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McDowell upsets the competition, scores first Cup triumph in the Daytona 500

By
Andrew Kim
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Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images.

The ultimate upset was made under the lights at Daytona International Speedway after Michael McDowell avoided a multi-car pileup on the final lap to win the 63rd annual running of the Daytona 500 on Sunday, February 14, and claim his first NASCAR Cup Series triumph. McDowell’s first Cup career victory came in his 358th start in NASCAR’s premier series, which marked the second-most starts in the series prior to a first Cup win.

The front row for this year’s Daytona 500 was determined on Wednesday, February 10, following a qualifying session, with the rest of the lineup determined on Thursday, February 11, following two Bluegreen Vacations Duel events at Daytona. With that, Alex Bowman started on pole position. William Byron, the outside pole-sitter, was due to start on the front row with teammate Bowman, but he dropped to the rear of the field in a backup car. The move allowed Austin Dillon, winner of the second Daytona Duel event, to move up to the front row to start alongside Bowman.

Along with Byron, the following competitors that include Brad Keselowski, rookie Chase Briscoe, Kaz Grala, rookie Anthony Alfredo, Cole Custer and Ross Chastain also dropped to the rear of the field in backup cars. Martin Truex Jr. dropped to the rear of the field due to an oil cooler change along with Erik Jones, who did so following an engine change. Bubba Wallace also dropped to the rear of the field due to his car failing pre-race inspection twice, thus resulting with his car chief being ejected for the event. 

When the green flag waved and the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season commenced, Bowman, who started on the outside lane, crossed over the bottom lane to jump to an early lead in front of Austin Dillon. Shortly after, he moved back to the outside lane in front of Kevin Harvick, who gave him a clear bump ahead of the field through the backstretch and entering Turn 3. 

Bowman was able to lead the first lap before Harvick made a move to the bottom lane. Bowman, however, was able to retain the lead with his No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE receiving drafting help from Kyle Busch through the backstretch until Harvick made a charge on the inside lane entering the tri-oval. Harvick was able to lead the following lap by a nose over Bowman.

During the third lap, the crew members and the fans saluted the three fingers to pay tribute to Dale Earnhardt, seven-time NASCAR Cup champion, Hall of Famer and the 1998 Daytona 500 champion who died 20 years ago following an accident on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. 

Shortly after, the first caution of the race flew when Derrike Cope, the 1990 Daytona 500 champion, blew a right-front tire and made contact against the outside wall in Turn 3. By then, Harvick was the leader followed by teammate Aric Almirola, Christopher Bell, Ryan Newman and Bowman.

Under caution, names like Michael McDowell, Matt DiBenedetto, Byron, Truex, Austin Cindric, Cole Custer, Alfredo, Cody Ware, Briscoe, Grala, B.J. McLeod, Denny Hamlin, Josh Bilicki, Quin Houff and Wallace pitted while the rest led by Harvick remained on the track.

The race restarted on the seventh lap with Stewart-Haas Racing’s Harvick and Almirola at the top of the field. At the start, Harvick quickly transitioned to the bottom lane to move in front of teammate Almirola’s No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang. The top lane, however, prevailed through Turns 1, 2 and the backstretch as Ryan Newman rocketed to the lead followed by Joey Logano. Nonetheless, Harvick was able to retain the lead by a nose over Newman when the field returned to the start/finish line.

By Lap 10 and with the field starting to fan out from double lanes to triple lanes, Harvick was still out in front followed by teammate Almirola, Bell, Bowman and Kyle Busch. A few laps later, Bowman became the first car to lead the outside lane as he challenged for the lead followed by Austin Dillon and Kyle Larson. Meanwhile, Harvick continued to lead followed by teammate Almirola.

Three laps later, trouble ensued at the front when a bump from Bell, who was being pushed by teammate Kyle Busch, got Almirola loose, where he made contact with Bowman as both wrecked against the outside wall and in the middle of the straightaway with a multitude of competitors approaching them. What then followed was a multi-car wreck that involved Newman, Ryan Blaney, Kurt Busch, Daniel Suarez, Erik Jones, DiBenedetto, Chris Buescher, Jamie McMurray, David Ragan, Tyler Reddick, Truex and Byron, who nearly flipped on his side before spinning and coming to rest on the muddy grass in Turn 3.

In the midst of the on-track work for the safety workers to remove the wrecked cars, the race was red-flagged due to reports of lightning within eight miles of the superspeedway, which was followed by rain and on-track precipitation. At the time of the rain, Harvick was still the leader followed by Bell, Austin Dillon, Kyle Busch and Chase Elliott. Larson, Ryan Preece, Joey Logano, McDowell and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. were in the top 10.

Five hours and 40 minutes later, the red flag was lifted and the majority of competitors returned to the track under caution, beginning on Lap 15, and under the lights as the skies darkened. By then, names like Alfredo, Almirola, Blaney, Bowman, Buescher, DiBenedetto, Jones, Newman, Ragan and Suarez were ruled out of the remainder of the race.

Under caution, everyone pitted, except for Kaz Grala and B.J. McLeod. After leading 10 laps under caution, Grala pitted along with McLeod. Bell, Kyle Busch and a few others also pitted to top off on fuel for the end of the first stage.

When the green flag waved and the race resumed on Lap 29, Elliott was the leader while Austin Dillon started along him. Through the backstretch, Dillon received a push from Ryan Preece to take the lead. The following lap, Cole Custer battled on the outside lane to lead a lap for himself. 

Shortly after, Hamlin shoved Custer out of the draft in Turn 1 and became the lead car on the outside lane. He went on to assume command of the field. 

By Lap 35, Hamlin was leading Keselowski, Wallace, Kyle Busch and Logano with the field settling in a single-file line. Meanwhile, Byron, who was three laps behind the leaders and still competing in a damaged No. 24 AXALTA Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, was black-flagged for a loose rear bumper cover.

Two laps later, the caution returned when Quin Houff cut a tire after running over the bumper cover from Byron’s car and made contact with the outside wall in the frontstretch. His incident also involved Chase Briscoe as both sustained damage and slid down to the apron near Turn 1. Briscoe continued despite the incident while Houff was knocked out of the race.

The race resumed under green on Lap 43. At the start, Hamlin received a push from teammate Kyle Busch on the outside lane while Keselowski received a push from Bubba Wallace on the inside lane. 

Through the backstretch and after briefly shoving Keselowski to the lead, Wallace made a three-wide move on Keselowski and Hamlin, which sent Keselowski back into the top 10. At the front, Hamlin retained the lead followed by Kyle Busch, Preece, Austin Cindric, Wallace, Austin Dillon and Logano. 

By Lap 50 and with the field settling in a single-file lane on the outside lane, Hamlin continued to lead followed by teammate Kyle Busch, Preece, Cindric and Austin Dillon while Larson, Wallace, Harvick, Keselowski and Bell were in the top 10. By then, Joey Logano and Chase Elliott were in 13th and 14th behind Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Custer. In addition, 22 of the 40-car field were competing on the lead lap, with 12 out of the race.

Ten laps later and with five laps remaining in the first stage, Hamlin was still out in front followed by teammate Kyle Busch, Preece, Cindric and Austin Dillon. Larson, Wallace, Harvick, Keselowski and Bell were in the top 10 while Custer, Logano, Stenhouse, Elliott and LaJoie were in the top 15.

At the start of the final lap of the first stage, Austin Dillon made his move to the inside lane along with Larson. In addition, Preece also moved in front of Dillon, but teammates Hamlin and Kyle Busch blocked the move on the inside lane. Through the backstretch, Kyle Busch got shuffled out of the lead draft when Preece and a multitude of cars moved to the outside lane and right behind Hamlin’s No. 11 FedEx Toyota Camry.

Though Hamlin had a steaming pack of cars behind him, he was able to retain the lead and win the first stage on Lap 65. Preece settled in second place followed by Austin Dillon, Larson and Cindric. Bell, Wallace, Logano, Ross Chastain and Custer settled in the top 10, all of whom earned stage points. Kyle Busch fell back to 12th in front of Keselowski and Elliott. 

Under the stage break, the leaders pitted and Hamlin retained the lead. Meanwhile, Jamie McMurray received the free pass and returned to the lead lap.

