Showing posts with label Inside Daytona. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Inside Daytona. Show all posts
Thanks to a fifth-place finish by Ryan Blaney on Saturday, a rookie has finished in the top-5 in four of the last five races (Richmond being the only exception). It was Blaney's first top-5 finish to go along with four top-10's for the Wood Brothers this season, while fellow rookie Chase Elliott has more top-10 finishes (seven) than any other Hendrick driver, in addition to three top-5's.
Daytona's new motorsports stadium will get a "fresh coat of paint" with Axalta Coating Systems coming in as the fifth and final founding partner. "Axalta has been a long-standing and strong sponsor of our sport for many years and we’re thrilled to welcome them as a partner at Daytona International Speedway,” said ISC Chief Executive Officer Lesa France Kennedy. “Their activation will enable us to further enhance the fan and spectator experience which is a main focus of our new stadium.” Their activation includes naming and branding rights within the center injector at the facility and is a part of Axalta's 150th anniversary celebration.
When Tony Stewart made his season debut in Richmond he was 112 points out of the 30th place, the cutoff mark for drivers with a win to qualify for the Chase. Just three starts later, he's almost cut that margin in half to a mere 59 points. Thanks to a sixth-place finish by the No. 14 at Talladega and Stewart's 12th-place showing on Saturday, he is poised to continue his season surge this weekend at Dover where he has three career wins.
One. Hundred. Posts.
It's a big deal, so we wanted to celebrate our centennial post with a look back at some of the highlights from our first nine months.
ALSO
Don't forget to comment below to join in the celebration... and earn a chance to win a special prize!
It's a big deal, so we wanted to celebrate our centennial post with a look back at some of the highlights from our first nine months.
ALSO
Don't forget to comment below to join in the celebration... and earn a chance to win a special prize!
Sure, Junior's won NASCAR's Most Popular Driver award 13 years running, but the RIR honors go to.... (drumroll please).... Kevin Harvick! The 2014 Sprint Cup Champ has made in appearance in 15 (well, technically 16 now) of our 100 entries so far. I guess racing in back-to-back Championships helps keep your name top of mind in NASCAR circles.
We've been churning out content since we launched "Over the Wall" last August, but we really put our nose to the grind back in February. Between early season announcements and 2016 Speedweeks, we graced the blogosphere with 24 entries. That's three more than any other month thus far (April 2016 comes in at P2), so it'd make sense that our next award would go to...
The RIR crew road tripped it down to central Florida for the season's launch and took our readers along for the ride. With daily storylines, photos, videos and more - our 2016 Speedweeks coverage included everything from Media Day through the Daytona 500.
"I'm a Virginian. Born. Raised. Educated: school and sanctuary and stadium." Few have been able to explain the storied history of racing in the Commonwealth as profoundly as ESPN's Marty Smith, who guest wrote an article for RIR earlier this year. With over 2,800 views, his Dashboard Confessional is far and away the most viewed entry on our blog, and it's easy to see why.
Trent Harmon's moving National Anthem performance prior to the 2016 TOYOTA OWNERS 400 created a lot of buzz on event day, so it's no wonder our Pre-Race Ceremony recap has been the most popular post on social media to date. No other entry has scored higher engagement on Facebook and Twitter and, like his performance, it'll be a tough one to top.
Congratulations to Jacob Spears, winner of out 100th Blog Post Contest!!
Wow. Just. Wow.
A star-studded show culminating with the closes finish in Daytona 500 history (0.010 seconds). Now THATS how you get the party started. Check out all that went down in the exciting kickoff to the 2016 NASCAR season.
A star-studded show culminating with the closes finish in Daytona 500 history (0.010 seconds). Now THATS how you get the party started. Check out all that went down in the exciting kickoff to the 2016 NASCAR season.
Want more NASCAR? For checking us out, we're extending you a special offer for the TOYOTA OWNERS 400 on Sunday, April 24! Click here for more details.
They might not have won the Powershares QQQ 300- but they definitely won us over.
