Two of NASCAR’s three national series are in action this weekend, with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and XFINITY Series at Daytona International Speedway. The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is off until July 7 at Kentucky Speedway. Weekend storylines follow… The Race: Coke Zero 400 powered by Coca-Cola The Place: Daytona International Speedway The Date: Saturday, July 2 The Time: 7:45 p.m. ET TV: NBC, 7 p.m. Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Distance: 400 miles (160 laps) Stewart Fires Up Win At Sonoma Even Smokey the Bear couldn’t have prevented the fire performance Tony Stewart produced in Sunday’s Toyota / Save Mart 350. Stewart, who paced the field for 22 circuits, lost the lead to Denny Hamlin on the final lap, but moved him off the 11th turn to win his first race since June 2, 2013 at Dover – 110 events ago. The triumph marked Stewart’s first win in 84 starts. Now with 49 career wins, Stewart will attempt to notch his milestone 50th victory – arguably NASCAR’s equivalent to 3,000 hits or 500 home runs – in Saturday’s Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola at Daytona International Speedway. The three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion’s four Daytona wins are tied with Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s title for the most among active drivers. All of Stewart’s Daytona victories have come in its summer race. His 369 laps led in July at Daytona are the most by an active driver. Importantly for Stewart, who’s in his final season, the Sonoma win assures he can make a run at his fourth NASCAR Sprint Cup Series title. Right now, he is only nine points behind 30th-place Brian Scott in the series standings, the minimum position to make the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Kyle Busch made the Chase last season – and won the championship – after facing a 136-point deficit to 30th following his first win of the year at Sonoma. There is the chance Stewart could race for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series title in his final race – the Championship 4 at Homestead – like Jeff Gordon did last year. Coincidentally … or not … Stewart’s 2016 season currently parallels his 2011 championship campaign. He’s competed in races nine through 16 this season, recording an average finish of 17.125. In races nine through 16 in 2011, he logged the same exact average finish. The only difference between the two stretches is 2011 included Darlington, while 2016 contained Talladega instead. A 50th win would tie Stewart with NASCAR Hall of Famers Junior Johnson and Ned Jarrett for 11th on the all-time list. Every eligible driver with as many wins as Stewart is in the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Earnhardt Eyes First Win Of Season At One Of His Top Tracks Only one of the 11 active drivers who visited Victory Lane last year has yet to win so far in 2016 – Dale Earnhardt Jr. The restrictor-plate ace – and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series leader in runner-ups, with four – gets his next best shot at a win in Saturday’s Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola at Daytona International Speedway. Earnhardt ranks tied with Tony Stewart for the active wins lead (4) at “The Birthplace of Speed.” On restrictor-plate tracks, Earnhardt boasts double the victories of the next-closest drivers – Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart, who both have five. Brad Keselowski, Jamie McMurray and Michael Waltrip each claim four restrictor-plate victories. The No. 88 Chevrolet driver also paces all active drivers in top fives (13), top 10s (19) and average finish (13.4) at Daytona (33 starts). He owns the second-best driver rating (95.3) and average running position (13.618). Right now, Earnhardt sits 12th on the Chase Grid, 39 points ahead of Ryan Blaney on the cutoff line. An Earnhardt win would give Hendrick Motorsports 14 victories at Daytona, tying it with Wood Brothers Racing for the most wins at Daytona. Earnhardt will be without his famed superspeedway car, “Amelia,” which he piloted to two victories in 2015 (Talladega-1, Daytona-2), along with a third (Daytona 500) and runner-up (Talladega-2). The 13-time most popular driver wrecked “Amelia” in this year’s Daytona 500 where he finished 36th and crashed her for good in the Talladega spring race where he placed 40th. Denny Hopes He Can’t Be Touched As He Vies For Daytona Sweep Following