The second stage commenced on Lap 71 with Joe Gibbs Racing’s Hamlin and Bell on the front row followed by Cindric, Austin Dillon, Logano and Larson. At the start, Hamlin received a push from Cindric to retain the lead. Shortly after, Hamlin moved in front of teammate Bell on the inside lane, but Cindric, winner of the Xfinity Series season-opening event at Daytona a day ago, mounted a charge on the outside lane in his No. 33 Verizon 5G Ford Mustang as he had Penske teammates Logano and Keselowski pushing him to the lead.

After leading two laps, Hamlin stormed back to the lead while Cindric fell back to seventh. A lap later, Bell made his way to the front followed by teammate Kyle Busch while Hamlin fell back to third. Austin Dillon, Cindric and Harvick moved up the leaderboard while Harvick was in seventh place and the lone car on the bottom lane.

Another two laps later, the field settled in a long single-file line as Bell was out in front followed by teammates Kyle Busch and Hamlin. Austin Dillon was in fourth followed by Cindric, Logano, Larson, Elliott, Wallace and Chastain. Harvick, meanwhile, was shuffled back to 11th in front of Preece, Keselowski, Stenhouse and McMurray.

Not long after, the leader Bell reported debris on the grille of his No. 20 DeWalt Toyota Camry. Nonetheless, he continued to lead teammates Kyle Busch and Hamlin while Austin Dillon, Cindric and Logano remained in pursuit.

By Lap 90, Bell continued to lead followed by teammates Kyle Busch and Hamlin. Austin Dillon and Cindric continued to run in the top five followed by Logano, Larson, Elliott, Wallace and Chastain, all of whom were locked in a single-file lane. Harvick was in 11th followed by Stenhouse, teammate Preece, Keselowski and McMurray while Michael McDowell, Custer, LaJoie, Kaz Grala and Joey Gase were in the top 20.

When the field reached the halfway mark on Lap 100, three Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas led by Bell and followed by Kyle Busch and Hamlin were all still at the front. Austin Dillon and Cindric remained in the top five followed by Logano, Larson, Elliott, Chastain and Preece. Behind, Wallace, who attempted to make a move to the front on the inside lane, was shuffled back to 13th in between Keselowski and Harvick.

Four laps later, pit stops under green commenced as a number of Ford drivers pitted, including Cindric, Logano, Keselowski, Harvick, Briscoe and Custer. McDowell, racing in his No. 34 Love’s Travel Stop Ford Mustang, also pitted. Another three laps later, the Toyota drivers pitted, including Bell, Kyle Busch, Hamlin and Wallace. Not long after, a bevy of Chevrolet drivers led by Austin Dillon, Larson and Elliott pitted. Prior to the Chevrolets pitting, Preece pitted alone.

When the field cycled back with 20 laps remaining in the second stage, Hamlin was back in front followed by Wallace. Shortly after, Wallace got shuffled out of the draft from Kyle Busch. Not long after, Bell got loose in Turn 1 after sustaining a left-rear tire and made contact with Stenhouse, who went on to make contact with Larson, before spinning entering the backstretch. Grala, LaJoie and McMurray, who spun, were also sustained damage while the rest of the field managed to avoid the incident and a spinning Bell. 

Under caution, a handful of competitors led by Hamlin remained on the track while the rest pitted. In addition, Grala came to his pit stall with the right rear of his No. 16 Hyperice Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE on fire. Though he tried to continue, Grala’s Daytona 500 debut came to an end as fire continued to burst out of his car.

When the race resumed under green on Lap 117, Hamlin and Harvick led the field on the front row. At the front, Hamlin retained the lead and he moved in front of Harvick on the outside lane entering the backstretch. Shortly after, Logano received a draft from Kyle Busch on the bottom lane to lead the following lap. Entering the tri-oval, Harvick and Logano pulled a three-wide move on Hamlin with Harvick returning to the lead entering the backstretch. 

The following lap, Wallace drafted his owner Hamlin to the front while Keselowski mounted a challenge beneath Hamlin. The outside lane, however, prevailed with a bevy of competitors opting to move up on the outside lane and Hamlin retaining the lead. Wallace was in second followed by Harvick, Elliott and Austin Dillon. McDowell was in sixth followed by Keselowski, Preece, Logano and Kyle Busch. By then, the field settled in a long single-file lane on the outside lane.

At the start of the final lap of the second stage, Wallace made his move beneath Hamlin to take the lead followed by a bevy of competitors, including McDowell and Keselowski. Through the backstretch, Logano, receiving drafting help from Kyle Busch, formed a third lane as the pack started to battle intently and tight against one another. 

With the field entering Turn 3 and the tri-oval, Hamlin received a push from Harvick on the outside lane to reassume the lead over Wallace’s No. 23 DoorDash Toyota Camry and claim the second stage on Lap 130. Harvick settled in second followed by Wallace, Elliott and Austin Dillon. Logano, McDowell, Larson, Kyle Busch and Keselowski were scored in the top 10.

Under the stage break, the leaders pitted and Austin Dillon exited in first place. Hamlin exited in second place followed by McDowell, Harvick, Wallace and Logano. Following the pit stops, Larson was penalized for a safety violation.

With 64 laps remaining, the final stage started. At the start, Austin Dillon moved his No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE in front of Hamlin to retain the lead. His lead, however, did not last long was Hamlin retuned to the top point with drafting help from Harvick, though he got squirrelly while being drafted by Harvick’s No. 4 Busch Light Ford Mustang. Dillon settled in third place, the first car on the bottom lane, as he battled Logano and Kyle Busch. 

With 60 laps remaining, Hamlin was leading Harvick, Logano, Kyle Busch and Cindric while Custer, Austin Dillon, Elliott, Preece and McMurray were in the top 10. Larson was in 12th while Wallace was back in 14th in front of Keselowski, McDowell and Bell. By then, 18 cars were scored on the lead lap. 

Ten laps later and with 50 laps remaining, Hamlin was still out in front followed by Harvick, Logano, Kyle Busch and Cindric. Custer, Austin Dillon, Elliott, Preece and McMurray were still in the top 10. Larson was in 12th, Keselowski was in 14th and Wallace was in 16th. By then, the field returned to a long single-file lane on the outside lane. 

Another 10 laps later and with the next round of pit stops under green lurking, the field remained in a long single-file lane on the outside lane as Hamlin was still leading Harvick, Logano, Kyle Busch and Cindric. Custer was in sixth followed by Austin Dillon, Elliott, Preece and McMurray.

Down to the final 30 laps of the race, Hamlin continued to lead followed by teammate Kyle Busch, Austin Dillon, Elliott and Preece. 

Shortly after, pit stops under green commenced when Ford names like Logano, Harvick, Cindric, Custer, Keselowski and McDowell pitted. Not long after, a bevy of Chevrolet competitors pitted. Shortly after, the Toyota drivers led by Hamlin, Kyle Busch and Wallace pitted.

When the field cycled back on the track, Logano was able to assume command of the race followed by Harvick as Kyle Busch and Hamlin, both of whom exited pit road ahead of the field, were unable to blend in front of the lead pack with enough speed and retain the top spots.

With 24 laps remaining, Logano, racing in his No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang, was leading Harvick, Custer, Keselowski and McDowell. Ross Chastain was in sixth followed by Austin Dillon, Elliott, Kyle Busch and Preece. Wallace was in 11th while Hamlin fell back to 13th behind Larson.

Four laps later and with the laps winding down, Logano was still at the top of the field followed by Harvick, Custer, Keselowski and McDowell as Fords comprised the top-five spots on the track. Chastain was the leading Chevrolet competitor in sixth while Kyle Busch was the leading Toyota competitor in ninth. By then, Wallace, who made another pit stop to address a vibration concern, was in 17th and a lap behind. In addition, the top-12 competitors, all within more than a second of one another, were locked in a single-file lane as Hamlin was back in 12th.

Down to the final 15 laps of the race and with 15 competitors on the lead lap, the field remained in a single-file lane as Logano continued to lead followed by Harvick, Custer, Keselowski and McDowell. By then, Bell was pinned a lap behind along with Wallace. In addition, Hamlin remained in 12th place, three spots behind teammate Kyle Busch. 

