Canadians J.R. Fitzpatrick and Derek White Look To Impress at Daytona
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[/media-credit]Canadians J.R. Fitzpatrick and Derek White have both have success in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series (NCTS), and are now going south to Daytona International Speedway for the Camping World Truck Series season opener.
Fitzpatrick announced that he had struck a deal with Turn One Racing to compete with them full-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2012. The 2006 CASCAR Super Series Champion will drive the No. 60 Chevrolet, replacing Cole Whitt. Last year, Whitt finished ninth in the series standings and will move up this year to compete with JR Motorsports in the Nationwide Series.
“I am so pumped to be getting this chance to race with Turn One Racing,” Fitzpatrick said. “I love the Truck Series and the guys here seem really cool so it feels like a good place for me to be right now. The fact that I get a chance to put an entire season together in the same series and with the same group is really going to help my NASCAR career.”
Fitzpatrick has competed in the truck series before, driving for Kevin Harvick Incorporated. At Daytona in 2009, the 23-year-old drove the truck home to a fourth place finish.
“I have had good runs before,” the Cambridge, Ontario native said. “I actually led the most laps and finished fourth in my first Daytona start and I also have some top-fives in the Nationwide Series, but for me to be able to go to the track every week is going to be huge.”
Fitzpatrick made seven Nationwide Series starts last season, scoring a fifth place finish on the Montreal road course.
“We are really looking forward to working with J.R., his management team and sponsors,” team owner Stacey Compton said. “J.R. is a proven talent that has only gotten a few opportunities to race in NASCAR. We are excited to put a program together for him that will allow him to showcase his talents here in the states. Although we are still working to finalize sponsorship for a handful of races, we hope to have those details ironed out in the coming weeks.”
Meanwhile, White will team up with Hackett Racing to drive the No. 76 Warrior Gaming Associates Ford in the NextEra Energy Resources 250.
“It’s been great to work with the team and my Crew Chief Kevin Eagle,” White said. “I got to know everyone at Hackett Racing last year and they’ve all worked really hard to get ready for this race.”
This will mark the first start at Daytona for the winner of the 2010 NCTS Rookie of the Year award.
“This is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time,” the Kahnawake, Quebec resident said. “When I hit the track for practice I’ll be smiling, but I’ll also be 100 percent focused on the job of getting ready for qualifying to make the race.”
Last season, White ran a limited schedule, scoring a career best of seventh after starting 21st at Trois Rivieres. This season, White is fielding a full-time ride for Steve Cote, while running some races himself.
The Wait is Over — News from Daytona
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[/media-credit]Most years in February, I’m heading down to Daytona Beach for the opening of the NASCAR season. The last few years, I’ve stayed home for any number of reasons, but mostly because it’s inconvenient for me. I prefer to let someone else cover the opening race while I get ready for my first race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Usually, outside of the new teams and the constant pledges of new starts, little really newsworthy goes on. This year was different.
After the longer than usual off-season, Daytona has been buzzing with news. After months of no news, no TV, and little on radio, even on Sirius-XM’s NASCAR channel, it’s been non-stop interviews on all the air. First was media day with each manufacturer and each team getting interviewed by nearly everyone, and then it was the hype about the Budweiser Shootout. I think it was seven straight times that I heard from Jeff Gordon during that time, but there was some real interesting developments.
It started in earnest with the Shootout. We learned that next year, the exhibition race that started with the pole-winners of the past season and had been changed over the last four or five years to include anyone (almost) who ever raced at Daytona was going to go back to the old format. In 2013, the race will be for Coors Light pole winners and past winners of the race provided that they attempted to qualify for at least one Sprint Cup race in 2012. The interesting part is that the news release does not mention Budweiser anywhere despite the fact that InBev, the corporation that owns the Budweiser brand has a contract to sponsor the race for at least three more years. Stay tuned.
Next came the fantastic Shootout that saw a multitude of bent sheet metal and a killer finish. The car control shown by Kyle Busch was worth the price of admission for those attending and the time for those of us watching on our big screens. It looked like every competitor was having fun despite the carnage and getting along. Fox Sports was rewarded with a great rating and everything seemed to on the upswing. But earlier in Daytona 500 practice, it was revealed that there was another rules infraction and it involved a very familiar team and crew chief.
