Auto Racing

Raring to Go Racing: A Glimpse Inside the 2021 DAYTONA 500

Published

4 years ago

February 13, 2021

Top left to right: NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace will race in this year's DAYTONA 500 for 23Xi Racing, co-owned by Michael Jordan (center) and reigning two-time DAYTONA 500 champion Denny Hamlin. Bottom: Award-winning artist Pitbull joins Trackhouse Racing as co-owner and will have Daniel Suarez driving in this year's Great American Race. Images via NASCAR.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (FNN SPORTS) – As NASCAR gets ready for the Daytona 500, Daytona International Speedway President Chip Wile is focused on making this a safe race for the fans.

Wile said his team has had a lot of practice dealing with all the COVID-19 precautions and they will have help from IMC across the street to enforce mask requirements both at the venue and the infield. He also noted that most fans are compliant with the mask requirements. In a recent virtual interview, Wile said that it feels like a privilege to be able to have fans in the stands and that it’s sad they can’t have a sold-out race, but that’s just how it is.

When asked about any problems with fans and Confederate flags, Wile said that a few fans have worn shirts with Confederate flags on them and they were asked to change clothes. Most were good with that request. On a few occasions, he and his team even gave fans t-shirts to put on because they did not have another shirt with them.

Wile also said that the pre-race festivities will be different because the drivers will stay within the “bubble” and Luke Combs will be playing to the venue instead of the ball field. He also said that he has been sending out gifts and hand-written notes to displaced fans to say “thank you” for their continued support. Some of the drivers have even held special events for those displaced fans as well.

This year will debut two new racing teams:

Trackhouse Racing, co-owned by Pitbull and Justin Marks, has been two years in the making. Their driver Daniel Suárez will be driving the #99 Chevy Camaro. The team hopes to bring more Latino fans to NASCAR. Pitbull has been a fan of NASCAR since watching Days of Thunder and he said, “We are here for one reason and one reason only. It’s to create awareness, clearly for NASCAR, clearly for Trackhouse, but more than anything, to show that this brings people together. And if there is anything, we need in these times right now something that unites people, not divides people.”

23XI Racing, co-owned by Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin, will feature Bubba Wallace in the #23 Toyota Camry. When asked about the race being on Valentine’s Day and during Black History Month, Wallace said that it would be a fairytale ending if he won the race after everything that has gone on this past year. He also said he is “looking forward to running in the top 10 each and every week.”

In a recent virtual interview, Kurt Busch, who drives the #1 Chevy Camaro, talked about how the track at Daytona “can humble you.” He said that in the years before his win at Daytona, “there’s a humility within you that says the track is still in control. Then when I won in 2017 it was an experience beyond any other. But then when you come back and the race doesn’t go well, you are again humbled by the track.”

This past year, Ryan Newman, who drives the #6 Ford Mustang, has been consulting with NASCAR on safety but he doesn’t consider himself a “consultant.” He says that the communication with NASCAR has not been any different when it comes to discussions on safety. With the 20^th Anniversary of Dale Earnhardt Sr’s fatal crash, Ryan reflected on how similar his crash last year was to Earnhardt’s and said the progress made in safety is apparent in the simple fact that he walked away from his crash. When asked about this year’s race, Ryan said it would be amazing if he could be in the same position towards the end of the race as he was last year.

Even though there will not be as many fans at the Speedway as in previous years, NASCAR fans are ready for the green flag, and with the new teams and the changes to other teams, this year promises to be one to remember.

_______________________________________________

Lynn DeJarnette is a sports, politics and lifestyle reporter for Florida National News. | info@floridanationalnews.com

Up Next

Joe Gibbs’ Grandson Ty Gibbs Wins in NASCAR Xfinity Series Debut in Super Start 188 At DAYTONA

Don't Miss

Hamilton Positive for COVID-19, Will Miss F1′s Sakhir GP

Click to comment

Auto Racing

Chris Buescher Wins, Bubba Wallace Clinches Playoffs at Daytona’s Coke Zero 400

Published

1 year ago

August 27, 2023

Mike Brodsky

Photo Credit: Rafael Crisostomo

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Florida National News) – Chris Buescher has won the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway, and Bubba Wallace has secured the 16th and final spot in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. This will be Wallace’s first time racing for a championship.

Chris Buescher in Victory Lane after the Coke Zero 400. Photo Credit: Mike Brodsky (Florida National News)

Wallace had entered the race in 16th place, but a victory from a driver below the cut line could have knocked him out of the playoffs. An early accident took out several drivers including Ty Gibbs, Ryan Blaney, and several others. A spectacular crash late in the race by Ryan Preece had him flipping at least ten times over the grass. Fortunately, he was able to exit the vehicle.

Bubba Wallace clinches Playoffs. Photo Credit: Mike Brodsky (Florida National News)

The sixteen drivers in the Playoffs include the points leaders William Byron, Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin, Chris Buescher, Kyle Busch, Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, Ross Chastain, Brad Keselowski, Tyler Reddick, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, Michael McDowell, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Kevin Harvick, and Bubba Wallace.

NASCAR’s first Playoffs Round of Sixteen race takes place next weekend at Darlington, Sunday, September 3rd. Each three-week round of the playoffs will reduce the field by four drivers, leading up to the Season Finale on Sunday, Nov. 5th at Phoenix Raceway, featuring the final four drivers competing for the NASCAR Cup Series championship.

Be sure to stay tuned to Florida National News (www.FloridaNationalNews.com) and Florida Sports Channel (www.FloridaSportsChannel.com) for more.