With 10 laps remaining, Logano remained at the front as the first of four Ford competitors leading the way followed by Harvick, Keselowski and McDowell. Behind, Austin Dillon was the leading Chevrolet competitor in fifth as he worked his way to the front followed by Elliott. Kyle Busch was in seventh followed by Larson, Hamlin and Chastain.

Down to the final five laps of the race, the field remained in a long single-file lane with Logano still leading Harvick, Keselowski, McDowell and Austin Dillon.

Logano continued to lead with three laps remaining while the driver of the No. 3 Chevrolet driven by Austin Dillon, currently scored in fifth, was preparing his move as Elliott was in sixth. 

With two laps remaining, however, Keselowski, racing in his No. 2 Discount Tire Ford Mustang, gained a run and was able to move behind teammate Logano as McDowell also moved up while Harvick was shuffled out. When the final lap of the race started, Logano was still out in front followed by teammate Keselowski. 

Through the backstretch, Keselowski received a push from McDowell and closed in on Logano as he prepared to execute his move for the win. Entering Turn 3, however, the two Penske teammates made contact and a multi-car wreck ensued. In the midst of the carnage, Keselowski made head-on contact against the outside wall before being slammed hard by Kyle Busch as Keselowski’s No. 2 Discount Tire Ford Mustang went up against the outside wall and shredded against the catchfence amid a shower of flames and sparks. In addition, Logano slid up and clipped Chastain, who also made contact with Preece, before being hit by Wallace. Cindric and Custer were also involved in the midst of the fiery accident.

The wreck ended the race under caution and at the moment of caution, McDowell was ahead of the field and declared the winner as he recorded his first career victory in NASCAR’s biggest event of the season.

With his victory, McDowell became the 40th driver to win the Daytona 500, the eighth competitor to record a first Cup career victory in the 500 and the 196th competitor overall to win a NASCAR Cup Series race. The victory was the first for Front Row Motorsports since August 2016 (third overall), the second for crew chief Drew Blickensderfer and the 16th Daytona 500 victory for the Ford nameplate. In addition, McDowell became the third competitor to win the 500 after leading only the final lap.

“I just can’t believe it,” McDowell said on FOX. “I’ve just got to thank God. So many years just grinding it out, hoping for an opportunity like this. I’ve got to thank Love’s Travel Stops, Speedco, [team owner] Bob Jenkins for giving me this opportunity. I’m so thankful. Such a great way to get a first victory. Daytona 500, are you kidding me?! We’re the Daytona 500 champions! 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.”

Elliott, the reigning series champion, came home in second place as he achieved his best result in the 500 in his sixth attempt to win it.

“I felt like we had a fast car,” Elliott said. “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.”

Austin Dillon, the 2018 Daytona 500 champion, finished in third place followed by Harvick and Hamlin, who came up short in his bid to win three consecutive Daytona 500 titles.

“Yeah, you know you’ve just got to be thankful to be around at those moments at the end,” Dillon said. “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…What can I say? Chevy was really close. I had fun working with my guys tonight in the Chevy camp.”

Preece came home in sixth place with a wrecked car followed by Chastain and McMurray. LaJoie and Larson rounded out the top 10.

Logano, Keselowski and Kyle Busch ended their nights in 12th, 13th and 14th following their vicious wreck. The wreck evaporated Keselowski’s hopes of winning his first 500 title in his 12th attempt along with Kyle Busch, who made his 17th attempt to win it.

“[I] Had a big run down the backstretch, went to make the pass to win the Daytona 500 and it ended up really bad,” Keselowski said following his release from the infield care center. “[I] Don’t feel like I made a mistake, but I can’t drive everyone else’s car. Frustrating, the Discount Tire Ford was not the fastest, but [crew chief] Jeremy Bullins and the whole team did a great job of keeping us in position and right then, we were in position. That’s exactly where I want to be running second on the last lap at Daytona with this package. Had the run, made the move. Then it didn’t work out.”

“Pandemonium, I guess,” Logano said. “Chaos struck. [Keselowski] kept trying to back up, trying to get a run. I was trying to back up to him and try to keep the runs from being too big. I guess he got to the back of [McDowell] and it ended up being a really big run coming at me, and it seemed we all just collided in one spot. Real bummer. None of the Penske cars won, but at least a Ford won…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.”

“It’s to be expected,” Kyle Busch said. “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 [Keselowski] on my hood…Got clobbered a few good times and just fortunate that I’m all good. Our M&M’s Camry, that one won’t live to see another day. Hopefully, we’ll be back here next week and have a better go around on the [Daytona] road course and get back after it.”

Cindric was scored in 15th place in his Cup debut while Briscoe was the highest-finishing Rookie-of-the-Year contender in 19th place. Wallace finished in 17th place in his first run with 23XI Racing.

There were 22 lead changes for 13 different leaders. The race featured seven cautions for 40 laps.

Following the first race of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season, Austin Dillon leads the regular-season standings by six points over Hamlin, eight over Harvick, 10 over Elliott and 12 over McDowell and Preece.

Results.

1. Michael McDowell, one lap led

2. Chase Elliott, three laps led

3. Austin Dillon, seven laps led

4. Kevin Harvick, 17 laps led

5. Denny Hamlin, 98 laps led, Stage 1 and 2 winner

6. Ryan Preece

7. Ross Chastain

8. Jamie McMurray

9. Corey LaJoie

10. Kyle Larson, one lap led

11. Cole Custer, one lap led

12. Joey Logano – OUT, Accident, 26 laps led

13. Brad Keselowski – OUT, Accident

14. Kyle Busch – OUT, Accident

15. Austin Cindric – OUT, Accident, two laps led

16. Christopher Bell, one lap down, 32 laps led

17. Bubba Wallace – OUT, Accident, one lap led

18. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., two laps down

19. Chase Briscoe, three laps down

20. Joey Gase, four laps down

21. Cody Ware, four laps down

22. Kurt Busch, five laps down

23. B.J. McLeod, five laps down

24. Josh Bilicki, six laps down

25. Martin Truex Jr., seven laps down

26. William Byron, nine laps down

27. Tyler Reddick, 12 laps down

28. Kaz Grala – OUT, dvp, 10 laps led

29. Quin Houff – OUT, Accident

30. Ryan Blaney – OUT, Accident

31. Chris Buescher – OUT, dvp

32. Anthony Alfredo – OUT, dvp

33. Matt DiBenedetto – OUT, dvp

34. Aric Almirola – OUT, Accident

35. Alex Bowman – OUT, Accident, one lap led

36. Daniel Suarez – OUT, Accident

37. David Ragan – OUT, Accident

38. Ryan Newman – OUT, Accident

39. Erik Jones – OUT, Accident

40. Derrike Cope – OUT, Accident

With the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season underway, the next event on the schedule is the series’ return to Daytona International Speedway for the series’ second points-paying event on the road course layout. The event will occur on Sunday, February 21, at 3 p.m. ET on FOX.

Toyota Racing Premieres ‘The Dream’

By
Official Release
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Toyota Encourages Everyone to Pursue their Dream, No Matter the Challenge

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 14, 2021) – As NASCAR prepares to kickoff one of the biggest days of the season with the running of the 63rd Daytona 500, Toyota wants to take a moment to encourage the youth of America to find their dream and pursue it.

Today, Toyota Racing unveils a short film entitled, ‘The Dream.’ It tells a story of a young, African-American girl looking to achieve her dream of becoming a race car driver. She battles back from adversity and overcomes challenges along the way. With inspiration from the historic victory by 19-year old Gracie Trotter, who became the first female driver to win an ARCA-sanctioned race in September, and the return of Bubba Wallace to the Toyota family, our star realizes that her dream is within reach.

“To be back with Toyota this season and be a part of the Toyota Racing family means a lot to me,” said Bubba Wallace, driver of the No. 23 DoorDash Toyota Camry for 23XI Racing. “What they do on the track is top notch, but it goes beyond the track too. It’s really cool to be a part of things like ‘The Dream’ and their initiatives off the track that align with my own beliefs and how I want to influence the next generation. ‘The Dream’ show others, no matter the circumstances or who you are, to keep fighting and follow your dreams. It may not always be easy, but it will be worth it. It’s a pretty special piece. It’s inspiring, emotional and something that I’m proud to be a part of.”