Once again, it was the No. 48 team piloted by Jimmie Johnson and supervised by Chad Knaus. NASCAR found that the C-pillars on the Lowes Chevrolet were out of compliance and made the team repair the car before they could qualify for the 500. NASCAR assured everyone that this would be dealt with—after the Great American Race. Why? Because it was discovered before practice or qualifying. So Johnson was allowed to qualify with a legal car. Punishment would come later. Johnson’s qualifying day wasn’t so good, but Knaus was still on the job, even though this has become a pattern for this team. The last time it happened was 2006 when Knaus was escorted from the track, but that was after qualifying. It should be interesting to see what penalty he gets. Even though Jeff Gordon is the supposed owner of the team, Rick Hendrick is in fact the owner and he is in denial. He revealed that this was the same car that was raced at Talladega last year when in the intercepted radio transmission between Johnson and Knaus created a stir. To refresh your memory, Knaus told Johnson to spin out and damage the rear of the car if he won. Fishy. You can bet that there will be an appeal, so we’ll see Knaus on the pit box for a while until the appeal is heard.
The Red Bull team that closed last year finally found owners. BK racing is the new Toyota team. Its owner are Cup veterans Wayne Press, Scott Gunderson, and others. The drivers include David Reutimann and Landon Cassill. Travis Kvapil will race at Phoenix in one of the cars and they will carry the familiar No. 83 and the new No. 93. No mention of Brian Vickers anywhere. Vickers says he will be back and he is trying to find sponsors. Good luck, Brian.
So, after the news, we will be looking forward to the qualifying races for the 500. Fords dominated the qualifying, so a strong contingent of Fusions will be starting up front in both races. Also starting up front will be the favorite son, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Will this be the year? The Shootout gave the faithful some hope. I found it interesting that while Fords dominated qualifying, it was the usual suspects—Gordon, Stewart, Earnhardt, Busch, and others—who looked strong in the race. We didn’t see much from the fast Fords. I’m ready to go racing. Just remember that Trevor Bayne qualified ninth. Could lightning strike again? You just never know.
NOTES FROM THE NASCAR NATION: THE GATORADE DUELS ARE COMPLICATED BUT EXCITING
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[/media-credit]Once a year the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series presents the Gatorade Duels, their unique heat race format that will determine the final line up for Sunday’s Daytona 500. The format for making the 500 is a little complicated but, traditionally, these Gatorade Duels are also very exciting. They also provide crew chiefs, and even the fans, some strong clues regarding what to expect on Sunday.
At your local Saturday short tracks, the teams make a qualifying run to earn a position in a heat race. The finish they earn from the heat race determines their starting positions in the main event feature. Fail to make the cut and a team loads up early for the long trip home.
Simply put, Thursday’s Gatorade Duels are the NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series’ version of heat races. However, the major difference here is the fact that the Duels are on a much higher level. For some of the Sprint Cup teams they are the golden transfer ticket to the highly lucrative Daytona 500.
On the topic of lucrative, the Gatorade Duels 150, 60 laps/150 miles around Daytona’s 2.5 mile oval, paid the 2011 winners, Kurt Busch and Jeff Burton, $56,700 plus each. Last Year’s Daytona 500 winner, Trevor Bayne, earned $1.4 million plus. The driver that finished 43d in last year’s race, J J Yeley, earned $268,000 plus after only completing ten laps of the event.
While the Gatorade Duels are a major factor in determining a driver’s starting position for the 500, there are other elements involved in this process that makes the final starting order for Sunday’s race seem complicated and, in the cases of some teams, extremely dramatic.
First off positions one and two are already locked in via last Sunday’s qualifying session. Roush Fenway Racing drivers Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle will lead the field from the front row on Sunday. However, the Daytona 500 rules state that they still have to race in the Gatorade Duels. This is a golden opportunity for these two teams to test their primary cars for the Daytona 500 under bonafide racing conditions. However, they will also have to be careful to protect their primary rides. Any unforeseen racing incident that forces the teams to revert to the use of a back up car will find them starting the Daytona 500 from the rear of the field.
