Ford Performance NASCAR: Daytona 500 Media Availability (Joey Logano)
Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
NASCAR Media Day | Tuesday, February 9, 2021
JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang – HOW IMPORTANT WAS IT THAT YOU RACED ON DIRT LAST WEEKEND? WOULD YOU HAVE DONE THAT IF BRISTOL WASN’T ADDING DIRT? “Probably not. It probably wouldn’t have been something that I was going to do. It was a lot of fun. I’m glad I did it either way, but trying to convince the boss man to go play around in something, this one helped a little bit to go play in this dirt car a little bit. I feel like I’m a better race car driver now than I was a couple days ago before I went to Volusia as far as being a dirt racer. It’s funny, you go out there and I was clueless. I was a dart without feathers, mainly because the rear end of those cars move so much and they say keep it up on the bars. You need to keep that left-rear driven up so forward and you do that by keeping your foot on the gas. That’s easy when you’re by yourself, but then where there were 20 cars around me I was all over the place. I was just trying to figure it out. All the drivers there were very welcoming and had plenty of advice to give me, which was great. All of their advice was different though, which was very confusing because there are apparently 10 different ways to drive a dirt car and still go fast. It was fun listening to everybody and getting to figure it out as I went along, and I’m looking forward to doing it some more because I had a good time doing it. It was cool. We showed up with a little trailer and rolled the car out and just kind of winged it. Apparently, that’s a big race for these guys, so it was a fun way to try and get out there and see where you stack up against the big dogs.”
DO YOU HAVE A NEW RESPECT FOR WHAT THEY DO AND IS IT IMPORTANT FOR NASCAR DRIVERS TO GO OUT AND DO OTHER THINGS LIKE THAT WITH GRASSROOTS RACING? “Looking back at it, yes. I don’t think I realized how sometimes different the dirt fans are compared to a NASCAR fan. I kind of thought they were two of the same. That’s what I thought, but I will say it’s a different demographic than what we have and there are diehard dirt fans and they love it. I think the more we can crossover, NASCAR drivers, to race on dirt or vice versa even, I think it kind of blends those two together because it should be one. I feel like a motorsports fan should be a motorsports fan and love every type if it, and I kind of thought dirt racing fans were NASCAR fans and I don’t think that’s quite the case in all of them – probably in half – so I thought that kind of helped along with that. It’s funny, when I went out for kind of like the pre-race thing, I went out on the stage and there was zero reaction. I couldn’t believe it. Zero reaction. And then after the race, we finished third, and they’re cheering and laughing and joking. I’m talking and there was a reaction then, so there’s definitely something that’s not connecting as good as we need to. I think, to your point, the more we race on those things and show that we’re all race car drivers, we all love driving cars it’s just different types, we’ll help kind of cross that bridge.”
WAS YOUR DIRT MODIFIED EXPERIENCE WHAT YOU EXPECTED IT TO BE? “I can tell you one thing, driving a dirt modified is basically take everything you’ve learned about driving a race car on asphalt and throw that right out the window. It doesn’t mean anything. It actually hurts you, so just a different type of racing. The way you drive the car, everything you do is quite a bit different. I can see how it’s very hard to transfer back and forth, whether if you grew up on dirt trying to switch over to asphalt that’s a tough change and a tough thing to do. The same thing if you go the other way, for me the asphalt guy going on dirt. I went out there and practiced and it looked like I never drove a car before, but eventually I think talent is talent and race car drivers are race car drivers and you figure it out. Over time I think you can transfer back and forth, I think it just takes a little bit of time to figure it out. Just like if I was to jump in an Indy Car it would take a while for me to figure out, but I would figure it out. Same thing for dirt racers jumping over to asphalt or vice versa, it just takes a minute but a race car driver is a race car driver and they’ll figure it out. It’s just that everyone has their specialty and what they focus on and they become really good at that.”
HOW WILL THE DYNAMIC BE DIFFERENT IN TONIGHT’S CLASH ON THE ROAD COURSE AS OPPOSED TO THE OVAL? “The intensity will be just like the Clash every year. Just because it’s on a road course doesn’t really change that. I think the intensity is gonna be up there. It’s an All-Star Race. There’s nothing to lose, so everyone is gonna be racing aggressively. I think when you see those braking zones if it’s a point race, maybe they come back and try not to have any contact and get any damage or whatever But in the All-Star type events, where there’s really nothing to lose, I think you’re gonna see cars sending it into those braking zones, locking tires up and maybe beating doors off each other when they get to the corner. There’s plenty of opportunity for that on this race track. There’s four, maybe five spots you can try to out-brake somebody and each one kind of presents its own risk that’s there. I plan on being very aggressive tonight to try to find those edges, know where those are in an All-Star Race knowing that we’re going back there in a couple weeks.”
HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO GET OFF TO A GOOD START AND WIN EARLY? “I think these days you’ve got to be good all year long. There’s the opportunity that you can get through the playoffs even if you don’t have many playoff points, but you don’t leave yourself any cushion to fall back on if you don’t run well. So, it seems like, yeah, you’re right, last year we went through quite the rollercoaster. It was really good and then it went really bad, and then it came back and we raced for a championship in Phoenix. It can go up and down, but it’s nice if you have a lot of points as you go through those playoffs. You sleep a lot easier and things like that. It’s just like it is for football, you want to try and seed yourself the best you can and it’s the same thing for us in NASCAR. It’s nice to get a win early. Maybe it makes you sleep a little better, but you just can’t get a win and go check out for two or three months and then come back when the playoffs start. You just can’t do that. It doesn’t mean that you’re gonna have ups and downs throughout it, you probably will, but making sure you’re good when it matters the most is key.”
WHAT’S IT LIKE TO BE IN A RACE THAT IS WAY MORE THAN A WILDCARD. IT’S ALMOST LIKE A LOTTERY TO WIN THESE THINGS AND FINISH. “Yeah, that part is frustrating. If I’m being 100 percent honest it’s frustrating, but it is what it is. These big spoilers is what’s changed that, where we used to have more of a bubble behind us. You can block cars and actually be able to block them and keep moving forward without checking up a whole line or getting hit from behind and getting your car out of shape, so that’s what’s caused more crashes. But there’s still an art to it. I don’t call it a lottery in my mind because I don’t like thinking of things about luck. I like to think that I can control a lot of it, a lot of that by hopefully staying in the front. I will say that I’ve wrecked out of the lead quite a few times or in the top three or four cars quite a few times, not just in the 500 but just in superspeedway racing in general, but I’d rather be up there racing rather than ride around all day and still crash. At least I can say I did something and learned a little bit and maybe had a little fun while doing it. That’s where my head is at with it. It being the Daytona 500 you know how it’s gonna end. You know, and it’s happened for years now, everyone knows what it is, everyone knows it’s the biggest race of the year, everyone knows what comes along with winning the Daytona 500 and having your name on that trophy with all the legends, everyone knows what that’s about. So because of that everybody ends up being ultra-aggressive, throwing aggressive blocks, bumping each other very hard and the next thing you know cars are going sideways going across the field and, yeah, that’s gonna happen again – no doubt. It will happen again.”