Toyota has a long history of diversity in motorsports and continues to support several drivers of various ethnicities across all of our motorsports platforms. J.R. Todd, Antron Brown and Alexis DeJoria have established many firsts in motorsports as they all compete for Toyota in the NHRA Drag Racing Series. Jhonnattan Castro and Ken Gushi compete in Formula DRIFT while Trotter and Kaylee Bryson are working their way through the TRD (Toyota Racing Development) driver development ranks in ARCA, late models and USAC racing events.

“Toyota’s commitment to diversity in motorsports aligns with our overall corporate commitment of respect for people,” said Paul Doleshal, group manager of motorsports and assets for Toyota Motor North America. “This film is something we’re all extremely proud of and is a small reminder for everyone to find their dream and pursue it regardless of the challenges that might be in their path. We will continue to look for ways to bring this film to life and help to encourage young people to pursue their passions, especially if that leads them to this great world of motorsports.”

The complete short film was produced in collaboration with whatnot Films out of Charlotte, N.C. and will reside on the Toyota Racing social channels of Twitter and Facebook along with YouTube. A special 60-second condensed version will be featured on Fox during the Daytona 500 broadcast.

About Toyota

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

Through the Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights the way it partners with community, civic, academic and governmental organizations to address our society’s most pressing mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move, anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.

DGR ARCA Menards Series Recap: Daytona International Speedway

By
Official Release
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Saturday, February 13
Track: Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, 2.5-mile oval
Race: 1 of 20
Event: Lucas Oil 200 Driven by General Tire (80 laps, 200 miles)

Tanner Gray, No. 17 Ripper Coffee Company Ford Fusion

Start: 10th
Finish: Seventh

  • During the first caution on lap 11, Gray reported his No. 17 Ripper Coffee Company Fusion drove really well and he was trying manage his water temperature.
  • “We can push, we just need the right person,” Gray relayed to his crew during the lap-29 caution, from the fifth position. Gray inherited the race lead by not pitting during the caution and chose the upper groove on the restart.
  • During the race break caution, the Ford driver relinquished the lead and brought his Fusion down pit road for fuel-only and a chassis adjustment.
  • On lap 60, Gray was in the 11th position.
  • The final caution of the race was displayed with five laps to go while Gray was in the ninth position. With a good-handling Ford Fusion, he stayed out during the caution and restarted from the same position for the green and white checkered finish.
    Gray finished seventh in his second ARCA Series start at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.

Thad Moffitt, No. 46 Clean Harbors/CleanPacs Ford Fusion

Start: 16th
Finish: 21st

  • Moffitt qualified 16th and advanced up to 11th by lap eight. On lap 11, the right front of the No. 46 made contact with another car and Moffitt was sent spinning towards the inside wall.
  • The team quickly changed four tires and cleared the fenders away from the tires before sending the Clean Harbors/CleanPacs Fusion back into the race in the 33rd position one lap down.
  • Moffitt was penalized on the ensuing restart for changing lanes prior to the start-finish line and had to serve a passthrough penalty resulting in losing another lap to the leaders.
  • At the competition caution on lap 44, crew chief Derek Smith called the No. 46 down pit road from 27th to top off with fuel to make it to the end of the race.
  • Over the course of the next 26 laps, numerous cautions allowed Moffitt to advance up to the 21st position in the final rundown.

Next event: Phoenix 150 at Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Arizona on March 12 at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Team Penske NASCAR Xfinity Series Race Report – Daytona

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Team Penske NASCAR Xfinity Series Race Report

Track: Daytona International Speedway
Race: Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner 300
Date: February 13, 2021

No. 22 Verizon 5G Ford Mustang – Austin Cindric

Start: 1st
Stage 1: 4th
Stage 2: 3rd
Finish: 1st
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 122/122
Laps Led: 28
Driver Point Standings (ahead of second): (+15)

Notes:

Austin Cindric held off Brett Moffitt and Harrison Burton in NASCAR Overtime to win the Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner. 300 Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway. The victory was Team Penske’s first NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) victory at the 2.5-mile speedway and the first for Cindric in seven starts at Daytona. The driver of the Verizon 5G Ford Mustang now has wins on the superspeedway, road course and in rallycross competition at the World Center of Racing. Cindric also becomes the second Xfinity champion from the previous season (2020) to win the season-opener at Daytona the following year (2021) joining 1996 champion Randy LaJoie.

Persistent rain on Saturday morning washed out NXS qualifying. The starting lineup was set per NASCAR rule book, which gave Cindric the pole position.

Cindric opened his 2021 race season leading twice for nine laps in Stage 1 and finished fourth when the 30-lap segment concluded on lap 30. The defending series champion came to pit road during the stage caution on lap 33 for two tires, fuel, slight adjustments, and restarted 14th when the race went green on lap 36.

In Stage 2, Cindric shuffled out of line and briefly fell outside the top 20 before rallying back through the field. Showing his maturity and skill, the driver of the No. 22 Verizon 5G Mustang raced to the third position by the conclusion of the second stage on lap 60. He avoided a four-car accident that happened just behind him as the field crossed the finish line to complete the second segment. Debris from the incident forced NASCAR officials to briefly halt the race for track cleanup. When the race resumed, Cindric pitted on lap 62.

The driver of the Verizon 5G Ford restarted in second position on lap 65 and took the lead one lap later, holding the top spot until lap 74 when he slowed to enter the pits for a scheduled green flag stop. As he led a group of cars to pit road, an accident occurred in the middle of the pack, bringing out the caution and causing the Verizon 5G team to call an audible. Crew chief Brian Wilson told Cindric to forgo their stop to avoid a penalty. Cindric remained on track and pitted the next lap. He restarted 12th when the event went green on lap 83.

The race would be slowed by three more cautions, with the final one pushing the finish into NASCAR Overtime. As the green flag waved for the final time on lap 120, Cindric lead the field to the green and did a masterful job holding off Moffitt and Burton in the final two laps to capture his first career victory at Daytona, crossing the finish line .104 seconds ahead of Moffitt. The win was Cindric’s ninth career victory.

Cindric will be back in action on Sunday afternoon as he makes his NASCAR Cup Series debut in the Daytona 500 behind the wheel of the No. 33 Verizon 5G Ford Mustang.

Quote: “What an awesome race and what a really fast Verizon 5G Ford Mustang. Unbelievable effort by everyone at Team Penske. Obviously, coming off a lot of momentum winning that championship last year, but nothing is guaranteed, and we keep working hard. Congrats to my man Coleman (Pressley, spotter) up on the roof. He puts in just as much effort or more than I do and I’m proud of him. Our guys have delivered on bringing us extremely fast Ford Mustang race cars. The thing that’s really cool about winning tonight is that I’ve won on the road course here, I won the rallycross race they had here and now the superspeedway. I’m really proud of the effort.”

Austin Cindric Pulls off Overtime Victory in Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. ® 300 at Daytona

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Daytona Beach, Fla. (Feb. 13, 2021) – Austin Cindric took up where he left off in 2020.

The reigning NASCAR Xfinity Series champion held off Brett Moffitt and Harrison Burton in a two-lap NASCAR Overtime dash to win Saturday’s action-filled Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. 300 at Daytona International Speedway, the season-opener.

Cindric, who locked up the Xfinity title by winning in his last outing at Phoenix Raceway in November, picked up his first victory on the 2.5-mile Daytona oval and the ninth of his career in the No. 22 Team Penske Ford.

“What an awesome race,” said Cindric, who will make his NASCAR Cup Series debut in Sunday’s Daytona 500. “What a really fast Verizon 5G Ford Mustang. Unbelievable effort by everyone at Team Penske.  

“Obviously, coming off a lot of momentum winning that championship last year, but nothing is guaranteed and keep working hard. Congrats to my man, (spotter) Coleman (Pressley) up on the roof. He puts in just as much effort or more as I do. I’m proud of him, and we’ll try to go do it again tomorrow, I guess.”

The runner-up result was a career-best for Moffitt, who previously had one top five in the series, a fifth at Talladega.

