This Weekend in NASCAR – Daytona Storylines

This weekend sees the unofficial halfway point of the season with NASCAR’s top two national series in night races at Daytona International Speedway. The NASCAR XFINITY Series will contest the Subway Firecracker 250 on Saturday night and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with the Coke Zerp 400 Powered by Coca-Cola on Sunday night (it’s a long weekend in the U.S.)

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is back on track July 9 for a Thursday night show at Kentucky Speedway.

This weekend’s storylines follow…

NBC You On Sunday: NASCAR Debuts On NBC With The Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series makes its triumphant return to NBC on Sunday, July 5 with the broadcast of the Coke Zero 400 presented by Coca-Cola.

Coverage starts with the pre-race show at 7 p.m. ET and the race broadcast begins at 7:45 p.m. ET.

Rick Allen (play-by-play), 21-time NSCS winner Jeff Burton (analyst) and Daytona 500-winning crew chief Steve Letarte (analyst) will commentate from the booth, while Dave Burns, Mike Massaro, Marty Snider and Kelli Stavast will report from pit road.

Krista Voda will host the pre-race show with NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Jarrett and eight-time NSCS winner Kyle Petty providing analysis.

How Sweep It Is: Logano Looks To Follow-Up Daytona 500 Win With A Summer Checkered

Sweep dreams.

That’s what Joey Logano will be hoping for this weekend when he tries to become just the sixth driver to sweep the Daytona 500 and the Daytona July race in the same season.

The five drivers to accomplish the feat are Jimmie Johnson (2013), Bobby Allison (1982), LeeRoy Yarborough (1969), Cale Yarborough (1968) and Fireball Roberts (1962).

Daytona Denouement: Gordon To Make Final Start At NASCAR’s Most Famous Track

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series visits its first repeat track of the season this Sunday for the Coke Zero 400 powered by Coca-Cola at Daytona International Speedway.

Now, the Jeff Gordon farewell tour truly begins as he makes his final start at NASCAR’s most famous track.

Gordon leads active drivers with six wins, 13 top fives, 20 top 10s, four Coors Light Pole Awards and 710 laps led at Daytona.

Gordon’s first Daytona win came 20 years ago on July 1, 1995. That season, he captured his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship.

Rowdy Revival: Kyle Busch Lands In Chase Contention With Sonoma Win

A mere four months have passed since Kyle Busch broke his leg and foot in a NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Daytona International Speedway.

And he already has a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win.

Busch passed Jimmie Johnson for the lead on Lap 106 of 110 and held off his brother Kurt Busch for the checkered flag. The 1-2 finish was the first ever by the Busch brothers.

With the win, Busch is one step closer to a Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup bid. Now, he needs to make his way into the top 30 in driver points at the conclusion of the Sept. 12 race at Richmond International Raceway. Currently 37th in driver points, Busch has 10 races left to close 30th-place Cole Whitt’s 136-point advantage. To eliminate the deficit by the start of the Chase, Busch needs to post an average finish around 14.0 the rest of the regular season. Since his rookie year of 2005, Busch has scored an average finish of 14th or better over the final 10 races of the regular season seven times.

On Sunday, the No. 18 Toyota driver returns to DIS for the first time since his February accident. Busch won the summer event at Daytona in 2008. He finished 28th in this race last season due to a wreck.

Daytona International Speedway … Where The Wild Cards Are

With only 10 races and five spots left in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, winless drivers are running out of time, and opportunities, to punch their tickets to NASCAR’s playoffs.

They get their next chance at the prestigious Daytona International Speedway in Sunday’s Coke Zero 400 powered by Coca-Cola.

Eight drivers still searching for Chase bids have previously visited Victory Lane at “The World Center of Racing,” including Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Trevor Bayne, David Ragan, Jamie McMurray, Ryan Newman, Aric Almirola and Greg Biffle.

Florida’s Finest: Almirola Aims For Coke Zero 400 Repeat

Last season, 30 years after Richard Petty won his 200th race, Aric Almirola piloted the famed Richard Petty Motorsports No. 43 car to Victory Lane for the first win and Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup bid of his career.

Following the race, Almirola said: “It’s real special for me to win here. This is not only the 30th anniversary of this team’s last win at Daytona, it is my hometown and I remember growing up watching Daytona 500s and Firecracker 400s here. To win is real special.”

Almirola’s victory also marked the first by the No. 43 car since John Andretti won at Martinsville Speedway in 1999.

Currently, Almirola sits four points behind Ryan Newman for the final spot on the Chase Grid, but can clinch a berth in NASCAR’s playoffs with a repeat July Daytona win in Sunday’s Coke Zero 400 powered by Coca-Cola.

Tony Stewart (2005-06) is the last driver to win consecutive July Daytona races.

Smoke Signals At Daytona?

NASCAR fans have been waiting for Tony Stewart to contend for a victory all season.

Will this be the weekend they finally see smoke signals?

Stewart boasts four victories at Daytona International Speedway – all in July – and is the active leader in laps led in the July Daytona race (369).