GOING BACK A DECADE WHEN YOU WORKED WITH MAX PAPIS, DO YOU HAVE ANY STORIES TO SHARE AND HOW VALUABLE WAS HE TO YOUR CAREER? “I love Max. Great guy. Very good race car driver. Good coach. He’s obviously done a lot with William here lately in a similar way for me. Max is an authentic person, and I think that’s what I love about him the most. What you see is what you get. He’s gonna tell you how it is and he’s not gonna sugarcoat anything for you, so I appreciate that about him. He’s got a great family. I’ve learned a lot, obviously on road courses with him, but he also worked with me a lot on ovals more from a mental preparation side, which I thought was some interesting points of view. Anyone that’s raced for a long time and been in a lot of different situations, a lot of experience comes along with that, a lot of knowledge comes with that, so the more you can pick someone’s brain like that is definitely helpful. I remember, probably the thing that stands out the most, we had a two-seater Cup car back when we were able to test, and we were at Road Atlanta. I was driving and he was riding with me and I was braking at this point, and then we switched seats and I rode with him, which is the scariest thing I’ve ever done in my life. He broke probably, I don’t know, 50 yards deeper than me and it scared me. I thought we were crashing, but it kind of opened up your eyes of where it can be, so that was probably what stands out the most because I was scared of my life at that moment.”
HOW VALUABLE IS IT TO HAVE HIM AS A SAFETY ADVOCATE IN THE SPORT? “I think he’s someone who sees opportunity and goes after it, and when you see where technology was in steering wheels, it’s something that maybe we don’t think about much. ‘Hey, give me the steering wheel. Let me steer the car.’ Whatever. But there is so much more to that, not only from a weight perspective, but also a safety perspective. You’re kind of wanting that to bend and get out of your way a little bit. It’s something that I don’t think many people looked into and he saw that as a great opportunity. You look at the brand he’s build now. It’s not just race cars, it’s in hot rods and I got a little steering wheel in my son’s power wheels now – I put a little one in there – so he’s kind of touched on everything with that.”
TJ MAJORS SAID YOU GUYS ALWAYS GET TOGETHER AND TALK BEFORE SPEEDWAY RACES. HAVE YOU DONE THAT YET AND, IF SO, WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING OUT FOR GOING INTO SUNDAY? “I think every time you kind of re-watch a race you see something. The more eyes you have together and talk things out, he may pull something out that I didn’t see or vice versa and it just helps to be on the same page. That’s kind of the biggest thing. The spotter means a lot, especially on superspeedways, but really everywhere now the spotter means a lot and the more that he is thinking the same way that I am and vice versa, that is kind of what puts us on the same page and I think makes us a strong pair. So, the more we can be together and obviously the more we race together is important. This weekend, it being the first race back is always you want to get back out there and knock the rust off a little bit and try to see the way the draft is working, the way it’s moving. We won’t really have an idea of what that is until the Duels, but just trying to understand how that’s gonna be and how he communicates that it’s a constant flow of just trying to figure out what that is. It always changes. The draft never stays the same. It evolves every time we’re out there. Every driver is learning something every time he runs a racetrack. Like I said earlier, what worked last year doesn’t work this year because you have to keep moving along with it. You look at sometimes the draft ends up single-file against the wall, sometimes it’s single-file on the bottom. It’s just how teams are working together, how alliances change and what people see successful, so you have to constantly be studying what that is.”
WHAT PERCENTAGE OF TIME DO YOU SPEND LOOKING IN THE REARVIEW MIRROR IN SPEEDWAY RACES? “If you’re in the lead, it’s probably 90 percent. If you’re even middle of the pack, you’re probably at least 50/50, still probably more in the mirror than ahead. What goes on behind you dictates what you’re gonna do, so you have to be a mirror driver. That’s what had me so screwed up in this dirt car this week. I had no idea where anybody was. There’s no mirrors in that thing and I’m a mirror driving guy. That’s what I do, so when you took that tool away from me I didn’t know what to do.”
KNOWING THAT A CRASH IS INEVITABLE DOES THAT HELP TAKE THE PRESSURE OFF YOU IN A WAY FOR THE 500? “Not really. I don’t look at it that way. I will say I don’t typically get mad when I do crash on a superspeedway because in a way I’m asking for it to a certain extent because I’m up there racing. There are teams and drivers that will run in the back all day long and they might get a better finish than me. They’re gonna finish top 10 most likely if you ride around all day – probably not gonna win. I’m the guy, I just want to win, so I’m gonna go out there and race and because of that I probably have less than a 50 percent chance of finishing the race, but it doesn’t really take pressure off. If it happens, it happens and I move on. It’s all we can do. It’s like, ‘Well, he got caught up in it.’ That’s life. Move onto the next one. Take what you can from it and learn and get better for next time.”
HOW DO YOU THINK THE CHANGES IN NASCAR WILL AFFECT THE ENERGY AND EXCITEMENT FOR THE DRIVERS AND THE FANS? “There’s plenty of new things, even without the NEXT Gen car here for this season there’s plenty of changes that should keep people plenty excited and interested on what’s gonna be. You think of all these new racetracks, the road courses, Nashville, Bristol Dirt, boy, we’ve thrown a lot of different things at it this year. I’m interested, I know that, to kind of see how things go, and then there’s still the roots of our sport that we also kept, which is key and having that blend. I think this year, more than ever, you have to be a well-rounded race car driver. You have to be able to be a great road racer. You have to be good on superspeedway, there’s still four of those. There’s still mile-and-a-halves and short tracks, but even a dirt racer now. So, you have to be well-rounded and, for me, as a race car driver that’s a fun challenge. It’s very attractive for me to want to race in NASCAR because you don’t do the same thing every week. Think about it, there’s not many series at all that race that many different disciplines, and that, to me, is fun because at the end of the day I can say maybe I can jump in anything and go fast. I want to be able to do that and this kind of helps that. As a driver, that’s exciting. As a fan, thinking about all the what-ifs, that would be exciting, too.”