Race runner-up Joey Logano and Virginia-native Elliot Sadler gave one of the more entertaining post-race press conferences we've seen. Here are some of the best moments:
Want more NASCAR? For checking us out, we're extending you a special offer for the TOYOTA OWNERS 400 on Sunday, April 24! Click here for more details.
NASCAR's bringing out some heavy hitters to help get the season underway. I think you've probably heard of a few of them:
John Cena
Honorary Pace Car Driver
He's a 15-time WWE World Heavyweight Champion, five-time US Champion, record-setting Make-A-Wish granter and Internet meme phenomenon.
He's a 15-time WWE World Heavyweight Champion, five-time US Champion, record-setting Make-A-Wish granter and Internet meme phenomenon.
Ken Griffey Jr
Honorary Starter
"The Kid" is a 13-time All-Star, 10-time Golf Glove Award winner, seven-time Silver Slugger, a member of the MLB All-Century Team and a near-unanimous first ballot Hall of Famer.
"The Kid" is a 13-time All-Star, 10-time Golf Glove Award winner, seven-time Silver Slugger, a member of the MLB All-Century Team and a near-unanimous first ballot Hall of Famer.
Gerard Butler
Grand Marshal
He's already played a Spartan King and U.S. Secret Service agent, but this time next week you can see him as a God of Egypt.
Want more NASCAR? For checking us out, we're extending you a special offer for the TOYOTA OWNERS 400 on Sunday, April 24! Click here for more details.
He's already played a Spartan King and U.S. Secret Service agent, but this time next week you can see him as a God of Egypt.
Want more NASCAR? For checking us out, we're extending you a special offer for the TOYOTA OWNERS 400 on Sunday, April 24! Click here for more details.
Speedweeks has been great. Fantastic finishes, high-energry and the unvelining of the first motorsports stadium. But now it's time to Ready. Set. Race.
The NASCAR XFINITY Series season is officially underway! Here are some of the best sights:
Want more NASCAR? For checking us out, we're extending you a special offer for the TOYOTA OWNERS 400 on Sunday, April 24! Click here for more details.
As we tune in to the Powershares QQQ 300 this afternoon, here's a look at some of the young guns the NASCAR XFINITY Series has to offer in 2016. There are four drivers entered as Sunoco Rookies for 2016- lets get to know them.
Jones turned 19 just a few days ago, and we're sure he'd take a trip to Victory Lane as a belated birthday present. He's already seen success during his limited run in the series, with a top-5 and two top-10's in just five XFINITY Series starts. He doesn't have the experience others do in the series, but we're pretty sure he can handle the challenge (considering he balanced a slate of 33 races while finishing up his senior year of high school last season).
Richard Childress Racing | No. 33 Menards Chevrolet
Poole got a heavy of the XFINITY series last season - making 17 starts (including both Richmond races) and collecting two top-10 finishes in the process. The 24-year-old was a mainstay in the ARCA Series, collecting six wins in 35 starts since 2011. One of those wins came in his very first ARCA start at Salem Speedway, and in 2012 he finished third in the final standings.
Chip Ganassi Racing | No. 48 DC Solar Chevrolet
The 2015 Camping World Truck Series champion, Jones is the early front-runner for Rookie of the Year honors. Earning seat time in both the No. 20 and No. 54 last season, he made a total of 23 starts and earned two wins, three poles, 12 top-5 and 17 top-10 finishes. The 19-year-old even worked his way into a Cup ride for three starts last season. You can find out even more about Jones by checking out the chat we had with him earlier this week.
Joe Gibbs Racing | No. 20 Resers Main Street Bistro Toyota
Preece is a graduate of the NASCAR Next program. He hails from Berlin, Connecticut, and at 25 years old has made three XFINITY Series starts (from 2013 and 2014).
JD Motorsports | No. 01 UPTick Vineyards Chevrolet
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We had a few minutes to catch up with NASCAR XFINITY Series rookie Erik Jones, and get to know the man behind the wheel
You can see Erik, starting P5, and the rest of the XFINITY Series field tonight for the Powershares QQQ 300
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Want more NASCAR? For checking us out, we're extending you a special offer for the TOYOTA OWNERS 400 on Sunday, April 24! Click here for more details.