“Once the 22 (Cindric) got up front, every time I got within a car length, I’d just push him farther forward,” said Moffitt, who chased Cindric in overtime time after taking over second place from Burton, the third-place finisher.

Jeb Burton, Harrison’s cousin, ran fourth, despite sustaining minor damage to the nose of his No. 10 Chevrolet in a three-car incident that caused the ninth caution on Lap 114 of a scheduled 120 and set up the overtime.

AJ Allmendinger was fifth, followed by Brandon Brown, Myatt Snider, Brandon Gdovic (first career top 10), Daniel Hemric and Jason White.

With 15 laps left, contact between the Joe Gibbs Racing cars of Ty Dillon and Daniel Hemric rewrote the story of the race. Dillon moved up the track between cars running in the inside and outside lanes, but when he tried to complete a pass of Hemric, he turned across the nose of Hemric’s No. 18 Toyota and spun, igniting a chain-reaction wreck that eliminated a handful of potential race winners and probable championship contenders.

Destroyed were the JR Motorsports cars of Justin Allgaier and Josh Berry and the No. 11 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet of Justin Haley, who was trying to win his fourth straight Xfinity Series superspeedway race—an achievement only Dale Earnhardt Jr. had accomplished previously.

“The 18 (Hemric) hit me so hard in the left rear, it drove me up the track,” said Dillon, who is racing in the Xfinity Series after four full seasons at the NASCAR Cup level.

Allgaier saw it differently. “He wrecked the whole field,” Allgaier said. “He had to make a statement… Unfortunately, guys were trying to make moves—veterans who should know better—and making bad decisions.”

On Lap 75, nine circuits after a restart to begin the final stage, the pit window opened, and all hell broke loose off Turn 4 as Cindric slowed at the front of a group of cars headed for pit road. Michael Annett was turned sideways across traffic in a nine-car wreck that wiped out Annett’s No. 1 Chevrolet and the No. 9 of JR Motorsports teammate Noah Gragson, the defending race winner.

The cars of Bayley Currey, Gray Gaulding and Colby Howard also suffered race-ending damage.

“I got wrecked coming to pit road,” Annett said. “I waved them off 10 friggin’ times.”

Stage 1 winner Brandon Jones saw his fortunes change dramatically coming to the checkered flag to end Stage 2. Jones steered his No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota up the track to side draft the outside lane, but when he returned to the bottom lane, his attempted block on Myatt Snider’s Chevrolet came too late, and Jones spun across the nose of Snider’s car.

After a wild slide through infield grass soaked by rain earlier in the day, Jones rocketed back onto the track and slammed nose-first into the outside wall. Cody Roper’s Camaro smashed into Jones’ car at high speed, and the spinning Toyota clipped the Chevrolet of Alex Labbe. All three cars were destroyed, and NASCAR red-flagged the race to clear the debris from the track.

Moffitt won the second stage, with Dillon and Cindric second and third behind him.

Only 22 of the 40 cars that started the race were running at the finish of a race that featured nine cautions for a total of 43 laps.

Corey Heim Takes Lucas Oil 200 Driven by General Tire

Venturini Motorsports last month pinned Corey Heim as its full-time driver in the ARCA Menards Series for 2021. His first task was to attempt to extend the team’s four-race winning streak at Daytona International Speedway with a victory in Saturday’s Lucas Oil 200 Driven by General Tire. He did just that.

The 18-year-old Heim held off his VMS teammate, pole-sitter Drew Dollar, on the last lap to win the ARCA Menards Series season-opener at the 2.5-mile tri-oval in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Heim, who won last season’s finale at Kansas Speedway to earn his first series victory, picked up right where he left off driving the No. 20 Toyota.

“I gotta give it all to (crew chief) Shannon Rursch,” said Heim of the final restart with one lap to go Saturday. “He made the perfect call, executed this race perfect. He dialed this JBL Camry in perfect.”

A caution with four laps to go set up Saturday’s overtime finish. With Heim, the leader, taking the top lane and Dollar on the bottom, the latter let the former move to the inside so the duo could work together in the draft.

Even with Dollar’s car damaged and lacking power steering, the plan worked to perfection, and VMS ended the race with a 1-2 finish.

“I felt like that was really all we could do there,” Dollar said of the last lap. “We had a super fast Camry today; just didn’t really have what it took to win once we had damage. Had a little bit of a tire rub and just wanted to get to the end. It was tough without any power steering.”

Defending series champion Bret Holmes finished third ahead of Ty Gibbs in fourth and Kyle Sieg in fifth. Derrick Lancaster, Tanner Gray, Andy Jankowiak, Jack Wood and Sean Corr rounded out the top 10.

Action continues Sunday with the 63rd Annual DAYTONA 500 (FOX, FOX Deportes, MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio),which is set for 2:30 p.m. ET. Alex Bowman will start from the Busch Pole while Denny Hamlin, who will go off 25th, will be going for a record third consecutive DAYTONA 500 triumph. Cindric will start 39th.

For more information, log onto www.DAYTONA500.com or call 1-800-PITSHOP. Fans can stay connected with Daytona International Speedway on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for the latest speedway news.

Ford Performance NASCAR: Cindric Wins XFINITY Season Opener at Daytona

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Ford Performance Post-Race Recap
NASCAR XFINITY Series – Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. 300
Daytona International Speedway | Saturday, February 13, 2021

CINDRIC PICKS UP WHERE HE LEFT OFF AS HE WINS SEASON-OPENING OT THRILLER AT DAYTONA

  • Austin Cindric started the 2021 NASCAR XFINITY season the same way he ended 2020 — by winning in overtime. The only difference is that three months ago he ended up celebrating a championship at Phoenix Raceway, whereas tonight represented his first superspeedway win at Daytona International Speedway.
  • The win is owner Roger Penske’s first NASCAR XFINITY Series triumph at Daytona.
  • Cindric ensures he’ll get to defend his championship as tonight’s victory puts him in the playoffs.
  • Cindric now has nine series wins.

FORD FINISHING RESULTS:
1st — Austin Cindric
10th — Jason White
20th — Timmy Hill
26th — Riley Herbst
30th — Chad Finchum
31st — Ryan Sieg

FORD PERFORMANCE QUOTES

WINNER’S PRESS CONFERENCE

AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 22 Verizon 5G Ford Mustang — WALK US THROUGH THE FINAL LAPS AND HOW YOU FEEL? “What a way to kickoff the season. I’m really proud of the speed our boys brought with me in the Verizon 5G Ford Mustang. I was actually kind of bummed that we missed qualifying because our single-lap speed in practice was so much better than what we’ve been here in the past. 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. I feel like I did those last couple laps I could take with me to tomorrow’s race, but definitely some great momentum.”

DID YOU KNOW PENSKE HAD NOT WON AN NXS RACE AT DAYTONA? “I know that and I know that they’ve been leading at the white flag a lot of times, too. I think my engine tuner, Tommy Chandler, has actually been part of almost every single one of those second-place losses or whatever you want to call it. I’m sure he’s over the moon we were able to win this thing tonight. They were playing it before we got in the cars. They were playing it on the red flag. They were playing it on the jumbotron half the race, so I’m glad we were able to deliver. Roger was actually in the facility watching us, so that’s the second race in a row he’s been to and the second race we’ve won. I guess he’s got to come to more races for us.”

WHEN DO YOU TURN THE PAGE AND START LOOKING TO TOMORROW? “That’s a great question. I definitely want to enjoy the moment with my guys. Winning at these type of racetracks is so difficult for so many different reasons. For me to be able to win this one, I want to enjoy it because it’s a great way to start the year, but it’s something that I’ll definitely appreciate. I’ve flipped here. I’ve been in the care center more times than I’ve finished. I’ve won here on the road course. I’ve won here on the rallycross track, so Daytona has had a lot of highs and lows for me, so definitely one of those tonight.”

ARE YOU HAVING BEEF FOR DINNER? “Beef is what’s for dinner. I actually just got done talking to a whole group of folks that are watching in a suite between the Shell people and the head people at Penske and they’re having dinner and from what I understand they’re eating a lot of beef. Beef is the word tonight.”