WHICH TRACK DO YOU LOOK FORWARD TO THE MOST? “I think there are a few. You look at the Nashville market and hitting on that. I think that will be very interesting and fun for all of us in the industry to go towards that area. You look at what the banquet was like there and it was a lot of fun, and you look at the fans when we did the burnout competition there down on Broadway, that was cool. I like to think that area is gonna be really cool. Obviously, COTA, Road America all seem neat. The dirt race, I think, is the one that everyone has the biggest question mark on. Some of us are excited and other of us are going, ‘Why?’ I’m probably on both sides of the fence on that one because personally Bristol is my favorite racetrack. I don’t think there’s any reason we have to throw dirt on it to make it better. It was perfect the way it was, but, at the same time, there’s the other 50 percent of me that’s saying, ‘This is gonna be really cool. Let’s see what happens here.’ At the same time there’s another part of me saying, ‘We’re spending so much time on trying to figure out how to make these cars go on dirt for one race,’ because next year we have new cars, so we’re spending so much time and money on that that it almost doesn’t make sense. So, I’m really conflicted on that. I don’t really know how to think on that one, but it’ll probably be one of the most tuned in races all year long.”
WOULD YOU RATHER SEE A CUP RACE ON A NATURAL DIRT TRACK? “I would say yes. I’d rather it be two Bristol concrete races and go find a dirt track that has the infrastructure for us that we can go out there and put on a great race for our fans.”
ANY THOUGHT WE COULD SEE YOU IN A SUPER DIRT CAR BIG BLOCK MODIFIED IN THE FUTURE? “I have no clue. To be honest with you, I didn’t know there were two different types of modifieds before I showed up to Volusia. That’s how clueless I was. My friend, Ryan Flores, who built the car with my car chief, Jerry Kelley, and that’s when I was like, ‘I need to go learn how to drive on dirt. Where can we go?’ So, we went down to Volusia. I feel like that car is probably gonna be the closest thing to driving a Cup car, just from the power in the car, the width of the tires so small is kind of the grip level. Obviously, there are a lot of differences with the car itself with it being lighter and movement in the rear end makes it very different, but I feel like that will be something that will at least be semi-close to what the Cup cars will be. That’s why I chose that.”
WHAT WILL BE THE MOST IMPORTANT DATA FOR TEAM PENSKE TO GET OUT OF THIS RACE TONIGIHT? “There’s a lot of different things. I think, for one, you look at where the 9 car is. He’s been the dominant car on the road courses. He’s the one that we’re all shooting to go after. We don’t have practice anymore, really, especially at this racetrack, so if there’s ever a time you’re gonna go try something and risk it, and whether you’re a driver and try something different or the way you set up your car, now is the time. Now is the time to throw it all out there and see if you can make something stick, and then hopefully be better for next week.”
CAN YOU EXPLAIN HOW IMPORTANT EACH ASPECT OF THE RACE IS ALL YEAR, DOING WELL IN STAGES AND THE END OF THE RACE? “To me the way I look at, and this might hurt me as much as it helps me at times, is every point could be the difference of winning the championship, and that can be in the middle of the summer at some racetrack that someone may not think much of, but that one point, to me, could be the difference of finishing first and second in the regular season. That could be five playoff points difference and it could be the difference between finishing third and fourth in the regular season. That’s one playoff point. Well, that one playoff point could be the difference of you getting to the next round or getting to the championship round. It could be the whole championship, so every point means so much. That’s why you see me racing so hard. I feel like that can be the difference of our team getting to the championship round or not, and so for those reasons I’m gonna race hard. Now, at the same time that might bite me in some ways, but that’s the way I race. That’s my mindset and it will continue to be that way.”
GIVEN HOW MUCH LUCK FACTORS INTO MAKING THE PLAYOFFS OR THE CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND, HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE PLAYOFF FORMAT IN NASCAR TO DETERMINE A CHAMPION? “I don’t feel like it’s luck. That’s my opinion. You’ve got to be good when it matters the most. To me, there’s no such thing as luck. Roger Penske says it’s the best, ‘The harder I work, the luckier I get.’ That’s just what it is. You’ve got to be good when it matters the most and that’s what playoff sports are about. Look at what just happened in the Super Bowl. During the mid-part of the season you wouldn’t think Tampa Bay was gonna be winning the Super Bowl this year and they were the best when it mattered the most and they worked their way through the playoffs and won the whole thing, so it can happen here. Does it help to have a great regular season? Yeah, it helps with your seeding. It helps with your playoff points. At the same time, you’ve got to be great when it matters the most and that’s during the playoffs and each round gets harder and harder to get through. You have to do different things to do it, so, no. Do I think it’s luck? Absolutely not.”
HOW MUCH DOES THE CHANCE OF BEING A MULTIPLE DAYTONA 500 WINNER MOTIVATE YOU? “You always want as many as you can get. It’s nice to say you’ve got one, better to say you have two. I’m motivated no matter what. I guess I don’t need that to be motivated more. I have plenty just knowing there’s a race and a trophy ahead of me. I honestly can’t say I’m more motivated to win the Daytona 500 than I am of winning at Kansas or wherever it may be. It’s pretty much the same for me every week. I keep that kind of same intensity level and the same preparation for every race no matter what it is, so I don’t really look at it as anything different than the next week.”
Idemitsu Lubricants America Expands Partnership with Mazda Motorsports USA – Supports MX-5 Cup
SOUTHFIELD, Mich., Feb. 09, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Renewing its strategic sponsorship agreement with Mazda Motorsports USA, Idemitsu Lubricants America Corporation (ILAC) continues its association as the Official Oil Partner of the Mazda Daytona Prototype International (DPi) Car #55 at the WeatherTech IMSA Series this year. Taking the partnership with Mazda Motorsports USA to the next level in 2021, Idemitsu Lubricants America will also be the official Title Sponsor of the MX-5 Cup Series. The series, newly titled as the “Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup Series presented by BFGoodrich® Tires” is the signature spec series for the Mazda Road to 24 (#MRT24) with the MX-5 Cup champion being awarded $250,000.