With his experience and the unpredictable nature of the 2.5-mile track, DIS could be the place his gets his first win since 2013 at Dover.

Currently 26th in points, Stewart needs a checkered flag to clinch a spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Etc.

Martin Truex Jr. will make his 350th career start on Sunday. … Dale Earnhardt Jr. will attempt to win his second consecutive restrictor plate race after taking the checkered flag at Talladega in April.

History Lesson: Daytona, The Home Of The Pearson Slingshot

If you’ve ever wondered why David Pearson was nicknamed the “Silver Fox,” just watch the end of the 1974 Firecracker 400.

Pearson, who won 105 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races, was always fast, but it was strategy and guile that made him near impossible to beat. And nowhere was that more evident than at Daytona International Speedway, where the key to winning was the unstoppable “slingshot” move.

The 16th edition of the Fourth of July classic saw familiar names up front throughout the race – there was Pearson and “The King” Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough and Buddy Baker. As the laps ticked off, the race came down to Pearson and Petty, as races tended to do in that era.

All seemed normal as Pearson grabbed the white flag, signifying the final lap of the race. Suddenly, coming out of the tri-oval, Pearson dropped down to the bottom of the track and Petty went speeding by into the lead.

Even the MRN announcers didn’t know what was happening, exclaiming, “whether it’s a just a maneuver on David’s part or whether he has problems, we’ll know in a minute!”

Turns out it was the former.

Pearson knew he was a sitting duck with Petty just car lengths behind him, so he ‘flipped the script.’ By allowing Petty to pass him, Pearson put himself in the right position for a race-winning slingshot move. And true to his champion form, it was executed perfectly coming out of Turn 4 for a “Silver Fox” victory by no more than 10 feet.

Crew Chief Swap Is Expected To Turn Season Around For RCR

Starting this weekend at Daytona International Speedway, the crew chiefs for Richard Childress Racing’s No. 3 and 33 cars will look a little different. That’s because they have been switched; a good old fashioned swap. Now Danny Stockman Jr. will lead the No. 33 Chevrolet team with driver Austin Dillon, and Nick Harrison will now serve as crew chief for the No. 3 team with driver Ty Dillon.

“Like many teams this time of year, we are making some mid-season personnel changes to improve the overall performance of our teams this season,” said Richard Childress.

Danny Stockman Jr. had spent the last four years guiding the No. 3 team, leading both Austin and Ty Dillon during that time. Stockman and the Dillon Brothers have won three series races and have posted 38 top fives and 82 top 10s in the No. 3.

Stockman joins a No. 33 team that’s third in the NASCAR XFINITY Series car owner standings with 503 points, just 55 back from standings leader Roger Penske and his No. 22 Ford team. Look for the No. 33 team to contend this weekend for the win. Austin Dillon has made five series starts at Daytona posting four top fives and an average finish of 7.8.

Crew chief Nick Harrison turns his attention to the No. 3 team that has driver Ty Dillon second in the standings, 29 points behind leader Chris Buescher. Harrison had worked with the No. 33 team since 2013. In that time, he posted three series wins.

This isn’t the first time Ty Dillon has worked with Harrison. The two were paired together in two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races last season. Harrison and Dillon will look to build on Dillon’s season-opening third-place finish at Daytona earlier this season.

Roush Fenway Racing Returns To Daytona To Win

Daytona is known for its spectacular finishes and this past February was nothing short of impressive when Roush Fenway Racing’s Ryan Reed and Chris Buescher finished 1-2 to kick off the 2015 season. Now some 14 races later the Roush Fenway brigade heads back to the sunny sands of Daytona to defend their win and score some records.

Reed has the opportunity to become the fourth driver in series history to win consecutive races at Daytona joining Darrell Waltrip (1983, ‘84), Dale Earnhardt (1990, ’91, ’92, ’93 and ’94) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2003 sweep and season opener of 2004).

Reed can also become just the second driver in series history to sweep both NASCAR XFINITY Series races in the same season joining Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2003 sweep). Daytona started running two series races in 2002.

Reed is currently ninth in the standings, 118 points behind Buescher, who boasts the standings lead. Reed has made three series starts at Daytona posting one win (2015), two top fives and an average finish of 7.7 (his career-best track).

Standings leader Chris Buescher is having a career-defining season. In 14 starts, he has posted two wins and a series-leading eight top-five finishes. He is 29 points ahead of second-place Ty Dillon and 43 points ahead of third-place Chase Elliott.

Unfortunately for Buescher’s competitors, he’s good at Daytona too. In two starts at the 2.5-mile facility Buescher has an average finish of 7.0; including his runner-up finish in the season opener earlier this year.

“We know we have a good superspeedway program at Roush Fenway,” Buescher said. “I just need to try to position myself in a good spot at the end of the race to get a win.”

Florida Drivers Embrace The High Banks Of Daytona

Welcome to the Sunshine State.