All three series were on track Friday, and here's some of the best of what we saw:
Want more NASCAR? For checking us out, we're extending you a special offer for the TOYOTA OWNERS 400 on Sunday, April 24! Click here for more details.
A couple of exciting finishes last night, XFINITY series on track of the first time, truck racing tonight and the Daytona 500 just two days away. There's a TON going on at the World Center of Racing, but here's five things we have our eye on...
JGR's Got Speed
The Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas of Kenseth, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Carl Edwards have been wicked fast. Hamlin was the only one of the team's cars in the first Duel and he finished a respectable fifth and actually battled Earnhardt for the lead much of the night. In the second Duel, Kenseth and Busch combined to lead all but two laps, with Busch taking the victory (click for more...)
The Replacements
Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Martin Truex Jr, and A.J. Allmendinger were forced into their backup cars this afternoon after last night's crash cost them their primaries. Johnson was the only one of the four who participated in the early practice round, and actually paced the field. All four made it out for the second session. (read more here)
Drivers Show Their Lighter Side
Speedweeks can be a long one! Coming off the Sprint Unlimited there's Media day, five days on track for five days and five races. We all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, so it's good to see when they're able to let their hair down a little bit. Like Bubba Wallace getting all giddy over seeing a certain driver... (click to find out who)
Early Moneys On Logano
The Century Poll, which has 50 NASCAR media members and 50 who work in the garage, predicts that Joey Logano will win the 2016 Sprint Cup Series title. Logano received 30 votes, Kevin Harvick was second with 19 and six-time champion Jimmie Johnson was third with 13. Defending champion Kyle Busch tied for fourth with Carl Edwards at eight votes. Seven of Busch’s votes came from voters in the garage. We took our own poll earlier this week, see how we matched up.
McDowell, Richardson Make the '500'
We saw the new charter system play out last night in the Duels, with Michael McDowell and Robert Richardson Jr locking up two of the four open positions under the new system (which guarantees all 36-charter teams entry in NASCAR Sprint Cup Events). As you can tell from their post-race interviews; they're relieved.
Want more NASCAR? For checking us out, we're extending you a special offer for the TOYOTA OWNERS 400 on Sunday, April 24! Click here for more details.
With the Daytona 500 just two days away, and the NASCAR Sprint Cup season ready to get underway, RIR decided to jump ahead a little bit and see who we think is primed to make 2016 their year. We polled all our 37 members of our staff- and the top seven vote-getters are...
"I'm picking Carl Edwards because I love his backflip when he wins! And it doesn't hurt he's really good looking. Go Carl!!"
Suzanne, Operation
Suzanne, Operation
"Jimmie Johnson. Power of the J's"
Jeff, Operations
Jeff, Operations
"I'll go with Martin Truex Jr. He's a Philly sports fan like me."
Mike, Sales
Mike, Sales
"Car numer 78 - because he's the only one in the football offensive lineman range."
Chris, Accounting
Chris, Accounting
"I am going with Ralph Dale Earnhardt, Jr. because like Nationwide, I'm on his side."
Courtney, Communications
Courtney, Communications
"Dale Earnhardt Jr. because 8+8=16! Mathematically, it's his year!"
Kristen, Ticketing
Kristen, Ticketing
"Joey Logano. He wants that redemption from last year- and a championship would be a pretty good way to ring in Team Penske's 50 years."
Megan, Marketing
"Joey Logano, because 22 is also the name of my favorite Taylor Swift song."
Emily, Marketing
Megan, Marketing
"Joey Logano, because 22 is also the name of my favorite Taylor Swift song."
Emily, Marketing
"I pick Kevin Harvick because I love Jimmy John's and he drives the Jimmy John's car. I get it delivered to my house probably every two weeks!"
Megan, Operations
"I've got to go with Kevin Harvick. I love his nickname 'Happy Harvick,' he has an awesome wife and my favorite number is 4!"
Jacque, Administration
Megan, Operations
"I've got to go with Kevin Harvick. I love his nickname 'Happy Harvick,' he has an awesome wife and my favorite number is 4!"