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CUT OF BEEF? “I’m a New York strip guy if we’re talking steaks here, but I’m not too picky. The bigger the better.”

HOW DO YOU FOLLOW THIS UP NOW? YOU’RE IN THE PLAYOFFS. IS IT CUP? IS IT MORE NXS WINS? “My number one goal is to make it to Phoenix just like we did last year, making it to the Championship 4 and that starts every regular season race. I’m not gonna set out a goal of winning the championship. My main goal is to get back in that same position and obviously try and find a way to have our best day again. I’m excited. I’m over the moon that we were able to win this race in particular. One of my extracurricular goals heading into the season was to win on a superspeedway, not only is it the last type of racetrack left because apparently that was a big topic last year was the types of racetracks I haven’t been able to win at, so I’m glad to check all of those boxes for anyone who is wondering. There’s a lot of work that goes into it. I can’t take all the credit because we had a really fast race car. My spotter, Coleman Pressley, he equals my effort and that kind of relationship goes throughout this 22 team and makes me very proud to be a part of it and makes me want to wake up and work even harder.”

HOW INSTRUMENTAL IS COLEMAN AND WHAT WERE SOME MOMENTS YOU LEANED ON HIM? “We were up last night still texting about what to do and what’s different and how to adjust. For me, he equals my effort and I think there’s a lot of guys on the 22 team that have that same mentality and I may be wrong, but this could be his first superspeedway win and he puts a lot of effort into it. I’m excited for him just as much as I am for me because we put a lot of thought into it. It’s one of those things you do all of the prep work and you try and at least convince yourself you’re just a little bit smarter than everybody else — at least have some form of confidence, but half the time it never really shapes our or you’re able to use the things that you find and obviously that communication for us was definitely critical for tonight.”

CAN YOU COMPARE WHAT THE EMOTION MIGHT BE LIKE TOMORROW COMPARED TO TODAY? “As far as just starting the Daytona 500 for me, it was really surreal when I lined up for that Duel. I was behind Kyle Larson, had Ryan Newman behind me. I remember being in third grade when Ryan Newman won the Daytona 500 for Team Penske, and there was also a realization that there are a lot of guys that don’t know me at all. That’s gonna be the case tomorrow. I started on the front row tonight and I’ll start on the last row tomorrow, so definitely a balance shift and a lot more for me to learn and me and my spotter, Lorin (Ranier) are gonna have hopefully 500 miles to bone up our relationship and the repertoire to hopefully keep us out front and away from the messes.”

WHAT HAS CLICKED FOR YOU AND ALLOWED YOU TO DOMINATE? “I wouldn’t say it’s dominate. I don’t think that gives our competition enough credit. Winning on a superspeedway there’s some luck involved and we were able to get that caution at the right time and get the lead, so I can’t take that for granted. I can’t pat myself on the back. We brought a fast race car. We executed. It’s the same thing we did in Phoenix, so we continue to do that and we’re able to continue to have nights like this and that’s where it all counts. It’s a total team effort and I’m proud to be part of it. I obviously have that chemistry with a group of guys that I’ve worked with for a long enough time to where we can be on the same page and, for me, it’s back to racing and it’s back to where we’re the happiest and I’m really happy the season has started.”

DO YOU FEEL STARTING ON THE POLE MADE ANY DIFFERENCE IN YOUR APPROACH TO TONIGHT’S RACE? “I know I just said it a second ago, but I kind of forgot I started on pole and won the race. Statistically, I’d be curious as to how many guys have actually done that. It makes a difference, but there are a lot of times I got behind and behind on strategy and whatever else, stage two in particular. Myself and Ty Dillon worked our way up from pretty far back in a single-file line and that was pretty cool because I knew his experience he was gonna be willing to make those moves and he needed someone at the right time to be able to do that, so that was kind of the first time I’ve made that work and had somebody to work with on that. That was probably one of the cooler things I did tonight, to be honest. Winning the race, throwing the blocks, getting the restart, that’s all things you’ve got to do in the moment, but the planning and the preparation that it takes to be skilled enough to follow in line. I learned a lot from Ty watching that, so that was fun but definitely an up and down race for sure.”

DO YOU FEEL THIS WIN MAY HAVE SHOWED SOME CUP GUYS WHAT YOU CAN DO AND MAYBE WORK WITH YOU TOMORROW? “That’s a great question. It’s probably something that will cycle in my mind, but it’s also something that I can’t control. The decisions my competitors make are not up to me. The best thing I can do is keep my nose clean and contribute in the right moments. That’s where my focus is. When I started in the XFINITY Series I had some tough speedway races to start out with and I actually reached out to Juan Montoya because he’s come from more of a similar background to me. I said, ‘Man, what do I gotta do to get people to trust me and help me and work with me?’ And he was like, ‘No, you’re thinking of it wrong. If you want to get somewhere, push.’ From there it’s been a complete mentality shift. Be the guy that’s helping. Be the guy that’s making a difference, not hoping somebody else is gonna make a difference for you. For me, it’s a reset to where I was three or four years ago with that mentality and hopefully build up my reputation. Obviously, we’ve got a fast Verizon 5G Ford Mustang for tomorrow and hopefully we’ll be able to keep the nose clean and utilize that speed.”

HOW BIG IS IT TO HAVE A VETERAN VOICE IN LORIN RANIER WITH YOU TOMORROW? “Yeah, absolutely. Lorin is someone with a lot of experience. We haven’t gotten to work together much at all this week. We didn’t get any drafting runs in practice, so I had Coleman on the radio for my Duel just so there wasn’t any communication errors, more on my part not a confidence loss in him. He was cool with that and he knew once we get in the race we’ve got 500 miles to figure it out. It’s not the first time he’s actually spotted for me. I raced the 24 Hours here for AIM Vasser Sullivan back in 2019. He and Kevin Hamlin were on the radio, so it won’t be the first time I’ve listened to him on this racetrack, but a little different scenario.”

WHAT’S THE NEXT GOAL TO CHECK OFF THE LIST? “That’s a great question. I think for us it’s continuing to build off of this — bringing fast race cars and not getting comfortable. This is a team that’s accustomed to winning races and that’s for a lot of reasons and a lot of that is in the preparation. When I go back to the shop on Monday it’s back to work. When we were at the Daytona road course last time I wasn’t overly happy with how our car drove and we went to work in the offseason on options for that. I have some data from what the Cup guys did in the Clash, so I’m already thinking about that, but at the same time I have to pause those thoughts. Overall, there are a lot of racetracks, a lot of diverse racetracks on the schedule this year that I’m looking forward to going to.”

DO YOU THINK DRIVERS WHO WATCHED THE RACE AND SAW WHAT YOU DID WILL END UP HELPING YOU AND DOES IT GIVE YOU A LITTLE MORE CONFIDENCE TO SAY YOU CAN DO THIS? “Yeah, it certainly is not going to hurt. I think most people, especially in that garage, will watch the race on Saturday to understand what the track is doing, how things are working and now we’re getting the race season started and everyone is just excited to watch racing. For me, it certainly can’t hurt. I obviously displayed some sort of competence for this, but past that I can’t speculate on other people’s decisions around me. I’ll make myself the most valuable as I can and predictable as I can and try to showcase the speed we have in our Verizon 5G Ford Mustang.”

WHAT’S WITH PLANTING THE FLAG? “I don’t know, so, like, I thought hugs were gonna be my thing, and then this Coronavirus kind of screwed all that up. That would be bad to hug people, so I kind of got the wind knocked out of my sails, so when I won at Kentucky I was so tired. That was a stretch of races where it was like overflow like, ‘Oh my God. Thank God we finally won a race this year.’ So I just stuffed it in the ground like I’ll come back and get it tomorrow because it was a doubleheader and it’s kind of grown from there. I’ve actually never kept any of the checkered flags I’ve won in my NASCAR races for the specific reason that when I won the truck race in Canada the flag actually broke in my hand and one of the crew guys caught it like a bouquet at a wedding. So, if I don’t have all of them, I’m not gonna keep any of them. It means a lot to those guys, so hopefully we can get many more this year.”