As a strategic partner of Mazda, Idemitsu shares the same vision as Mazda when it comes to the promotion and development of motorsports across the US. “Enabling access and empowering upcoming race drivers to take up the sport in a safe, organized and progressive manner is the reason why Mazda Motorsports is the undisputed leader in motorsports development in the United States, especially at the grassroots level. We at Idemitsu are honored to be partnering with Mazda Motorsports in this extremely important mission,” said Bob Hashmi, Head of Marketing at Idemitsu Lubricants America.
The MX-5 Cup cars start as a complete MX-5 road car from the Mazda Hiroshima, Japan, factory before being transported to engineering development partner Flis Performance in Daytona Beach, Florida. Once they are in the Sunshine State, they are transformed into race cars. The transformation from road car to race car includes disassembly of the production car, welding and painting of a full roll cage and interior, and adding more than 250 motorsports-specific parts. Other components of the car, including the Mazda SKYACTIV® 2.0-liter engine, are sealed to ensure a competitive and cost-effective platform.
Idemitsu Lubricants America Corporation (ILAC) proudly supports Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) as its official factory-fill lubricants partner and as the bulk oil supplier to the Genuine Mazda Premium Oil Program.
About Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd.
Founded in 1911, Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd. (IKC) is a Japanese petroleum company and the second-largest refiner and lubricants supplier in Japan. In order to evolve into a resilient business entity, Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd. will continue to, both domestically and abroad, operate and expand in the following five business segments: Petroleum Products, Basic Chemicals, Functional Materials, Electricity & Renewable Energy, and Resources. The company’s Functional Materials segment covers the production and sale of fuel oil and lubricants.
About Idemitsu Lubricants America Corporation
Idemitsu Lubricants America Corporation (ILAC) is a premier lubricants manufacturer and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd., committed to providing quality, innovation, and service to customers across North America. ILAC offers unmatched production quality, ensuring peak operating performance from a full range of lubricants for the automotive and industrial sectors. Idemitsu Lubricants America Corporation provides environmentally-friendly, cost-effective lubricant solutions that help maximize performance efficiencies and minimize cost.
About Mazda North American Operations
Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) is headquartered in Irvine, California, and oversees Mazda vehicles’ sales, marketing, parts, and customer service support in the United States and Mexico through approximately 620 dealers. Mazda Motor de Mexico manages operations in Mexico in Mexico City.
Young’s Motorsports finalizes organizational changes for 2021 Truck Series season
MOORESVILLE, N.C.: With the start of the 2021 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) season days away, Young’s Motorsports has announced the completion of their organizational changes ahead of Friday’s season-opener at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway on Feb. 12, 2021.
Young’s Motorsports has tapped Eddie Troconis to serve as crew chief of the team’s flagship No. 02 Chevrolet Silverado to be driven this year by Rookie of the Year candidate Kris Wright.
Troconis arrives at Young’s Motorsports with a lengthy resume of NASCAR competition, including several years as a crew chief in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Additionally, Troconis brings an engineering background to the forefront which will be beneficial as the Mooresville, N.C.-based organization returns to a three-truck operation this season.
“I’m happy to be at Young’s Motorsports this season,” said Troconis. “I’ve known Tyler (Young) for several years, having the opportunity to interact with him at the race track and I’ve always admired his work ethic to keep Young’s Motorsports a competitive and successful NASCAR Camping World Truck Series operation.
“I am looking forward to getting to Daytona with Kris (Wright) next weekend and getting our season started off with some momentum, not only for our No. 02 team, but the other two teams too.”
Additionally, Young’s Motorsports announced last week that Ryan “Pickle” London will return to the team and serve as crew chief of the No. 12 Young’s Motorsports Chevrolet driven by sophomore pilot Tate Fogleman.
London has prior leadership experience at Young’s Motorsports serving in the crew chief role of the No. 12 Young’s Motorsports truck during the second half of the 2019 NCWTS season.
With a flux of personnel changes during the off-season complete, Young’s Motorsports also successfully launched their ARCA Menards Series program which will make its series debut in the Feb. 13 running of the Lucas Oil 200 driven by General Tire.
The team announced recently that 19-time female United States Auto Club (USAC) winner Toni Breidinger will pilot the team’s No. 02 Chevrolet at the “World Center of Racing” in her fourth career ARCA Menards Series start, but first at Daytona’s 2.5-mile-high banks.
London will call the shots for 21-year-old Breidinger.
“It is shaping up to be a very fun year at Young’s Motorsports,” said team principal Tyler Young. “With that fun though comes responsibility and dedication and I believe the people that we have put in place from top to bottom will allow us to have a competitive season in both the ARCA Menards Series and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
“Eddie brings a wealth of knowledge and leadership and will be influential in helping build a successful brigade with Pickle and Joe (Lax, crew chief of the No. 20 Young’s Motorsports Chevrolet). Hopefully, Daytona treats us well and will be a sign of what is to come for our teams this year.”
The NextEra Energy Resources 250 (100 laps | 250 miles) is the first of 22 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races on the 2021 schedule. Practice begins on Thurs, Feb. 11 from 5:35 p.m. – 6:25 p.m. Qualifying is set for race day, Fri., Feb. 12 beginning at 3:10 p.m. The field will take the green flag shortly after 7:30 p.m. with live coverage on FOX Sports 1, the Motor Racing Network (Radio) and SiriusXM NASCAR Channel 90.
The Lucas Oil 200 driven by General Tire (80 laps | 200 miles) is the first of 20 races on the 2021 ARCA Menards Series schedule. Practice begins Fri., Feb. 12 with a one-hour session from 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Group qualifying is set for race day, Sat., Feb. 13 at 8:30 a.m. The season-opener for the 69th consecutive ARCA season is set to take the green flag shortly after 1:30 p.m. The event will be televised live on FOX Sports 1 (FS1), while ARCARacing.com will stream live timing and scoring throughout the entire weekend festivities.
For more on Young’s Motorsports, please visit YoungsMotorsports.com, like them on Facebook (Young’s Motorsports) and follow on Instagram (youngsmotorsports) and Twitter (@youngsmtrsports).
XGT Champion Thwaits Roars into 2021 Announcing TA Class Debut Set for Sebring
Franklin, TENNESSEE – February 9, 2021 – We can exclusively reveal that 2020 Trans Am XGT Champion Ken Thwaits is stepping up to TA Class racing in 2021, teaming up with the legendary Pancho Weaver to drive the powerful Dodge Challenger in the opening rounds of the season.