Jacque, Administration
"This is my first internship with NASCAR, so I decided to go with my favorite number, 11. I'm also a huge Redskins fan and he races for former coach Joe Gibbs."
Brian, Marketing
"Hamlin, because I would like to throw a big Champion's celebration in town!"
Dennis, President
Want more NASCAR? For checking us out, we're extending you a special offer for the TOYOTA OWNERS 400 on Sunday, April 24! Click here for more details.
Here's an inside look at 2016 NASCAR Can Am Duels:
Want more NASCAR? For checking us out, we're extending you a special offer for the TOYOTA OWNERS 400 on Sunday, April 24! Click here for more details.
We were down in the Daytona garages this morning, and as the teams were getting ready for the action later this weekend, we got a little caught up in some of the paint schemes you'll see this weekend. Here's a few that caught our eye:
Anyone else getting hungry? The 2015 Camping World Truck Series champion has a full-time XFINITY Series ride for the upcoming season. The paint-out for the Powershares QQQ 300 satisfies our craving for more Jones (and mac n'cheese).
Cope's Ice-Aid paint out was cold as "Ice Ice Baby." The Derrike Cope Racing machine's primary for the 2016 season keeps things definitely keeps things cool under the hot Florida sun.
After driving for three different teams in 2015, we're sure David Ragan is thrilled to settle in with BK Racing for the upcoming season. He rolls into the 500 with a Dr. Pepper paint out that is truly "One of a Kind."
Call us a little biased, but we happen to think that this particular scheme was the hottest thing to arrive in Daytona for Speedweeks. You see a light bar on any of the other cars above? I didn't think so.
Want more NASCAR? For checking us out, we're extending you a special offer for the TOYOTA OWNERS 400 on Sunday, April 24! Click here for more details.
Here's an inside look at whats going on at the NASCAR Sprint Cup practice sessions heading into the Can-Am Duels tomorrow night:
Want more NASCAR? For checking us out, we're extending you a special offer for the TOYOTA OWNERS 400 on Sunday, April 24! Click here for more details.
As the first two rounds of practice for tomorrow's Can-Am Duels wrapped up, we decided to wander around Daytona's brand new stadium. Somehow, we managed to not trip over our jaws as they dragging on the floor across Level One Concourse of this stunning facility. What's more - we recorded the trip, and are offering up what we think are some pretty cool features at the injectors.
Sunoco
Located down at Turn 4, the Sunoco injector was where we began our mile-long journey. Complete with photo booths, merchandise and a pair of 24 stock cars (one of Gordon's and one of Elliott's give fans a taste of the old and new), Sunoco's injector really embodies how much it's ingrained in our sport. What really took the cake for us were a trio of interactive art pieces that gave fans the feeling of revving an engine to 10,000 RPM and kicking up some smoke in a burnout before celebrating in Victory Lane.
Toyota
A Toyota Tundra once pulled a NASA Space shuttle - and they don't want you to forget it! A true homage to Toyota's history in auto racing, their injector was complete with models, their ride and drive center, reigning champ Kyle Busch's winning car and trophy.... oh, and a scale model of the space shuttle nose suspended on the wall. (FYI...it's up on the third level, so make sure to add it to your must-see list.)
The World Center of Racing
The official Daytona welcome center. Swing on through to share your Daytona experience with other fans on their fan engagement boards and sign the Start/Finish line that extends up THROUGH the concourse. But most importantly - come here for the view. It's out of this world.
Chevrolet
Chevy's into cars... and they want you to share in that love. Much of their space is dedicated to loving your car as they give guests a look at the inner-workings of their automobiles and showcase models both classic and new.
Florida Hospital
Love stargazing? Well, you can do that under a few tons of steel in the Florida Hospital injector, thanks to their breathtaking LED canopy near Turn One on the Level One Concourse. With a setting for Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer and starry Night, it's just one piece of this tech-savvy injector. It also comes completes with interactive games in their Creation walkway, a back-lit fog projector, and serene waterfall.Yeah...count us in.