Florida is known for many things like warm weather, long sandy beaches and some of the best racing NASCAR has to offer. This weekend, local Florida fans will get the chance to cheer for four drivers in the Subway Firecracker 250 who share their home state: Blake Koch (W. Palm Beach), Scott Lagasse Jr. (St. Augustine), Ross Chastain (Alva) and Aric Almirola (Tampa).

Aric Almirola hails from the west coast of Florida in the Tampa Bay area and has participated in six series events this season, posting three top 10s and an average finish of 11.7. Almirola won the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Daytona last July for Richard Petty Motorsports and since has been on everyone’s radar when the series comes to the 2.5-mile speedway. Almirola will look to capitalize in the No. 98 Ford this weekend on his seventh-place finish in the series’ season opener in February.

Driver of the No. 4 Chevrolet, Ross Chastain, calls Alva – a small city near the Fort Myers / Naples area with a population of just over 2000 – his hometown. A 2015 Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate, Chastain, is having a good start to his season. He is currently third in the rookie of the year standings and 15th in the XFINITY Series driver standings. In 14 races this season, he has posted one top-10 finish – his ninth-place finish in the season opener at Daytona. Chastain has made two series starts at Daytona in his career, posting an average finish of 19.0.

Blake Koch from W. Palm Beach will be in the No. 8 Toyota this weekend at Daytona for TriStar Motorsports. Koch has made 14 starts this season posting two top 20s and an average finish of 25.4. Koch has made six series starts at Daytona, posting an average finish of 24.0.

Scott Lagasse Jr. from St. Augustine will be in the No. 15 Chevrolet this weekend at Daytona. Lagasse has just one other start this season – Daytona back in February. Lagasse started 22nd but finished 37th due to accident.

Daytona Draws A Host Of Sprint Cup Motorists

Each week several of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers will participate in the NASCAR XFINITY Series logging extra laps and raising the level of competition. This week is no different, except it’s Daytona. Five NSCS championship-contending drivers are entered to compete this weekend: David Ragan, Joey Logano, Austin Dillon, Kasey Kahne and Aric Almirola.

David Ragan will be one to watch this weekend, as he will be in the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 Toyota. Ragan has had mediocre success in the NASCAR XFINITY Series at Daytona; in eight starts he has four top 10s. But Ragan has won at Daytona in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (July, 2011).

When it comes to how dominant Joey Logano has been this season, he’s as close to a guaranteed win as anyone has ever been in the series. In his six starts this season, Logano has three victories (Phoenix, Bristol and Talladega), five top fives, six top 10s and an average finish of 2.3.

Yes, 2.3.

He has also led 54% (629 laps led) of his total laps completed (1,151 laps). Logano has made 10 series starts at Daytona posting one win (July, 2011), seven top 10s and an average finish of 8.2.

Kasey Kahne returns to the series in the No. 88 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports. Kahne is the defending winner of the Subway Firecracker 250. He started 13th and drove to victory with the help of his JR Motorsports teammate Regan Smith pushing him to the lead last season. Kahne has made 19 series starts at Daytona posting one win (2014), three top fives and nine top 10s.

Austin Dillon will be in the No. 33 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing and Aric Almirola will be in the No. 98 Ford for Biagi DenBeste Racing. Both are looking for their first series win at Daytona.

Erik Jones Is Back In the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 54 For Daytona
When it comes to hot prospects in NASCAR, none are scorching the temperature gauge more than Erik Jones at the moment.

The last time the young 19-year old Jones was behind the wheel, he won, sweeping two NASCAR national series events in the same weekend (NCWTS at Iowa and NXS at Chicago).

This weekend he is back in the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 54 Toyota to make his 14th start of the season. In his previous 13 races he has posted two wins (Texas and Chicago), seven top fives, eight top 10s, three poles and an average finish of 10.4.

While expectations are high for Jones, and rightfully so based on his recent performance, his early accomplishments haven’t translated to restrictor-plate racing. In his two starts on restrictor-plate tracks this season he has finished 18th at Daytona and 30th at Talladega.

Though Jones can expect a nice piece to drive come Saturday, the No. 54 JGR team has posted two wins, six top fives and an average finish of 11.6 this season.

NASCAR XFINITY Series Etc.:

NASCAR XFINITY Series Welcomes NBC Sports Network: For the first time in NASCAR history the NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Daytona International Speedway will be broadcast on the NBC Sports Network. On Wednesday, July 1 the NBC Sports Group will hold a media teleconference to preview the launch of its 10-year chapter as a home for NASCAR. The teleconference is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. ET. NBC will broadcast the final 19 NXS events of the season; for more information about the teleconference check out NASCARMedia.com. … Series Milestones: J.J. Yeley will attempt to post his 200th career NASCAR XFINITY Series start this weekend. Yeley will be driving the No. 28 Toyota. … This weekend Joey Logano will attempt to become the 16th driver in series history to post 75 top-five finishes. …

July Driver Birthdays: Several of the drivers competing this weekend have birthdays in the month of July: Brendan Gaughan (7/10/75), Dakoda Armstrong (7/16/91), Harrison Rhodes (7/15/93), and Bobby Gerhart (7/21/58).