Ken and his Franklin Road Apparel Showtime Motorsports team impressed everyone in Trans Am last year with their professional approach to the full season of racing, and were duly rewarded when Ken lifted the inaugural XtremeGT Class Championship in his Audi R8 LMS Ultra. However, while there were eight competitors across the nine races in the XGT season, it’s a class that doesn’t offer quite the same level of competition as in the TA Class.
“I had a great time in Trans Am last year,” said Ken when we spoke to him at his superb Tennessee headquarters last week, “but the simple fact is that in Trans Am Racing, the TA Class is where it’s at for drivers seeking to race at the top in this Series.”
Of his new link up with Pancho Weaver he added, “It’s fantastic to be working with Pancho, who has found success in this arena across a timespan of decades. Trans Am cars are very different beasts to the GT3 type sportscar fans are used to seeing from Showtime Motorsports.”
For his first foray into Trans Am TA Class, Ken is teaming up with no less a luminary than Pancho Weaver. Located in Mooresville, North Carolina, Pancho Weaver’s ‘Weaver Racing Concepts’ produced the super fast Dodge Challenger piloted with such aplomb by Boris Said last year. Boris set pole position at COTA in 2020 with a fast lap of 2:08.747 in the No. 2 Dodge Challenger prepared by Pancho Weaver. In his only prior 2020 start, Said captured the pole and finished second in the opening round of the VIR doubleheader.
“Pancho Weaver builds an unbelievable car,” stated Boris Said, the 2002 TA champion. “It’s just a blast driving these Trans Am cars. They’re so much fun with all the horsepower, without the ABS and other nonsense that the other cars run. These are old-school cars with a lot of horsepower – regular gated shifting like a NASCAR and 180mph on the back straight.”
Boris has been helping Ken prepare for his Sebring TA Class debut, with testing going particularly well last week.
“The Dodge is dramatically different to drive compared to the Audi – especially at a track like Sebring,” added Ken. “You couldn’t have a better coach than Boris Said. I love a challenge and I can’t wait to get started racing. The car is fantastic, very exciting feel and power. I’m committed to doing Sebring and Road Atlanta and we’ll see after that.”
The action at Sebring International Raceway will get underway with optional testing sessions on Friday and first official practice on Saturday, Feb 20 at 11:40AM ET. The 100-mile race is scheduled for Sunday, Feb 21 at 2PM ET. Follow on the Trans Am app for news and views from the track!
About Showtime Motorsports:
The Showtime Motorsports brand includes Ken Thwait’s racing team and racecars, and an outstanding classic Camaro collection. Providing professional racing programs with Audi Sport Customer Racing, Showtime Motorsports brings together a dynamic staff who employ diverse talents and share a passion for cars, racing and caring for clients like they are our own family members. www.showtimemotorsports.net. Check out the Showtime Motorsports Facebook page: facebook.com/showtimemotorsp/ and @ShowtimeMotorsp on Instagram.
Chip Ganassi Racing Announces Renewal of Partnership with Yorktel & Caregility
Expanded Partnership to Include Branding on both NASCAR Cup Series Cars with Ganassi
CONCORD, N.C. (Feb. 9, 2021) – Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR) announced today a partnership renewal with Yorktel and Caregility. The two organizations: Yorktel, a leading global provider of enterprise collaboration and managed service solutions and Caregility, a telehealth company dedicated to delivering care to wherever the patient is located, joined CGR for the 2020 NASCAR Playoff run as an associate partner on the No. 1 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, driven by former Daytona 500 and NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) Champion Kurt Busch.
The renewed partnership with Yorktel and Caregility includes one primary sponsored event on the No. 42 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, driven by Ross Chastain, along with associate branding on the No. 1 and No. 42 cars, driven by Busch and Chastain respectively. Both companies are owned by YTC Holdings.
NOTES OF INTEREST:
- Kurt Busch will be competing in his 21st full-time season of NCS competition. In 2020, he made his eighth consecutive and 14th overall appearance in the NASCAR Playoffs, and was able to make the Round of 8 with a thrilling victory at his hometown track, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, eventually coming up one race shy of transferring to the Championship 4 in the series finale.
- Ross Chastain will make his CGR debut in NCS competition with the DAYTONA 500 on February 14, 2021. It will be his first full-time effort in the NASCAR premier series, although he does have 79 previous NCS starts to his credit in part-time competition.
- During the 2020 NASCAR Playoffs, Yorktel and Caregility utilized their partnership to pay tribute to frontline caregivers during the COVID-19 pandemic. With the initiative “Caregility Cares,” the name of a selected caregiver was carried on the No. 1 Chevrolet driven by Busch. Additionally, Busch hosted a weekly virtual meet and greet with the honoree.
QUOTEBOARD:
- Ross Chastain, Driver No. 42 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE: “I’m looking forward to working with Yorktel and Caregility this season. It is always a positive to be able to expand the relationship with our partners. I know that they were excited about getting involved with our team and Kurt Busch during the NASCAR Playoffs last season, and I’m excited about working with them to continue growth through the partnership.”
- Kurt Busch, Driver No. 1 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE: “I look forward to continuing the partnership with Yorktel and Caregility in 2021. I enjoyed having the opportunity to virtually meet several healthcare workers last season, that they recognized, for their efforts during the onset of the pandemic. It is a pleasure to continue the partnership that began last season.”
- Ron Gaboury, CEO, Yorktel & Caregility: “Our experience in working with Chip Ganassi Racing last year was extremely positive. The partnership allowed us to increase brand awareness for both organizations as well as provide a vehicle to thank some of the front-line workers that have been battling the pandemic for almost a year now. I’m looking forward to a winning season with CGR in 2021.”
About Yorktel
For over 35 years, Yorktel (www.yorktel.com) has been a leader in helping enterprise, healthcare, education and public sector customers plan, navigate and successfully execute their digital workplace transformation initiatives. Our global team works with yours to ensure all aspects of these initiatives, including systems evaluations, network preparedness, technology assessments, change management planning, device and network management and monitoring have been addressed. We then design, integrate and manage the IT solutions that enable your connected workforce. For more information, visit Yorktel. www.yorktel.com and follow Yorktel on Twitter: @yorktelcorp.