WHAT KIND OF HUG? “Big bear hugs. There’s enough pictures of me picking up people on my team. Probably the best one was when I won the K&N race at VIR and I picked up Chris Carrier in victory lane, or Rutledge Wood on the front straightaway at Watkins was pretty good. I’m a hugger, so that’s just who I am. Someday I’ll be able to showcast that again.”

ANY IDEA HOW YOU WANT TO RACE TOMORROW? DO YOU WANT TO RACE AT THE FRONT AND LEAD LAPS? “It’s a balance because when you watch these races back, these Cup races, the first three guys in each row are working the hardest. They are taking the most risk and you don’t want to put yourself in a position to where you’re risking your car, but you also know that the further up you are the less cars you’re around and the less chance you have of getting wrecked. That’s a hard position to balance because you’ve got to shove the snot out of whoever is in front of you. That’s the expectation. That’s what these cars are doing and I think it’s great for the fans, but for a 500-mile race it will definitely be stressful. Balancing that, if we find our way towards the front, we’ll try and stay there, but otherwise strategy works in a lot of different ways in this race and I think a lot of my prep work tonight is gonna be balancing how important is that and what the race length is really gonna mean to my aggression level.”

HOW BIG OF A DEAL IS IT FOR YOU TO BE DOING SO WELL WITH VERIZON ON YOUR HOOD? “It’s really cool. To be able to drive a Verizon race car is special because I grew up going to Indy Car races. I grew up rooting for Will Power, rooting for Juan Montoya. Those guys obviously put that car in victory lane so many times and I’ve gotten to meet some of those people since I’ve been a kid and to drive one of their race cars and bring them back into NASCAR in a sponsorship role is really cool. They’re an extremely visible brand, so for me to have that opportunity this young in my career, to work with a group of people like that, that have that much exposure is a great opportunity, but at the same time it’s pretty cool. Fans love recognizable brands and the reaction that everyone had to Verizon being on my car for this whole week was really cool, and I hope that was embraced really well by those folks and hopefully this isn’t the last weekend.”

HOW MUCH DOES THIS WIN PUMP YOU UP FOR TOMORROW? “I have to calm myself down, to be honest. I have to regulate my expectations for tomorrow, but I definitely want to enjoy. These wins don’t come easy. Even winning the series in general doesn’t come easy. You’ve got to respect that moment and learn to enjoy it. There were a couple races last year when we got on that stretch where you were more focused on how to get your car better even though you won the race. I’ve definitely learned some lessons from that and really being able to enjoy the moment. You spend the whole offseason preparing for this one race to get back racing and to be able to do it in this way is really cool.”

WERE YOU SURPRISED HARRISON BURTON DIDN’T FAKE LOW AND THEN TRY TO PASS HIGH? “I’ve got to watch a replay because I don’t know what fake low, I mean, I know he faked low and went high or faked high and went low. All I know is I was shocked that I didn’t hook myself off his front bumper. Those are blocks that I’m not gonna be able to pull at least in the moment. Maybe the replay doesn’t look as intense, but from my seat I’ve never looked in the rearview mirror so much and never looked at the racetrack. I mean, if I would have crossed the double yellow line I wouldn’t have known it. I feel somewhat fortunate in that scenario, but the moment I threw those blocks you’ve got to reset for the next run because there’s not too many cars left in the pack. It’s very surgy and I was fortuante to be able to find the 02 as I did and obviously stall the runs for coming to the start-finish line.”

HOW DO YOU PREPARE FOR TOMORROW WITH A DIFFERENT PACKAGE AND HOW DID YOUR DUEL HELP YOU GET COMFORTABLE WITH IT? “I think I learned a lot of things in the Duel. Some things good, obviously don’t speed on pit road, but I was actually a lot more comfortable than I thought I was going to be as far as pushing in the situation to be aggressive. I think there were some things that we had to get our of our car a little bit better. I wish we would have had more practice today to be able to confirm those things, but, overall, I’ve got a lot to learn. These guys are obviously the best in this sport. We’re talking about Denny Hamlin going for three straight Daytona 500 wins. That’s an incredible mark, so to think I’m having to beat a guy like that or even any of my teammates, it’s a challenge. I’m definitely regulating those expectations and knowing I’ve got to get to the end first. Everything else that I learn is a bonus if we get to the end and hopefully have a shot.”

AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 22 Verizon 5G Ford Mustang — VICTORY LANE INTERVIEWS — “What an awesome race. What a really fast Verizon 5G Ford Mustang. Unbelievable effort by everyone at Team Penske. Obviously, coming off a lot of momentum winning that championship last year, but nothing is guaranteed and keep working hard. Congrats to my man Coleman up on the roof. He puts in just as much effort or more as I do. I’m proud of him and we’ll try to go do it again tomorrow, I guess.”

YOU DON’T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT A TRIP TO THE CARE CENTER. “I’m just excited that I get to come back here tomorrow and run in front of a great group of people. We have fans here. I’m excited for the Great American Race tomorrow.”

HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE THE FIRST NXS DRIVER TO WIN AT DAYTONA FOR TEAM PENSKE? “It feels great. Our guys have delivered on bringing us extremely fast race cars. Forget who hasn’t been able to do it, we’ve got some amazing drivers in our camp and right place at the right time and able to get this Verizon 5G Ford Mustang in victory lane on the biggest stage in NASCAR.”

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU TO WIN HERE AT DAYTONA? “The thing that’s really cool about winning tonight is that I’ve won on the road course here. I’ve won on the superspeedway, and I won the rallycross race they had here, so anything with four wheels, man, Daytona I guess is a decent place. I walked out of here on Wednesday night pissed off that we didn’t qualify in on time and luck has been in a good spot ever since, so really proud of the effort and continue on to next week.”

RILEY HERBST, No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang — “It was good. It was cool to lead the race and almost come away with the stage, but then it’s just frustrating. It is what it is. Hopefully, we can come back here next week and have a good showing on the road course.”

ARE YOU PLEASED WITH HOW YOU AND YOUR NEW TEAM WORKED TOGETHER? “Yeah, absolutely. I think it’s definitely something to be proud of. I think it’s something to acknowledge how well me and the 22 worked together. I wish I could have found him a little later on in the race like we did in the first stage, but we’re just getting started here. I think this is all stuff we can take to the next plate track at Talladega, so I’m looking forward to it. I’m just really bummed out about the circumstances there.”

WHAT DID YOU SEE FROM YOUR VANTAGE POINT IN THE WRECK? “The 54 just cleared himself and got spun. I missed that. I was on the apron, and I was pretty pumped because I missed that and then I believe somebody hit the 7 and the 7 came down and got me in the right-rear and shot me up towards the wall, which is a bummer. We’ll just move on to next week.”

RCR Post Race Report – Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. 300

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Myatt Snider and the No. 2 TaxSlayer Chevrolet Team Open 2021 Season with Seventh-Place Finish at Daytona

Finish: 7th
Start: 11th
Points: 6th

“A seventh-place finish is a great way to start the season for our No. 2 TaxSlayer team. Our Chevrolet Camaro was loose for the first half of the race, but my crew chief, Andy Street, made solid adjustments every time we came to pit road. The key to seeing the checkered flag in these superspeedway races is to miss the big wrecks. There were a couple close ones in the final stage, but we managed to keep the TaxSlayer machine clean. We didn’t have enough help during the green-white-checkered to make a big push on the inside lane, but to start our year with a top-10 and earn stage points are positives for our team. I am very thankful to be a part of Richard Childress Racing full-time and we will get after it again here next week on the road course. I think we will be really good then.” -Myatt Snider

Toyota Racing – NXS Post-Race Report – 02.13.21

By
Official Release
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THREE SUPRA TOP 10s AT DAYTONA
Harrison Burton Kicks Off Xfinity Series Season with Third-Place Result

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 13, 2021) – Three Toyota Supras finished in the top-10 in the season-opening NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) race at Daytona International Speedway.

Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Daytona International Speedway
Race 1 of 33 – 300 miles, 120 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Austin Cindric*
2nd, Brett Moffitt*
3rd, HARRISON BURTON
4th, Jeb Burton*
5th, AJ Allmendinger*
8th, BRANDON GDOVIC
9th, DANIEL HEMRIC
14th, TY DILLON
25th, ROBBY LYONS
38th, BRANDON JONES
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

HARRISON BURTON, No. 20 DEX Imaging Toyota Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 3rd

What were you trying to do on the last lap to try to get to the win?

