Written by
The Sports Network
Daytona Beach, FL (Sports Network) - It will be fireworks galore in NASCAR
this Fourth of July weekend, as the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series run under
the lights at Daytona International Speedway.
NASCAR
Sprint Cup Series
Coke Zero 400 - Daytona International Speedway - Daytona Beach, FL
It's definitely hot and humid in Central Florida when the Sprint Cup Series
returns to Daytona International Speedway for its annual "mid-summer classic."
But nobody is hotter in the Sprint Cup garage right now than Kurt Busch, who
won last Sunday's race in Sonoma, CA. Busch not only captured his first win of
the 2011 season, but claimed his maiden victory on a road course as well. He
has also won the pole in three of the last four races.
Busch is now hoping to pick up his first win in a points-paying race on a
restrictor plate track (Daytona and Talladega).
"That's been big on my list over the years," Busch said. "I really want to get
one of those plate wins. We had a good Speedweeks at Daytona [in February].
Now I want to go there and get the big July 4th win."
Busch won the Budweiser Shootout and first Gatorade Duel qualifying race
before finishing fifth in this year's Daytona 500. He finished second in the
2003, '05 and '08 Daytona 500s.
Almost everyone (excluding the start and park guys) in the starting field at
Daytona has a shot at winning. Trevor Bayne, a part-timer in Sprint Cup this
season, proved that earlier in the year.
One day after turning 20 years old, Bayne became the youngest driver ever to
win the Daytona 500. He inherited the lead when NASCAR penalized then-leader
David Ragan for changing his lane position just before the restart in the
first of two green-white-checkered attempts. Bayne then held off Carl Edwards
during the final two-lap overtime finish to win his first race in just his
second series start.
Bayne is entered in Saturday night's 400-mile race at Daytona, but he is not
guaranteed a starting position. His No.21 Wood Brothers Racing team is
currently 36th in owner points. Bayne will have to qualify on time to make the
show.
Expect it to be another wild affair at Daytona.
Several records were broken in the February 20 Daytona 500, thanks in part to
the newly-paved surface at the 2.5-mile superspeedway. The race featured a
record 74 lead changes among 22 different leaders.
The two-car breakaways also played a huge role in this year's Daytona 500, as
well as the Budweiser Shootout and Gatorade qualifying events. Two-car tandems
will no doubt be a factor again this weekend.
"I think as a team we have a set strategy that we're going to go into that
race this week and see how it works," two-time Daytona race winner Kevin
Harvick said. "Whether that's right or wrong, I don't know. We've talked about
it for a couple weeks now and have a good plan."
Harvick won the 400-mile race at Daytona one year ago. He is also the 2007
Daytona 500 champion.
While the fans enjoy the two-car tandems, it's not well liked by some drivers,
including Dale Earnhardt Jr.
"I don't enjoy the two-car draft, because when I push somebody, I can't see
around him," Earnhardt Jr. said. "I would like to be in control of my own
destiny all the time."
The two-car drafts made for a thriller at Talladega in April. In a race that
featured 88 lead changes among 26 drivers, Earnhardt Jr. partnered with his
Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Jimmie Johnson, during the final laps and
pushed Johnson to victory in what was an incredible finish.
Johnson crossed the finish line by only 0.002 seconds ahead of Clint Bowyer,
tying the closest margin of victory in NASCAR's top series since the
sanctioning body began using electronic timing and scoring in 1993. Ricky
Craven nipped Kurt Busch by that same margin in the 2003 spring race at
Darlington.
Will we see another photo finish this weekend at Daytona?
Forty-five teams are on the preliminary entry list for the Coke Zero 400.
Nationwide Series
Subway Jalapeno 250 - Daytona International Speedway - Daytona Beach, FL
NASCAR's weekend of fireworks at Daytona International Speedway begins with
the Nationwide Series race on Friday night.
Seven Sprint Cup Series regulars are entered in the Nationwide event at
Daytona. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is not one of them. Earnhardt Jr. won at Daytona
one year ago.
The July 2010 race at Daytona marked the debut of the new Nationwide car.
Earnhardt Jr. drove the No.3 Wrangler Chevrolet, the number and paint scheme
made famous by his father.
Tony Stewart is one of the Sprint Cup regulars competing in this event.
Stewart is driving one of four entries for Kevin Harvick Inc. He has won the
last four season-opening Nationwide races at Daytona.
"I always have the confidence when I get in one of [Kevin Harvick Inc.'s] cars
that I'm in just as competitive a car as I could be with any other
organization out there," Stewart said. "They're first class, and that's the
kind of group that you want to be with when you do a one-off race like this.
You have that confidence, and you don't worry about anything."
Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, Carl Edwards, Clint Bowyer and
Harvick are also pulling double-duty at Daytona this weekend.
After winning his first Nationwide race in nearly four years last Saturday at
Road America, Reed Sorenson took over the points lead. Sorenson presently
holds a five-point advantage over Elliott Sadler, while Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is
seven points behind the leader.
"It's awesome to be able to go to Daytona [this] week with the points lead and
have all this momentum on our side," Sorenson said.
Justin Allgaier is currently fourth in points (-34).
Daytona will be the first of four "Dash 4 Cash" races in Nationwide this
season. A $100,000 bonus is on the line for those eligible drivers -- the top-
four in points. The highest finisher of those four at Daytona, no matter where
they place, will win the bonus award from Nationwide Insurance, the title
sponsor of NASCAR's second-tier series.
Iowa (August 6), Richmond (September 9) and Charlotte (October 14) are the
other three races that will feature the bonus program.
Forty-five teams are on the preliminary entry list for the Subway Jalapeno
250.
The Sports Network