DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- It's become an all-too familiar pattern for Jimmie Johnson during Speedweeks 2018: Standing outside the Florida Hospital Infield Care Center, waiting to talk to the media.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Aric Almirola, first race with a new team, just had to play the blocking game for 2.5 miles and he would have his name etched onto the Harley J. Earl Trophy. Well he did for a mile and a quarter and wound up hooked into the wall by Austin Dillon, who drove his No. 3 Chevrolet to victory in the Daytona 500, 17 years to the day after Dale Earnhardt was killed on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500.
Standing outside the infield care center at Daytona International Speedway, the consummate professional Jimmie Johnson maintained a stoic composure as he told Jamie Little of FOX Sports the events, from his point of view, that led him to wrecking out of his seventh consecutive Advance Auto Parts Clash.
Drenched in beer and sporting sunglasses that complemented his swagger, Brad Keselowski celebrated going from last to first and winning the Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona International Speedway. Especially after he confidently said on Twitter earlier in the day "I believe that we will win."
Shaking with joy as he climbed out of his car, Alex Bowman shook hands with and hugged team owner Rick Hendrick after winning the pole in the same race he failed to qualify for three years earlier.
William Byron topped the chart in second Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at Daytona International Speedway. The driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet with a time of 44.625 and a speed of 201.681 mph.
Erik Jones topped the chart in first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at Daytona International Speedway. The driver of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota was the fastest with a time of 45.058 and a speed of 199.743 mph.
Ryan Blaney topped the chart in final Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice for the Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona International Speedway. The driver of the No. 12 Team Penske Ford was the fastest with a time of 45.090 and a speed of 199.601 mph.
The No. 72 Chevrolet will compete with collective efforts of two drivers. TriStar welcomes the return of Cole Whitt and proudly announces the addition of Corey LaJoie to the driver lineup. Corey LaJoie will fill the seat of the No. 72 for the majority of the schedule including the season opener at Daytona International Speedway.
Stating the obvious, Daytona Speedweeks is the biggest time of year for NASCAR. It's every driver's, crew member's, media member's, and die-hard fan's birthday, Christmas, and July 4th all rolled into a couple of weeks of speed. It's huge, it's prestigious, man...it's Daytona. What more needs to be said other than that it is a big deal?