Auto Racing

Last Chance For NASCAR Playoffs at Coke Zero 400 in Daytona

Published

1 year ago

August 25, 2023

Mike Brodsky

Photo Credit: Mike Brodsky (Florida National News)

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Florida National News) – NASCAR fans are already packing the Daytona International Speedway as the regular season comes to its finale Saturday, August 26, with the Coke Zero 400. While fifteen drivers have already secured a spot in the playoffs, the 16th is still up for grabs based on the race results.

Fans at Daytona International Speedway. Photo Credit: Mike Brodsky (Florida National News)

The fifteen drivers who are already guaranteed a spot in NASCAR’s first Playoffs Round of Sixteen race at Darlington, Sunday, September 3rd include the current points leaders Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin, William Byron, Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson, Brad Keselowski, Chris Buescher, Ross Chastain, Ryan Blaney, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, Tyler Reddick, Joey Logano, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Michael McDowell. The top two drivers, Truex and Hamlin, will compete Saturday night to win the Regular Season Championship. There are seventeen drivers who are competing at the Coke Zero 400 for that final spot in the postseason. Bubba Wallace is currently in 16th place, and could clinch with 24 points. Ty Gibbs and Daniel Suárez could clinch with enough points to pass Wallace or with a victory. AJ Allmendinger, Alex Bowman, Chase Elliott, Austin Cindric, Justin Haley, Ryan Preece, Aric Almirola, Todd Gilliland, Corey LaJoie, Erik Jones, Austin Dillon, Harrison Burton, Chase Briscoe and Ty Dillon need to win on Saturday night to secure their spot in the playoffs.

Bubba Wallace competes for a spot in the Playoffs. Photo Credit: Mike Brodsky (Florida National News)

Each three-week round of the playoffs will reduce the field by four drivers, leading up to the Season Finale on Sunday, Nov. 5th at Phoenix Raceway, featuring the final four drivers competing for the NASCAR Cup Series championship. Joey Logano is the reigning champ after winning in Phoenix last season.

The action begins Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. Be sure to stay tuned to Florida National News (www.FloridaNationalNews.com) and Florida Sports Channel (www.FloridaSportsChannel.com) for more.

Auto Racing

General Motors President Mark Reuss Named Grand Marshal of Rolex 24 At DAYTONA

Published

2 years ago

January 24, 2023

FNN NEWS

General Motors President Mark Reuss. Photo: LinkedIn.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (FNN) – Source: IMSA // The 61-car field for the 61^st running of the Rolex 24 At DAYTONA will come to life under the command of General Motors president Mark Reuss, as Daytona International Speedway today announced he has been named the Grand Marshal for Saturday’s endurance race. The field will take the green flag under the watchful eye of Oliver Zipse, Chairman of the Board for BMW Group, in the flag stand as the honorary starter, the track also announced.

Both dignitaries have spent their entire professional careers with their respective manufacturers. Reuss has served as president of General Motors since January 2019. A mechanical engineer, he began his career with GM as a student intern in 1983. Zipse was named Chairman of the Board for BMW in August 2019, and started his career at the automaker as a trainee in development, technical planning, and production in 1991.

“Being named the Grand Marshal of the Rolex 24 at Daytona is one of the true honors of my life and something I’ll never forget,” said Reuss. “This is one of the premier motorsports events in the world, at one of its most historic venues, and I couldn’t be happier about how far the series has come since the first Corvette-inspired DPI appeared with Jim France and set a new trajectory for the sport. I’m proud to be at Daytona this year with all of the fantastic drivers and great cars, including our own Cadillacs and Corvettes.”

General Motors’ teams in this year’s edition of the Rolex 24 include three Cadillac Racing Cadillac V-LMDh entries in Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) and the ever-popular No. 3 Corvette Racing Corvette C8.R GT Daytona Pro (GTD Pro) entry. Cadillac Racing posted overall wins in the Rolex 24 in four consecutive years from 2017-2020, while Corvette Racing has posted four class wins in the Rolex 24 since 1999.

“It is an honor to welcome Mark as our Grand Marshal for the 61^st running of the Rolex 24,” said Daytona International Speedway President Frank Kelleher. “General Motors has long had a strong partnership with Daytona International Speedway, alongside their success on the track here. This is a great opportunity to recognize their commitment to our facility and motorsport in general.”

A field of 61 will take the green flag waved by Zipse on Saturday to begin the twice-around-the-clock contest that is one for the IMSA record books as it marks the debut of the GTP class. And that’s only fitting at Zipse holds that honor, as BMW M’s history with Speedway began in 1975 with the brand’s very first IMSA start at the 24 Hours of Daytona.

Only one year later, BMW took its first overall victory at the endurance classic. Without a doubt, BMW’s motorsport success in IMSA competition over the past 48 years has been foundational to establishing the North American market as the largest in the world for BMW M vehicle sales.

“Daytona International Speedway and BMW have great historical ties in racing,” said Kelleher. “It’s only fitting that Oliver waves the green flag over the track where BMW first raced in the United States.”

Zipse’s BMW teams will also include a pair of entries in GTP with the BMW M Team RLL BMW M Hybrid V8 cars. Additionally, they will be competing in the largest class in the Rolex 24 – GT Daytona (GTD) – which has 24 cars entered for the season opener. Paul Miller Racing and two Turner Motorsports BMW M4 GT3 entries make up the BMW stable.

The 61^st running of the Rolex 24 At DAYTONA begins at 1:40 p.m. ET on Saturday, Jan. 28.

Fans are encouraged to reserve their place in history at the Rolex 24 At DAYTONA by logging onto daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP. New in 2023, garage access will now be included for all 2-day infield and single-day customers, enhancing the experience for guests by providing close access to the incredible cars and teams. Kids 12 and under are admitted FREE to the Rolex 24 At DAYTONA.

Fans can stay connected with Daytona International Speedway via daytonainternationalspeedway.com, on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, as well as the NASCAR Tracks App, for the latest speedway news.