Positions three through 39 offers both unique and dramatic elements to the Daytona 500 starting field. First off, all teams within the top 35 of NASCAR’s 2011 owner’s points rankings are guaranteed a start in the great American race. In recent years there has been a lot of back and forth debate over the need for this policy. Proponents claim it’s a reward for team consistency and a major boon for signing and keeping sponsors. Opponents claim that racing should be based on performance levels and there should be no guarantees to making the starting field of a NASCAR Sprint Cup event. But as long as this policy remains in effect, the top 35 in owner’s points still stands as the ultimate golden transfer ticket to the Daytona 500.
Positions 36 through 39 has the potential for a massive amount of drama. These four positions are reserved for two highest finishing positions, from both Gatorade Duels, by teams who are currently outside of the top 35 in owner’s points. We all vividly remember last year’s Duel race when Brad Keselowski, locked into the starting field, literally pushed the underfunded team owned by his brother, Brian Keselowski, into a transfer spot that allowed him to race in the Daytona 500 . That’s an example of how dramatic a Gatorade duel can be.
Positions 40 through 42 are reserved for the three drivers, outside of the top 35 in owner’s points, who set the fastest times in last Sunday’s qualifying session. This trio includes defending Daytona 500 champion Trevor Bayne along with Tony Raines and David Stremme.
The 43d, and final, starting position is reserved for the past champion’s provisional. This year’s Daytona 500 has two previous NASCAR Sprint Cup champions on the entry list: Terry Labonte and Bill Elliott. Because Labonte is the most recent champion of the pair of drivers, he will have first shot at using the provisional for Sunday’s race.
Standing on the outside, with hopes are getting in, are a group of ten drivers who will be hoping to race their way into the Daytona 500 via a transfer spot. That group includes Bill Elliott, Michael Waltrip, Michael McDowell, Mike Wallace, Robby Gordon, Kenny Wallace, Dave Blaney, Joe Nemechek, Robert Richardson Jr and J J Yeley.
As a team owner, Waltrip has three entries in the Daytona 500 under the banner of Michael Waltrip Racing. He made a last minute deal with car owner Mike Hillman to drive in this year’s race. A former Daytona 500 champion, restrictor plate racing is Waltrip’s strong suite. From this group of ten drivers hoping to land a transfer spot on Thursday, Waltrip is the most likely to get the job done.
Also in an interesting position is former NASCAR champion Bill Elliott. If Terry Labonte races his way to a transfer spot in his Gatorade Duel event, then he will not have to use the past champion’s provisional. That means Elliott would be guaranteed a start in the 500.
The one driver, outside of the top 35 in owner’s points, that will really be scrutinized on Thursday will be Kenny Wallace. It appears that this driver has three different scenarios that could possibly place him in the Daytona 500 starting line up. The first one is obvious: he can race his way into the 500 by earning a transfer spot from his Gatorade Duel event.
A helping hand from either Trevor Bayne, Tony Raines or David Stremme could also have Wallace racing on Sunday. Again, these are the three fastest drivers, outside of the top 35 in owner’s points, who locked themselves into the Daytona 500 based on their qualifying speeds last Sunday. Wallace is fourth on that qualifying sheet. If anyone of those three drivers earns a transfer spot from the Gatorade Duels then Wallace would inherit their previously established qualifying provisional. Among that trio of drivers, Trevor Bayne is the most likely to race his way into a Gatorade Duel transfer spot. His Wood Brothers Ford was extremely strong both in the recently held practice and qualifying sessions.
Kenny Wallace’s third option would require some help from NASCAR champions Terry Labonte and Bill Elliot. If both of these drivers earn a transfer spot from the Gatorade Duels, then they will not need the past champion’s provisional available to them. That means the 43d starting position will go to Wallace.
There are 43 starting positions available for Sunday’s Daytona 500. There are 49 teams entered that will be hoping to race on Sunday. The Gatorade Duels, and the possible scenarios attached to them, makes the process of establishing the starting field for the 54th annual Daytona 500 seemingly complicated yet very exciting. We will have the final answers on Thursday. You can catch all of the drama of the Gatorade Duel 150’s on the SPEED Channel beginning at 2 pm eastern time.