“I was trying to break my high school classmate’s ankles (Austin Cindric). I was trying to fake low and go high. It didn’t work out for me. I thought the 02 (Brett Moffitt) – I don’t know if he wasn’t clear or not – but I thought if I drug down, he would come with me. I’ve got a lot to learn and I learned a lot really quickly. That was fun. That was probably my best plate race that I’ve driven in a while and that’s exciting. I’m excited to work with this DEX Imaging Toyota team. My spotter, Tyler Green, did an amazing job. What a great first race for us. We battled some adversity and I think our team is coming together nice, so we should be able to win some races.”

BRANDON GDOVIC, No. 26 Toyota Racing Toyota Supra, Sam Hunt Racing
Finishing Position: 8th

How was your race tonight?

“Sam (Sam Hunt, team owner) and his guys needed the points here, so we really wanted to make sure that we had could get through some of the initial wrecks and have some cars to fall out there to guarantee him some more points. This was our plan from the beginning. First and second stages were total cruise mode and kind of learn. The first part of the second half of the race we were picking it up a little bit trying to choose where we wanted to cruise a little bit more just to try to be there at the end to battle. There was two or three more cautions there, all in front of me, leading into those last 20 laps that picked us up some spots. From there, we were just hammer down trying to go to the front. I’m pretty happy for a good finish for this Sam Hunt Racing Toyota team. A clean car at Daytona is a rare thing to say with a decent finish, so I’m pretty happy with that.”

Can you talk about driving through all of those wrecks with a clean car?

“Some of it is luck. One of the things I’ve always been good at is avoiding crashes and just predicting them before they happen. I just really focused on when they started spinning not be erratic, just try to hold my line, be hard on the brakes, grab gears, just try to woe it down as much as I can and manuever through it. I had Chris Lambert (spotter) on the tower. He was a big help. He was talking me through them as well. I think if you make it through four, there is definitely some luck invovled to survive all four, but it was interesting for sure. I wasn’t planning on avoiding that mant, but glad we made it through them all.”

DANIEL HEMRIC, No. 18 Poppy Bank Toyota Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 9th

Bounced back for a solid finish after a tough wreck. How was your race as a whole?

“It was a day to learn how far we could push ourselves. I’m proud of Dave Rogers (crew chief). The adversity we had to overcome as a group tonight in the Poppy Bank Toyota Supra – we were able to bounce back and make a solid day out of it. That’s what you’ve got to do in these moments. We’ve got several months to keep building toward our ultimate goal.”

BRANDON JONES, No. 19 Menards/Jeld-Wen Toyota Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 38th

That was a couple of hard hits out there. What started it?

“First off, we had a Supra that was capable of winning the race. Early on, that was one of my best races I’ve run on a superspeedway. I was doing my job. I was trying to block that lane. We were getting close to that stage end and I’m assuming the teammates were wanting to break off for that reason and try to get to the front. We were getting kind of left, so I was trying to make some last minute moves to try to protect myself as best as I could. It just didn’t work out, but I have so much condfidence after this race to go onto the next superspeedway, when we come back — I’m looking forward to it. I learned a bunch today. I just want to say thanks to Menards, Jeld-Wen. They do so much for my career and this race team. I’m looking forward to this year. It’s going to be a really good one for us.”

# # #

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.

Austin Cindric wins the Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. 300 at Daytona

By
Michelle Lippold
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Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

The NASCAR Xfinity Series held their season opener at Daytona International Speedway Saturday evening and if you wanted excitement it did not disappoint. Neither did Austin Cindric, reigning Xfinity Series Champion. He drove his No. 22 Penske Ford into Victory Lane. Not only did he win the race but he did it from the pole position but it was also his first-ever superspeedway win.

“Oh my goodness what an awesome race!” he exclaimed, “ What a really fast ride, the 5G Mustang. Unbelievable effort by team Penske,” he smiled and said, “ I’m gonna try to do it again tomorrow!”

Brett Moffitt tried his best to catch Cindric, but in the end, he just wasn’t able to get there. He brought his No. 02 Our Motorsports Chevy home in second place.

“Once the 22 got up front, anytime I got within a car’s length, it just pushed him further forward,” said Moffitt, “Everyone on this team has worked very hard to make a small team into a successful team in a short amount of time.”

Driving home in third place was Harrison Burton in his No.20 Joe Gibbs Toyota. Jeb Burton and A.J. Allmendinger would round out the top five. Brandon Brown, Myatt Snider, Brandon Gdovic, Daniel Hemric, and Jason White finished sixth through 10, respectively.

Stage 1 only had a handful of cautions and most were single-car incidents. When it came down to the end of the stage Brandon Jones beat everyone to the line, winning the stage.

Stage 2 had no caution laps and they pretty much all stayed in their line until it was the last lap of the stage which Moffitt would win. On the last lap a couple of cars got together as the stage was ending.

Stage 3 is where you got your money’s worth.

A few laps after the start Ty Dillon spun and caught Justin Allgaier. Lap 75 saw several cars get tangled together. Justin Currey, Noah Gragson, Michael Annett, along with a few others, were caught up in it with 14 cars in total either wrecked or with some damage. ‘The Big One’ didn’t happen until 11 laps to go and that net tangled a lot of fish. Allgaier, J. Burton, Brandon Jones, Chad Finchum, Daniel Hemric, included, just to name a few. The stage went into overtime and Cindric took the checkered flag to win the race.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series will head to the Daytona Road Course, on Saturday, Feb. 20, for the second race of the season.

Official Results:

1. Austin Cindric
2. Brett Moffitt
3. Harrison Burton
4. Jeb Burton
5. AJ Allmendinger
6. Brandon Brown
7. Myatt Snider
8. Brandon Gdovic
9. Daniel Hemric
10. Jason White
11. Joe Graf Jr.
12. Caesar Bacarella
13. Stefan Parsons
14. Ty Dillon
15. Kyle Weatherman
16. Matt Mills
17. Jesse Little
18. Ryan Vargas
19. Danny Bohn
20. Timmy Hill
21. Josh Williams
22. Jeremy Clements
23. Landon Cassill
24. Tommy Joe Martins
25. Robby Lyons
26. Riley Herbst
27. Josh Berry
28. Justin Allgaier
29. Justin Haley
30. Chad Finchum
31. Ryan Sieg
32. Noah Gragson
33. Bayley Currey
34. Gray Gaulding
35. Colby Howard
36. Michael Annett
37. Jeffrey Earnhardt
38. Brandon Jones
39. Cody Ware
40. Alex Labbe


Sunday’s DAYTONA 500 Will Feature Lap “3” Tribute to Dale Earnhardt, Sr.

By
Official Release
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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 13, 2021) – Twenty years after the loss of Dale Earnhardt, Sr., the all-time winner at Daytona International Speedway, his life and legacy will be celebrated Sunday (Feb. 14) on Lap “3” of the 63rd Annual DAYTONA 500 (2:30 p.m. ET on FOX, FOX Deportes, MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

On Lap 3 of The Great American Race, race fans will stand and salute the seven-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion with “3” fingers in the air, paying tribute to one of the greatest drivers of all time. 

As the cars enter Turn 1 on Lap 2, a video tribute will be seen on Daytona’s large video screens, culminating with a photo of Earnhardt in Victory Lane. The public address announcer will prompt guests to raise “3” fingers while the video boards (behind pit road along frontstretch) will showcase graphics to honor a beloved hero to so many.

In addition, the giant scoring pylon that towers above the infield, will showcase No. “3” from top to bottom, on lap “3.”

Austin Dillon, who won one of the Bluegreen Vacations Duel qualifying races Thursday in the Richard Childress Racing No. 3 Chevrolet, will roll off fourth. Alex Bowman will start from the Busch Pole while Denny Hamlin, who will go off 25th, will be going for a record third consecutive DAYTONA 500 triumph.

For more information, log onto www.DAYTONA500.com or call 1-800-PITSHOP. Fans can stay connected with Daytona International Speedway on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for the latest speedway news.

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