About Caregility
Caregility (www.caregility.com) is dedicated to delivering care to wherever the patient is located through the use of the Caregility Virtual Care Platform. Designated as the #1 2021 Best in KLAS Virtual Care Platform (Non-EMR), Caregility’s core telehealth offering is a purpose-built ecosystem for the entire healthcare continuum. The Caregility Virtual Care Platform provides secure, reliable two-way audio and video communication designed for any device and clinical workflow, in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Today, Caregility supports more than 2 million video sessions annually and has deployed over 9,000 access points of care systems across the US. From critical and acute, to urgent and emergent, to post-acute and ambulatory, and to the home, Caregility is helping transform the delivery of patient care everywhere. Follow Caregility on LinkedIn or on Twitter at @caregility.
About Chip Ganassi Racing
Chip Ganassi has been a fixture in the auto racing industry for over 30 years and is considered one of the most successful, as well as innovative, owners the sport has anywhere in the world. Today, his teams include four cars in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, two cars in the NASCAR Cup Series and one car in both the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and Extreme E. Overall, his teams have 20 championships and more than 225 victories, including four Indianapolis 500s, a Daytona 500, a Brickyard 400, eight Rolex 24 At Daytonas, the 12 Hours of Sebring and 24 Hours of Le Mans. Ganassi boasts state-of-the-art race shop facilities in Indianapolis, and Concord, N.C., with a corporate office in Pittsburgh. For more information, visit www.chipganassiracing.com
Howie DiSavino III brings confidence into ARCA superspeedway debut
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla: When it comes to superspeedway racing, confidence is always a good thing.
For ARCA Menards Series driver Howie DiSavino III, confidence is on his side ahead of Saturday afternoon’s Lucas Oil 200 driven by General Tire at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.
Undoubtedly, the 2021 ARCA season opener will be the biggest race of DiSavino’s career, but that does not seem to faze the AM Racing development driver one bit.
“It’s important for me to do well at Daytona this weekend,” said DiSavino. “I really want to give this AM Racing team some momentum.
“Kevin (Cywinski), Jamie (Jones) and everyone on this No. 32 Chevrolet are going to Daytona with the mindset of winning the race and I think we can do that – I just need to do my job and have a little luck along the way.
“I’m incredibly thankful for this opportunity to compete on this big stage,” added DiSavino. “It’s a very humbling moment for me and my family, but once I climb into the car on Saturday, I can’t treat it as the biggest race or biggest chance of my career – I just have to treat it as another race.”
That cool, calm demeanor could be the winning ticket for DiSavino aboard Kevin Cywinski’s No. 32 Bud’s Heating & Air Conditioning | Front Runner Boats Chevrolet. Of course, AM Racing (formerly WinTron Racing) is no stranger to Daytona’s victory circle.
Cywinski alongside crew chief Jamie Jones have been fielding the No. 32 Chevrolet for several years around the 2.5-mile superspeedway and while also having fast race cars, when the payday window opened, they always found themselves collected in someone else’s mishap.
DiSavino isn’t thinking about the dreaded “Big One” this weekend, because chances are there will be nothing he can do to prevent being collected. What he can do is act off instinct and the guidance of his spotter, Tyler Monn.
To help prepare DiSavino for his superspeedway debut, the Chesterfield, Va. native participated in the open ARCA Menards Series test at Daytona last month with Jones and Monn by his side.
“I learned a lot at the test,” added DiSavino. “It certainly can be intimidating, but I felt like we made the best of the test for sure. We made adjustments throughout the two days and my comfort level was really at its best on Saturday and I feel like I’ve done my part studying up on the prior races since the test that will all help with the cause and our goal.
As DiSavino prepares for his sixth career ARCA Menards Series race, he knows he doesn’t have to go far outside his circle for advice on how to conquer Daytona.
DiSavino’s manager is former ARCA Daytona winner and former series champion Austin Theriault who captured both crowns during the 2017 season. Theriault has not only been instrumental in mentoring his young driver in the car but out of the seat too.
Former ARCA winner Joey Coulter has also played an important part in coaching Howie, in preparation for the biggest race of his career.
Former ARCA winner Joey Coulter has also played an important part in coaching Howie, in preparation for the biggest race of his career.
“Having them (Austin and Joey) is going to help me with my learning curve as I continue to climb the ranks. I’m glad they are on my side,” sounded DiSavino.
“Hopefully, our race ends with a strong finish and something to be proud about looking ahead to the rest of 2021.”
Bud’s Heating & Air Conditioning, Front Runner Boats and KEES Vacation will support DiSavino in 2021.
Additional details on DiSavino’s 2021 program are forthcoming.
For more on Howie DiSavino III, please visit howiedisavino.com, like him on Facebook (Howie DiSavino III Racing), follow him on Twitter (@hdisavino) and Instagram (HowieDiSavino).
For more on AM Racing, please visit AMRacingteam.com, like their Facebook page (AM Racing) or follow them on Twitter @AMRacingNASCAR.
The Lucas Oil 200 driven by General Tire (80 laps | 200 miles) is the first of 20 races on the 2021 ARCA Menards Series schedule. Practice begins Fri., Feb. 12 with a one-hour session from 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Group qualifying is set for race day, Sat., Feb. 13 at 8:30 a.m. The season-opener for the 69th consecutive ARCA season is set to take the green flag shortly after 1:30 p.m. The event will be televised live on FOX Sports 1 (FS1), while ARCARacing.com will stream live timing and scoring throughout the entire weekend festivities.
About Bud’s Plumbing, Heating, Air Conditioning & Electric:
Bud’s Plumbing, Heating, Air Conditioning & Electric is the recognized leader in residential and light commercial mechanical contractors in the Hampton Roads market. From simple, honest beginnings in 1969, Bud’s quickly rose to prominence, establishing a legendary reputation for quality, service and professionalism while always maintaining the same home-town personalized connections with clients throughout its 51-year history.
In 2000, Bud’s expanded under the current leadership of CEO Robert W. Nelson Jr. adding plumbing and electrical departments and introducing a science-based whole home approach that has now become the industry benchmark, while national influencing the market through innovative business and customer relations practices.
About Front Runner Boats:
Front Runner as defined by Meriam Webster is “a contestant who runs best in the lead.” Indeed, this defines the vision of Front Runner Boats’ founders, two fishing buddies and business partners who saw an opportunity to build the boats they enjoyed, but with their own ideas on how to build them better!
There are plenty of big, beautiful, boats on the market, but none that came up to the standards Mark and Phil had set for themselves. Standards that today’s boat builders have never seen. Standards that only people that take the sport of blue water fishing seriously will appreciate.
If you’ve always dreamed of having everything you wanted in a boat, it’s time for Front Runner Boats.
