This Week in Auto Racing Feb. 20 – 22

Sprint Cup Series

Daytona 500 – Daytona International Speedway – Daytona Beach, Fla.

Jeff Gordon is relaxed and ready to go racing in what will be his final Daytona 500 on Sunday.

Gordon, a four-time champion in NASCAR’s premier series, will start on the pole for the 57th running of the Daytona 500 after winning last Sunday’s group qualifying with a lap at 201.293 mph. This will be the 23rd time that he competes in NASCAR’s most prestigious race of the season.

Last month, Gordon announced that 2015 will be his last year as a full-time driver in the Sprint Cup Series. The 43-year-old Gordon had hinted at the possibility of competing in some races during the 2016 season, including the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis, a race he won for a record-fifth time in 2014, but on Thursday, he said that it would be “highly unlikely” he’ll race in Sprint Cup next year. Gordon does plan to be at racetracks next season for tributes and fan interactions.

Gordon will attempt to win his fourth Daytona 500. He took the checkered flag for this race in 1997, ’99 and 2005. If Gordon wins again on Sunday, it would tie him with Cale Yarborough for second most victories in the Daytona 500. Richard Petty holds the record with seven victories.

Gordon has 92 wins in the Cup Series, third most all-time, but a victory in Sunday’s 500-mile race at Daytona International Speedway could be the most memorable one of his illustrious career.

“This race always means a lot,” Gordon said. “It’s a big deal to win here. It’s been since 2005 since I won the last one. I can honestly say other than last year’s Brickyard 400, experiencing that win, such a huge win with the kids (Ella and Leo) and with (wife) Ingrid, but one of the standout victories and moments in my career was 2005, winning this Daytona 500. I was able to just appreciate the race more.”

This will be the first time Gordon has started on the pole for the Daytona 500 since his victory in the ’99 race. Dale Jarrett started first and drove to victory in the Daytona 500 in 2000, but no driver has won this event from the pole position since then.

Since his 2005 win, Gordon has finished among the top-10 in the Daytona 500 just twice. He placed fourth in last year’s race, which was won by his Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Dale Earnhardt Jr.

With a pole win and a second-place finish in the first race of Thursday’s Budweiser Duel (twin 150-mile qualifying event), Gordon is more relaxed for this year’s Daytona 500 than in year’s past.

“Everything has been pretty much routine,” he said. “It hasn’t been completely like a different week or anything other than it’s going well and I’m enjoying it.

“I think the biggest thing is that relaxed mindset. I’m a little bit more relaxed than I normally am for whatever reason. I guess because I’m looking at it as my last Daytona 500. I should have had this mindset many years ago. Would have been a lot more relaxed through the years.”

Gordon is set to make his 762nd consecutive and career start in the series this weekend. All of them have been as driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. He made his Cup debut in the 1992 season-ending race at Atlanta. His second start occurred in the 1993 Daytona 500.

“Back then, while I was super excited, I was probably more nervous than anything else just because of the unexpected,” Gordon recalled of his first Daytona 500 start 22 years ago. “I had no idea what to expect what the racing was going to be like. I didn’t know what to do in the draft.

“I look back at that race and feel like we really had a car capable of winning that very first Daytona 500 in ’93. We didn’t have a driver that knew how to get it done. That is just lack of experience.”

Gordon has not won a championship in the series since 2001, but last year, he had one of his best seasons since his most recent title 14 years ago. He scored four wins and led the series with 23 top-10 finishes. Gordon came up one point short of advancing into the final four for the Nov. 16 championship race at Homestead. He finished sixth in the point standings.

As for this year, it will be an emotional season for Gordon, especially if he wins the Daytona 500.

“To do it in my final (Daytona 500) I think would just make it far more emotional than ever before,” he said. “There is excitement and there is pride that you have to win this race. But this year, I think all these thoughts of my whole career kind of coming into one moment, one season. I think if I win anywhere that it’s going to be kind of like that this year. To do it in the Daytona 500 would be unbelievable, almost surreal for me to even think about it right now.”

Xfinity Series

Alert Today Florida 300 – Daytona International Speedway – Daytona Beach, Fla.

The 34th season in NASCAR’s second-tier series starts on Saturday at Daytona International Speedway, and with it a new title sponsor for the series.

Comcast’s Xfinity brand becomes just the third title sponsor of the series, following Anheuser-Busch (1982-2007) and Nationwide Insurance (2008-14).

Last September, NASCAR and Comcast announced a 10-year title sponsorship agreement. It’s the longest entitlement sponsorship agreement in the series’ history.

Chase Elliott also begins his campaign for a second straight championship in the series. Elliott, the 19-year-old son of NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott, became the youngest driver to win a title in any one of NASCAR’s three national touring series. He scored three wins, 16 top-five finishes and 26 top-10s and finished the season 42 points ahead of second-place and JR Motorsports teammate Regan Smith.

If Elliott wins the championship this year, he would become the seventh driver in series history to claim back-to-back titles, joining Sam Ard (1983-84), Larry Pearson (1986-87), Randy LaJoie (1996-97), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (1998-99), Martin Truex Jr. (2004-05) and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (2011-12).

Elliott has a new crew chief on his No.9 JRM Chevrolet team this season. Ernie Cope took over the role when Greg Ives moved over to the Sprint Cup Series to serve as crew chief for Earnhardt at Hendrick Motorsports following last season.

“It’s always an exciting time of the year to get back in the groove of racing after an offseason,” Elliott said. “I had a great time the past few months with friends and family, but the thought of racing at Daytona this Saturday afternoon is a great feeling to have. One thing is for sure, the fans will see a great show.