a slip-up on the final lap at Sonoma that allowed Tony Stewart to pass him for the win, 2016 Daytona 500 champion Denny Hamlin hopes his luck changes when he attempts to become the sixth driver to sweep the races at “The World Center of Racing.” The five drivers who have achieved the feat are Jimmie Johnson (2013), Bobby Allison (1982), LeeRoy Yarborough (1969), Cale Yarborough (1968) and Fireball Roberts (1962). In 21 starts at Daytona, Hamlin owns one win, six top fives and seven top 10s. Among active drivers, he ranks third in Daytona driver rating (91.5) and fourth in average running position (14.4). He has finished sixth or better in his last five races at the 2.5-mile track. (Hint, hint… pick Hamlin if you play fantasy NASCAR) Daytona Has Had Some Close Margins Of Victory Denny Hamlin’s win over second-place Martin Truex Jr. in this year’s Daytona 500 (.010 seconds) was the closest margin victory in the race’s history and tied for the seventh-closest margin of victory in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series record books since the advent of electronic scoring in 1993. Overall, it was the third-closest finish in Daytona International Speedway behind the 2007 Daytona summer race (Jamie McMurray over Kyle Busch, .005, tied for third all-time) and the 1994 Daytona summer race (Jimmy Spencer over Ernie Irvan, .008, sixth all-time). Almirola Attempts To Bring Home The Bacon At Daytona For Second Time Daytona is known as a place for producing first-time winners, many of whom are surprises. One of these first-time surprise winner was Richard Petty Motorsports’ Aric Almirola. The No. 43 Ford driver won the rain-shortened 2014 Coke Zero 400 – 30 years to the day team owner Richard Petty won his 200th race. The victory also got Almirola into his first Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, an event he wouldn’t have made on points. Almirola, currently 25th on the Chase Grid (107 points behind the cutoff line) needs a win again to get into the Chase. Other past Daytona winners who need a win to get into or solidify a spot in the Chase include: Jamie McMurray, Trevor Bayne, Greg Biffle, Ryan Newman and David Ragan. Keselowski Attempts To Add Daytona To His Hefty Restrictor-Plate Wins List Brad Keselowski has exhibited restrictor-plate prowess at Talladega with four victories – tied with four drivers for the fourth-highest total at the 2.66-mile behemoth. Despite his success at Talladega, Keselowski has still never won at Daytona. His best finish was third-place showing in the 2014 Daytona 500. Keselowski snapped his six-race top-10 streak by finishing 15th at Sonoma. Kurt Busch Extends Top-10 Streak Kurt Busch extended his top-10 streak to 10 straight races, become the second driver in as many seasons to do so. Joey Logano boasted a string of 11 straight top 10s last season. Busch’s consistency puts him second in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points rankings, 35 markers behind his Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Kevin Harvick. Busch will try to earn his first restrictor-plate track victory in Saturday’s Coke Zero 400 Presented By Coca-Cola at Daytona International Speedway. NASCAR To Honor Victims Of Orlando Tragedy Following the recent attack in the Orlando community, NASCAR has shared plans to remember the victims of this tragedy during the race weekend at Daytona International Speedway. An #ORLANDOUNITED decal will be placed on the A-Post of all cars in the NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Etc. Montgomery Gentry, Jaguars Linebacker Telvin Smith Headline Daytona Pre-Race Festivities – Montgomery Gentry, the multi-platinum country music duo comprised of Eddie Montgomery and Troy Gentry, will perform a 60-minute pre-race concert prior to Saturday’s Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola. The country music duo has released 11 albums, three of which have gone platinum: Tattoos & Scars, My Town and You Do Your Thing. Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Telvin Smith will serve as the race’s honorary pace car driver. A former Florida State standout, Smith owns the NFL’s longest active streak of 16 straight games with six-plus tackles. … ADWEEK Names Lesa France Kennedy And Danica Patrick To Its 30 Most Powerful Women In Sports – International Speedway Corporation CEO and Vice Chairperson of NASCAR Lesa France Kennedy and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Danica Patrick were named to ADWEEK’s inaugural 30 Most Powerful Women in Sports list. Kennedy spearheaded the $400 million Daytona Rising Project that upgraded Daytona International Speedway into the world’s first motorsports stadium with a series of upgrades designed to revolutionize the fan experience. “Being chosen along with such an incredible group of women is testament to the relevancy and popularity of NASCAR and motorsports,” Kennedy said. “I’m particularly pleased to be joined by NASCAR driver Danica Patrick who is inspiring the next generation of women drivers and competitors. A profound thank you to the ADWEEK team.” … NBC To Air First NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Broadcast Of Season – The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series returns to NBC for the second straight season of NASCAR and NBC’s 10-year landmark broadcast agreement on Saturday, July 3 with the airing 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. The Race: Subway Firecracker 250 Powered By Coca-Cola The Place: Daytona International Speedway The Date: Friday, July 1 The Time: 7:30 p.m. ET TV: NBCSN, 7 p.m. ET Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Distance: 250 miles (100 laps) NASCAR XFINITY Series Salutes U.S. Military Units With Tribute At Daytona In a show of appreciation for the United States Armed Forces, NASCAR XFINITY Series drivers will bear the names of active military units and installations on their race car windshields during Friday’s Subway Firecracker 250 Powered By Coca-Cola at Daytona International Speedway (7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN) NASCAR: An American Salute™ (#NASCARSalutes) is the industry’s collective expression of reverence, respect and gratitude for those who have served and continue to defend the United States today. “NASCAR’s long-standing tradition of honoring the U.S. Armed Forces will never waver – it is woven into the fabric of our sport,” said Brent Dewar, NASCAR chief operating officer. “We have a unique opportunity with the NASCAR XFINITY Series to pay tribute to the military units and bases integral to preserving our country’s freedom.” 50th Running At Daytona Has XFINITY Series Excited To Return The World Center of Racing is nestled in Daytona Beach, Florida and the 2.5-miles of asphalt banked at 31 degrees in the turns welcomes the NASCAR XFINITY Series for the 50th series race at Daytona — the Subway Firecracker 250 Powered by Coca-Cola. The series has competed at Daytona International Speedway 49 times producing 36 different pole winners; led by Joe Nemechek with five. Also during those 49 races, the series has witnessed 25 different drivers enjoying the spoils of victory, led by Dale Earnhardt and Tony Stewart with seven wins each. With 14 races in the books this season, the series has seen 10 different winners and six different pole winners. Chase Elliott, the 2014 series champ, won the season-opener at Daytona, and will return to defend his win in the JR Motorsports No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro. The series started racing two events per season at Daytona in 2002, and since then only one driver has been able to sweep both races – Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2003. Elliott is looking to become the second driver in the series to sweep both races at Daytona this weekend, joining his car owner. Elliott has made five starts at Daytona, posting one win (2016 season opener), two top fives and an average finish of 13.4. Suárez Visits South Florida On His Way To Daytona Joe Gibbs Racing’s Daniel Suárez is garnering a lot of attention lately, and rightfully so. The Monterrey, Mexico, native not only leads the NASCAR XFINITY Series standings, but he also recently won his first career national series race, locking himself into the Chase. With all that is going for him, Suárez made time to visit with media in South Florida this week as he prepares for Daytona. Suárez’s recent accolades are impressive by any standard. He graduated from the NASCAR Drive for Diversity and NASCAR Next programs before winning NASCAR XFINITY Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors last season. A few weeks ago, he became the first Mexican-born driver to win a NASCAR national series race when he pulled into Victory Lane a Michigan International Speedway. Heading into Daytona this weekend, Suárez holds a 21-point lead over second-place Elliott Sadler and a 35-point advantage over third-place Ty Dillon in the