Show your support for Howie, the team and our boats using #MrFrontRunner on social media.
Interview: First Seasons – Ricky Taylor
In continuation of our feature series, “First-Seasons,” Speedway Media takes a look back at a driver’s first year or rookie year(s) of racing. This week we catch up with 2020 Daytona Prototype International Rolex 24 winner and Wayne Taylor Racing driver, Ricky Taylor.
In this interview, Taylor talks about growing up in a racing family, his first Rolex 24 start, how he prepared for his rookie season in 2008, his first victory at Lime Rock Park, how he handed expectations throughout his early years and so much more.
SM: You entered Grand-Am Sports Car Racing at the age of 18-years-old back in 2008, driving on a partial schedule of eight races. What it was like making your debut back then and did you feel like that age was the right time for you to start racing professionally?
RT: “I have been very lucky to grow up in a racing family,” Taylor said. “To have my dad (Wayne Taylor, Team Owner of Wayne Taylor Racing) in the position he has been in, gave me many opportunities while I was growing up that I would not have had without him. In 2008, I was definitely underprepared to be competing in the Rolex 24, but it was a great opportunity to learn at a fast rate. And those opportunities to compete in major events with star drivers gave me the best schooling possible in what it takes to compete at the highest level.”
SM: Obviously, you’ve grown up with the Taylor name which has been a household name in racing for many years now. When you first started Sports Car racing, was there a lot of pressure for you to perform well, or did that not bother you knowing you could go to your dad for advice?
RT: “It was a mental challenge for me,” he said. “I am a self-critical person, so it was natural for me to question why I was in a position that I was in. So, I always felt like I didn’t deserve what I was getting through my dad. But, at the same time, it would be silly to pass the opportunities up. It was great to be surrounded by such knowledgeable people and to have my dad play such a big role in my career helped me to learn in a way that most drivers do not have the opportunity to do. I always felt like I wanted to prove myself as a driver, first, to earn my position on merit and not because I was placed there, so that was always a struggle I had with myself to try to look at my career and performance impartially.”
SM: As you entered the 2008 season, you ran part-time, competing in eight races of the 15-race schedule. Why the part-time schedule and was it hard to keep expectations realistic as the season wore on? Talk us through what your general expectations were for that year?
RT: “A part-time season was a good opportunity to keep expectations in check and to learn as much as possible,” the two-time Rolex 24 winner said. “It was mixed together with a few different cars and tracks that were new to me so the pressure was high to prove myself but they were mostly with smaller teams where I could focus on learning with my teammates.
SM: Your first IMSA start came at the famous Rolex 24 driving for your dad’s team, in the No. 10 SunTrust Racing machine. You started fourth but finished fifth, eight laps off the pace. Can you discuss how excited you were for your first Rolex 24 and racing for your dad’s team in your first Grand-Am start? I’m sure that had to be something special.
RT: “This was definitely an intimidating event and I felt very underprepared to be in a top team at the Rolex 24,” Taylor said. “But, (it) was very special to drive for dad for the first time and share the car with my mentor, Max Angelelli.”
SM: As you look back on the Rolex 24 in your first year in 2008, how anxious or nervous were you as the race came closer and closer on your radar? Or were you ready to go by the time the green flag flew? Is there anything in your mind you could have done differently for a higher finish?
RT: “I was extremely anxious and nervous before the race and it took me some time to settle into a rhythm in the race but did not drive much during the race.”
SM: After Daytona, you competed for Beyer Racing and then Doran Racing, before switching to Beyer Racing in 2009 to run the full schedule. How did you get connected with Beyer Racing to give you a full-time shot?
RT: “Beyer Racing came about after meeting the Beyer family through Steven Charlesly who now works for Multimatic,” he said. “Steven was bringing the Beyer family into sportscar racing after they had been competing in their home state of Texas. We connected very well with the Beyer family. Jeff, who was the father, and Jared, the son/driver, and I had a great relationship in the first few races and it was a lot of fun to race together. Jared and I were a similar age and we both wanted to make a career of racing. We connected with the Cape Brothers to run the car for 2009 and it was a great group of people to compete together for the full season.”
SM: For the rest of 2008, you had some respectable finishes such as fifth at Birmingham and seventh at Mid-Ohio. Were you starting to get more comfortable with the car or was there still a learning curve for you?
RT: “It (my rookie year) was all a learning curve,” Taylor said. “Getting to race against people at a higher level than I was, made it to where I felt like I was constantly learning and while trying to remain confident in my own ability, trying to take in as much as possible to get to their level as fast as possible, but it just took time.”
SM: After a brief year with Beyer Racing in 09, you returned to your dad’s team in 2010 and eventually earned your first podium finish at VIR where you finished third after starting fifth. Looking back, did you think you had a shot to win that race as you look at the results and how satisfying was your first podium finish?
RT: “2010 was a good year, where we fought for poles and wins throughout the year and, after a good year with Beyer, rejoining WTR (Wayne Taylor Racing) raised the expectations again.”
SM: Eventually, one race later at Lime Rock, you won your first Grand-Am race after leading 95 laps. What does that first victory still mean to you and have you ever had a chance to watch that race back?
RT: “That (winning Lime Rock) was a great experience. It meant so much to win with Max and the WTR team,” he said. “Our car was extremely strong in Lime Rock and it was fantastic to break the seal of winning a race in the Grand-Am Rolex Series.”
SM: Looking back on your early years as a rookie driver, are there any races that stand out where you thought, ‘I think we could have had this one won had we done this part perfectly?’ If so, what race sticks out?
RT: “There were many instances where we left the racetrack feeling that we could’ve done a better job,” Taylor said. “The most regular piece that I would take out of those early days was, with how limited the track time is, how we could make the most of the practice sessions and getting up to speed as fast as possible. Also, not being intimidated of the other competitors, but it mainly just took time to overcome that.”
SM: Some racers collect their own merchandise and some don’t. Are you a driver that collects your own memorabilia and if so, what do you have in your collection that reminds you of your rookie season?
RT: “I do keep hats and trophies from race wins,” he said. “But as far as my rookie season, mainly just photos, videos and notes from the weekends.”
SM: Obviously, you’ve won the Rolex 24 twice in your career. However, aside from those two wins, what is your favorite trophy out of your collection and why?
RT: “That (my favorite trophy) would have to be Watkins Glen 6 Hour from 2011 which was my first race win as the finishing driver.”