“Ernie has a lot of experience. He’s seen a lot and knows a lot, so I am looking forward to learning from him this season. The No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts (sponsor) team has a new look to it, as we are mostly a new but an experienced group. It will be exciting to work with everyone on the team this year, especially seeing what we bring to the table in Daytona Saturday afternoon.”

Smith won last year’s season-opener at Daytona but has not been to victory lane in Xfinity since then. He also has a new crew chief on his No.7 team this season.

“I’m looking forward to getting back out there and racing,” Smith said. “With the changes we made to our team, I’m looking forward to working with Jason Burdett as the crew chief and seeing him grow in that position. Our relationship was good before he came to work there, and it’s gotten better since he’s come to JR Motorsports.

“The more I’ve been around him, and the more I’ve seen how he acts with the guys, how the guys act around him, it’s done nothing but get me more excited about getting everything started. We know we can win here (at Daytona) because we did it last year. We know we have great equipment, and the guys at JRM do a great job making sure it’s the best out there. We feel like we have a great shot at victory lane this weekend.”

JR Motorsports swept Daytona during the 2014 Xfinity season, with Smith winning the February race and Kasey Kahne taking the July event.

Elliott Sadler, the third-place finisher in last year’s Xfinity point standings, is driving the No. 1 Ford for Roush Fenway Racing this season after spending the previous two seasons with Joe Gibbs Racing.

“It’s an indescribable feeling we have as drivers when we travel each year to Daytona and start a fresh season with new hopes and dreams,” Sadler said. “Daytona gives us the feeling that this year is our year. I know personally that I can’t wait to jump into my new ride with Roush Fenway Racing in my No. 1 OneMain Financial (sponsor) Ford Mustang.”

Darrell Wallace Jr. is a new member at Roush Fenway as well, driving the No. 6 Ford in Xfinity. Wallace has spent the past two years competing full-time in the Camping World Truck Series for Kyle Busch Motorsports. He won four truck races last year, including the season-finale at Homestead.

Wallace competed in four Xfinity races during the 2012 season and two events last year, driving an entry for Joe Gibbs Racing. He finished seventh in the July race at Daytona.

“This is a big year for me coming up,” Wallace said. “I am ready for the challenges. I have to survive and be smart and be there at the end.”

Forty-seven teams are on the entry list for the Alert Today Florida 300. Aric Almirola, Kyle Busch, Austin Dillon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Brad Keselowski and Kyle Larson are those Sprint Cup regulars entered in this 300-mile race.

Camping World Truck Series

NextEra Energy Resources 250 – Daytona Int’l Speedway – Daytona Beach, Fla.

The Camping World Truck Series begins its 23-race season on Friday night at Daytona International Speedway.

Matt Crafton also starts his quest for a third straight truck championship. Last year, Crafton became the first driver in the 20-year history of the series to win back-to-back titles. He had his first career multi-win season in 2014, with victories at Martinsville (March race) and Texas (June event). He had a career-best 13 top-five finishes and 298 laps led as well.

This will be Crafton’s 15th season in the series, including his 11th as driver of the No. 88 Menards-sponsored Toyota for ThorSport Racing.

“It’s an awesome accomplishment, without a doubt, to say that we won two in a row, and to hear people say that,” Crafton said. “It’s never been done. That’s usually the time that it sets in, for sure.”

Crafton, a 38-year-old Tulare, California native, has made 338 consecutive and career starts in the series since 2000. He has scored five wins, 76 top-five finishes, 192 top-10s and seven poles.

“I’m just going with the same mindset for three (championships) as I did for two,” he said. “I’m just going out there to race and have fun. I get paid to do what I love to do. I’m not going to put any pressure on myself, just go out there and try to lead laps and win races.”

Crafton has yet to win a truck race at Daytona in 14 previous attempts (2001-14). His best finish at this 2.5-mile superspeedway is fifth, which occurred in 2010. He finished 13th in last year’s race here.

Surprisingly, Crafton has led only one lap at Daytona, happening in the 2009 race.

“Superspeedway racing makes for great racing to watch as a fan, but as a driver, it’s very frustrating,” Crafton said. “You just never know what’s going to happen at any minute. Everything is just out of your control. You can’t say to yourself, ‘I’m going to drive it in the corner a little deeper to make up the difference here.’ You can’t make up the difference.

“As a driver, you just hope to pick the right lane, do the right thing and be there at the end. It’s not about your skills as a driver. You are at the mercy of what everyone is doing around you. Daytona was one of those races that got away last year, and I hope we can turn it around this year.”

Ryan Blaney, who finished second in points last year, has moved on to part- time Sprint Cup and Xfinity Series competition this season, while Darrell Wallace Jr., the third-place finisher in points, is a full-time competitor in Xfinity.

Johnny Sauter, who is Crafton’s teammate, remains in the Truck Series this year. Sauter placed fourth in points last season. Timothy Peters is back in the series as well after finishing fifth in the standings in ’14. Peters (2010) and Sauter (2013) have won a truck race at Daytona in the past.

Eighteen-year-old Erik Jones is running a full schedule for Kyle Busch Motorsports in trucks this season after he won three races in 12 starts for KBM last year.

“My goal this year is to go out and win races and bring home a driver’s championship to KBM,” said Jones, who will drive the No. 4 Toyota. “I feel like running a part-time schedule the past few years has helped prepare me for the chance to run full-time this year, especially last year racing at a couple of mile-and-a-half tracks.

“Matt has won the championship the last two years by being very consistent, and we know that if we are going to beat him, we need to make sure on the days where we don’t have a winning truck we don’t try to make something happen and have it bite us.”

Thirty-seven teams are on the entry list for the NextEra Energy Resources 250.

Categorized in: NASCAR