Want more NASCAR? For checking us out, we're extending you a special offer for the TOYOTA OWNERS 400 on Sunday, April 24! Click here for more details.
Rise and shine race fans! Media Day was a blast, and as the focus now turns to the track, there's been a ton of buzz and excitement heading into this weekend's Daytona 500. Here are a few things we picked up on from yesterday's time with the drivers...
Locked and Loaded for Thursday
Don't expect the race rubbing from Saturday night's Sprint Unlimited to have any kind of effect on the on-track action for Thursday's duels. Any concerns about taking saving equipment for Sunday were quickly dismissed by 2014 Sprint Cup champion Kevin Harvick. "It's a race," the No. 4 driver said. "We're competitive and when that green flag drops, any kind of plan goes out the window and you just want to win." Brad Keselowski took a break from singing Rush to weigh in on his approach to Thursday's duels. "I've never been in a race where I didn't want to get out front and (race to win)."
Singing Chase's Praises
Chase Elliott made history Sunday by becoming the youngest-ever Daytona 500 pole winner. But don't think that the rest of the field views Chase as a mere fluke. Teammate Jimmie Johnson knows that Hendrick has something special in the rookie; "He's got a very good pulse on things. We all see it, we all know it." Matt Kenseth, who as of today will start opposite of Elliott on the front row of Sunday's race, has also been impressed by what he's seen of the rookie so far. "I'm not worried about (his lack of experience) at all. He's proven his ability over the last several years."
A Stacked Rookie Class
Chase isn't the only rookie with his hat in the ring for the 2016 Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors, with Ryan Blaney (Wood Brothers Racing), Chris Buescher (Front Row Motorsports) and Brian Scott (Richard Petty Motorsports) ready to go head-to-head. With 13 NASCAR National Series wins and three Series championships between them, drivers think this could be one of the deepest and most talented rookie classes to date.
Want more NASCAR? For checking us out, we're extending you a special offer for the TOYOTA OWNERS 400 on Sunday, April 24! Click here for more details.
We dove head first into DAYTONA 500 prep today, starting bright and early at NASCAR Media Day. Check out the video above, and read up on the Top 5 best moments of the day below, but you can check us out on Snapchat to get all of the behind-the-scenes moments.
1. Dale Jr. Can’t Wait for Heat Racing at Richmond
It’s no secret Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be driving the no. 88 Hellman’s Chevy at the ToyotaCare 250 at Richmond in April – nor is he keeping his thoughts about the Dash 4 Cash heat racing setup under wraps. He likened the heat races to local track races – and said he knew fans would jump on board immediately. “In fact, I haven’t heard anyone who isn’t excited about heat races.” Same, Junior, same!
2. Kurt Busch Autographed A Dog
Weirdest thing Kurt Busch has ever autographed? “They shaved the side of the dog, actually, and made me autograph it,” said Kurt. No word on if the dog has been bathed since.
3. Richmond Day Racing is the Way to Hendricks’ Hearts
Winner of one of the only Sunday afternoon races at Richmond in the 2000s, Jimmie Johnson was excited to hear at the shift back to day racing in April. Said Johnson, “Our team always jokes that our performance is far better on a rained out day race on a Sunday than the night races, so when I heard the shift, me personally, and my team, all got excited. We thought, ‘Cool, we’ll really have a shot to win at Richmond now.’” Everyone else, you’ve been warned!
4. Matt Kenseth is a Not-So-Secret Swiftie
Being dropped off at school by a NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion might seem like a dream to most kids, but Matt Kenseth’s girls really only focus on one thing. “When I drive the kids to school every morning I’m listening to Taylor Swift,” he said, laughing. That qualifies him for Dad of the Year in our book.
5. Brad Keselowski’s Karaoke Song of Choice is “Tom Sawyer” by Rush
“There’s no other beat than that – it’s not even hard to sing along to. There’s not even that much singing,” said Brad Keselowski, after being asked what his karaoke song of choice is. We also learned he would like to learn to play the drums for this song, but this song only.
Want more NASCAR? For checking us out, we're extending you a special offer for the TOYOTA OWNERS 400 on Sunday, April 24! Click here for more details.