SM: Wrapping this interview up, it’s hard to believe your debut came 13 years ago already. However, if time travel were available, what would a 31-year-old Ricky Taylor tell an 18-year-old Ricky Taylor? Is there anything you would do differently?
RT: “It’s so hard to believe,” Taylor said. “I think the main thing would be to not be afraid to go outside of your comfort zone and to trust that the experience just comes with time. If I had to do anything differently, it would be to not care as much about what people think and maybe not join social media.”
Throughout Taylor’s career, the Apopka, Florida native has earned seven career victories in the old NASCAR Grand-Am Series along with 20 podiums, 12 poles and 1,267 laps led. In today’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship career, Taylor currently has 71 career starts, 18 wins, 38 podiums, 17 poles and 3,431 laps led. The Wayne Taylor Racing driver also collected two championships (2017, 2020).
Fans can follow Ricky Taylor on Social Media, by checking out his Twitter and Instagram accounts and liking his Facebook page.
Additionally, fans of Wayne Taylor Racing can follow them on Twitter and Instagram and like their Facebook. Fans can also visit their website here.
Special thanks to Liz Van Oostenburg for coordinating this interview and many thanks to Ricky Taylor for taking the time out of his busy schedule for the interview.
DGR ARCA Menards Series East Recap: New Smyrna Speedway
Monday, February 8
Track: New Smyrna (Fla.) Speedway, half-mile oval
Race: 1 of 8
Event: Jeep Beach 175 (175 laps, 84 miles)
Taylor Gray, No. 17 Ford Performance Fusion
Start: 1st
Finish: 3rd
- Gray earned his second career ARCA Menards General Tire Pole Award and paced the field to the initial green flag. He led the opening 10 laps before being overtaken on lap 11.
- A long green flag run allowed the No. 17 Ford Performance Fusion to find its groove and reassume the lead on lap 65. Caution flag waved on lap 90 and the team would pit for four tires and fuel.
- A discrepancy on pit road relegated the No. 17 to restarting fourth. Gray quickly moved into third and held steady there until a caution on lap 164. Rain began to fall during this caution period and resulted in the race being under red flag conditions for well over an hour.
- ARCA officials corrected the error from the prior pit sequence when cars returned to the track for the closing laps, which placed Gray in 2nd place for the restart. A quick yellow on the opening lap would set up a green-white-checkered finish. Gray took the lead coming to the white flag, but was bumped out of the groove in turns 3 & 4 and narrowly finished third in a three-wide photo finish.
- Gray on New Smyrna: “It was just a short track last lap deal. The 18 tried to move me and didn’t do it right. It’s unfortunate to lead that many laps and not come away with a win, but on the positive side we had a really fast Ford Performance Fusion all day long. We will take the podium finish and move on to Pensacola to hopefully redeem ourselves and get a win.”
Joey Iest, No. 54 ASN/Basila Ranch Ford Fusion
Start: 3rd
Finish: 5th
- Iest qualified 3rd, but the inside row checked up hard on the initial start and caused him to fall to 11th on the opening lap.
The California native stayed composed and worked his way back through the field to second-place on lap 82. He was on the bumper of the leader when the caution flag waved on lap 90 for pit stops. - The pitting discrepancy forced the No. 54 to restart the race in 5th. Iest quickly moved to fourth and was running there when the caution waved on lap 164.
- After the lengthy rain delay and lineup reshuffling due to the pitting error, Iest would restart third and come away with a fifth-place finish in his ARCA Menards Series East debut.
- Iest on New Smyrna: “It felt great to come to a new track with a new team and have speed right out of the box. After that initial start where the inside lane bottled up, I think we showed that we had one of the fastest long run cars here. I wish we could have gotten a long run to the finish, but a top-five to start our ARCA Menards Series East campaign with DGR is awesome. I can’t wait to get to Pensacola in a few weeks and build on this performance.”
Next event: Pensacola 200 at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida on February 27 at 6 p.m. ET.
Dale Earnhardt Legend, Legacy Explored in New ESPN E60 Documentary
One-Hour Special Airs 20 Years After NASCAR Star’s Fatal Crash in 2001 Daytona 500
Twenty years ago, the world of racing lost one of its biggest stars when Dale Earnhardt died during a crash on the last lap of the Daytona 500. In a new special, ESPN’s E60 will take viewers back to that fateful day to explore the legacy of Dale Earnhardt and the effect his loss has had on the sport of NASCAR, including safety improvements to cars and racetracks
E60 Presents – Intimidator: The Lasting Legacy of Dale Earnhardt will debut on Sunday, Feb. 14, at noon ET on ESPN, just hours before the 2021 Daytona 500 gets underway at Daytona International Speedway.
ESPN senior writer Ryan McGee, who has covered NASCAR for more than 25 years, is the reporter for the story.
In the program, McGee has a revealing interview with Dale Earnhardt, Jr., and the retired NASCAR star speaks openly about his father, what he remembers about that day 20 years ago, and how safety in the sport has evolved.
In addition to Earnhardt Jr., among those interviewed for the story:
· Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson.
· NASCAR driver Ryan Newman, who survived a spectacular crash in last year’s Daytona 500.
· Former NASCAR driver Kyle Petty.
· Dr. Steve Bohannon, trauma physician who was one of the first to reach Earnhardt’s wrecked car.
· Mike Helton, NASCAR Vice Chairman, who announced Earnhardt’s death.
· Steve Phelps, NASCAR President.
· Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR Executive Vice President Chief Racing Development Officer.
· John Patalak – NASCAR Senior Director of Safety Engineering.
· Mike Massaro, former ESPN reporter who covered 2001 Daytona 500.
The multiplatform treatment will include a four-part series written by McGee for ESPN.com, beginning Tuesday and running on consecutive days through Friday.
Excerpts from the program will air on SportsCenter during the week and on Sunday morning, when McGee will be reporting from Daytona and will join the program. The Saturday edition of Outside the Lines on Feb. 13 will have a preview of the special as will the OTL on SportsCenter segments in the noon ET SportsCenter on Thursday and Friday.
McGee also will be a guest on the ESPN Daily Podcast on Friday, Feb. 12.
After the initial airing, the program will re-air multiple times on ESPN networks and will be available for on-demand viewing on the ESPN App.
The program was produced by Scott Cikowski, Jason Kostura and John Minton.
In addition to his work for ESPN.com, McGee is the co-host of Marty and McGee, which airs on SEC Network and ESPN Radio. He also co-authored Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s book Racing to the Finish in 2018.
