. I spend more of my time and more of my money getting ready for this than I think anybody does. We’ve been backed up by the best in the business, like King Shocks, and it’s really been a pleasure working with them over the years. They have been a key part of my continued success.”

JP Gomez started the race on the pole, but the 190-mile challenge featured numerous lead changes across its three laps. In the end, Slawson and the Gomez brothers were the only three drivers to complete the event in under eight hours, even as Raul Gomez briefly stopped on course to assist another competitor who had crashed.

“We’re thrilled to have swept the podium at this year’s King of the Hammers,” said King Shocks President/Owner Brett King. “Huge congratulations to Randy, JP, and Raul for locking out the top three spots this year, and a ton of other teams running King Shocks also did a tremendous job conquering this year’s course. KOH is the ultimate test of off-road technology every single year, and we work hard to engineer quality products that don’t just have what it takes to make it to the finish, but make it look effortless. We’re proud of all the King racers who ran this year’s event, and can’t wait to defend all three podium spots next year!”
Racing, prerunning or just having fun, whatever your application; King Shocks has the shock for you with the performance, reliability, precise tuning and adjustability you need. King Shocks, The Leader in Off-Road Technology!

About King Off-Road Shocks
King Shocks is a world-class manufacturer and servicer of custom made adjustable and rebuildable automotive shock absorbers and performance racing products for utility vehicles, OEM replacement and professional racing use. For over twenty years King Shocks has taken pride in putting quality, performance and customer service above all. Every product sold is the result of constant testing and development done with top racers in competition worldwide. This real world testing exposes their designs to a level of abuse and destructive forces that cannot be duplicated in a laboratory. King Shocks, The leader in Off-Road Shock Technology.

Country Music Stars Pryor & Lee to Perform National Anthem Ahead of 43rd Annual Busch Clash at DAYTONA on Iconic DIS Road Course

By
Official Release
-

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 9, 2021) – Country music stars and Black River Entertainment recording artists Pryor & Lee will virtually perform “The Star Spangled Banner” ahead of the 43rd  Annual Busch CLASH at DAYTONA on Tuesday evening, kicking off an exciting week of heart-pounding action at Daytona International Speedway as a part of Speedweeks Presented by AdventHealth.

The duo of Pryor Baird and Kaleb Lee first met in 2018 as contestants on the 14th season of The Voice. Then solo acts, the singers were paired as roommates during the Blind Audition, and a friendship instantly bloomed. The two recently made their country radio debut with their single “Y’allsome,” in 2020.

Looking up to acts like Brooks & Dunn and Montgomery Gentry for their authentic lifestyle, storytelling and country roots, Pryor & Lee have carved out a path of their own with a distinct throwback country vibe and unmistakable talent.

One of the most unique and anticipated events in all of motorsports, the Busch Clash At DAYTONA will mark the first time the traditional exhibition-style event will tackle the track’s 14-turn, 3.61-mile road course, plus will take place under the lights with a scheduled a 7:00 p.m. ET start. It will be shown LIVE on FS1, which gets things started on NASCAR RaceDay at 6:00 p.m. ET, and can be heard on MRN/SiriusXM Radio. The National Anthem by Pryor & Lee is set for 6:54 p.m. ET.

Drivers will compete on the same storied course (with the lone addition a NASCAR fourth-turn chicane) as the Rolex 24 At DAYTONA and the DAYTONA 200, North America’s premier races for sports cars and motorcycles, respectively. The road course was introduced to NASCAR’s top three national series this past August for the first time, and reigning NASCAR Cup Series Champion Chase Elliott was victorious.

Tickets for Speedweeks events, excluding the DAYTONA 500 in which Denny Hamlin goes for a record third straight win, are still available, with children 12 and under are FREE in the 100 level seating and $10 in all other reserved seating. Tickets start at $49 for adults for the Busch Clash, Thursday’s Bluegreen Vacations Duel At DAYTONA, Friday’s Nextera Energy 250 and Saturday’s doubleheader featuring the Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. ® 300 for the NASCAR Xfinity Series and the Lucas Oil 200 Driven by General Tire for the ARCA Menards Series.

For information and a complete schedule of all racing events as part of Speedweeks, log onto www.DAYTONA500.com or call 1-800-PITSHOP. Tickets are also available for the track’s tripleheader weekend on the DAYTONA Road course (Feb. 19-21), featuring NASCAR’s top three national series.

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

1...2,7052,7062,707...6,767Page 2,706 of 6,767