series standings. In 14 starts this season, Suárez has posted one pole, one win, six top fives and 12 top 10s (tied with Sadler for series-most). In three starts at Daytona he has posted one pole and one top 10 – an eighth-place finish earlier this season. Sadler’s Restrictor-Plate Skills Could Bring Him Second Win Of the Season JR Motorsports’ Elliott Sadler currently sits second in the standings with a gap of 21 points between he and standings leader Daniel Suárez. Sadler can close that points gap this weekend with a win at Daytona. The JRM veteran captured his lone win this season at Daytona’s sister track, Talladega Superspeedway. Not to mention, his teammate Chase Elliott won at Daytona earlier this season, proving the JR Motorsports Chevrolet power plant has some steam. But it’s been Sadler’s skills in the draft that has his 14 starts at Daytona yielding five top fives and seven top 10s. His average finish at Daytona is 14.5 (fifth-best among active drivers). He finished runner-up in this event last season. Dillon Brothers Both Have A Chance At The Checkered Richard Childress Racing has the second-most series wins (six) at Daytona International Speedway, and this weekend the Dillon brothers look to add to the total. The elder of the two Dillon brothers, Austin, won this event last season by taking the lead with eight laps to go and never relinquishing it. This weekend, Austin can make it back-to-back July race victories as he will be wheeling the No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Camaro. It won’t be easy for Dillon to accomplish though; the last nine series July races at Daytona have seen nine different winners. Austin Dillon has made seven series starts at Daytona, posting two poles, one win (2015), six top fives and an average finish of 6.4 (series-best). The younger of the two Dillon brothers, Ty, currently sits third in the series standings – 35 points behind the series lead. Ty Dillon is hungry for his first win of the season; it’s been 61 races since his last victory (Indianapolis, 2014). In 14 starts this season, Dillon has posted five top fives and nine top 10s. He has made six starts at Daytona, posting one top five and two top 10s. Earlier this season at Daytona, Ty Dillon sat on the pole and ran in the top five for the majority of the race, but was shuffled back on the last restart. He ultimately finished 13th. NASCAR XFINITY Series Etc.: Former Champ Joe Nemechek Returns – Back in the saddle of the NEMCO Motorsports No. 87 Toyota Camry will sit 1992 series champion Joe Nemechek for his second start of the season. ‘Front Row’ Joe made his lone start in the series season-opener at Daytona, starting 28th and finishing 19th. Nemechek, a Lakeland, Florida native, has made 33 series starts at Daytona International Speedway, posting five poles (including three-straight), two wins (1998, 2002), four top fives, seven top 10s and an average finish of 20.9. … Doubling Their Duty – Five NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers will compete in the Subway Firecracker 250 Powered by Coca-Cola on Friday night – Austin Dillon, Joey Logano, Josh Wise, Aric Almirola and Chase Elliott. All, except Wise, have won at least one race in a NASCAR national series at Daytona. … NASCAR in Florida – A total of 360 NASCAR national series races have been run in the state of Florida (NSCS, 181; NXS, 74; NCWTS 39). The NASCAR XFINITY Series has held 74 races among three tracks in the state of Florida (Daytona International Speedway, 49; Homestead-Miami Speedway, 21; Volusia County Speedway, four). The first NASCAR XFINITY Series race held in the state of Florida was at Daytona International Speedway in 1982 and won by Dale Earnhardt (Pontiac). Florida Drivers In NASCAR – A total of 177 drivers who have made at least one start in a NASCAR national series race have their home state recorded as Florida. Of the 177 Florida drivers, 47 have competed in the NASCAR XFINITY Series. Of the 47 Florida drivers who have competed in the XFINITY Series, only four have won: Joe Nemechek (16), Rick Wilson (two), David Reutimann (one) and Aric Almirola (one). Almirola (Tampa), Nemechek (Lakeland), Ross Chastain (Alva), BJ McLeod (Wauchula), Ray Black Jr. (Palm Coast) and Blake Koch (West Palm Beach) are the six Florida natives entered this weekend at Daytona. Nemechek is the only Floridian to win in the NASCAR XFINITY Series at Daytona (1998, 2002). Off until July 7 at Kentucky Speedway. source – NASCAR communications
