This weekend the season officially begins as all three series head to Daytona International Speedway. The NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series races Friday evening and the Xfinity Series takes the stage Saturday afternoon.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. set the pace at Daytona International Speedway Sunday afternoon, earning the pole for the Daytona 500 with a 194.582 mph lap in the No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet.
Following Sunday's Daytona 500, Joey Logano and Michael McDowell had a brief exchange on pit road where Logano explained that he believed that had the two linked up, Ford driver to fellow Ford driver, they could have contended for the win instead of Logano finishing fourth and McDowell finishing fifth.
It doesn't seem like that long ago where suspense was the name of the game in terms of the Daytona 500. Looking back at the 1998 Daytona 500 where Dale Earnhardt was leading late in the going, the CBS booth's tense commentary as the laps wound down was nothing short of memorable as the fans were on the edge of their seats watching Earnhardt, Bobby Labonte, Jeremy Mayfield, and Rusty Wallace all slice and dice for position while trying to oust that black No. 3.
In a race that featured two big wrecks, two Red Flags and a long winless streak broken, Denny Hamlin won the 61st Daytona 500 for the second time in his 15 year career and 32nd time he has found victory lane.
Daytona Beach, FL - Kyle Busch led the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series third practice Friday at Daytona International Speedway with a lap time of 44.936, just over 200 at 200.285 mph.
