Daytona International Speedway Readies For UNOH Battle At The Beach

Danica Patrick made history Sunday in winning the pole for this year’s Daytona 500, and with the end of Sprint Cup qualifying at Daytona International Speedway, the facility turned into the world’s biggest short track for the next few days.

NASCAR’s national divisions give way on Monday and Tuesday at the track for the spotlight to shine on NASCAR’s regional touring and short track competitors.

And that includes a host of drivers well known to Northeast followers of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.

The UNOH Battle at the Beach will see three feature events taking place on a .4-mile temporary oval constructed on the backstretch of the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway. Monday evening will feature a 150-lap Whelen All-American Series Late Model event. Tuesday’s card will feature a 150-lap event bringing the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and Whelen Southern Modified Tour together and a 150-lap event bringing together the K&N Pro Series East and West divisions.

SPEED will broadcast both nights of racing live. Motor Racing Network will also have a live radio call that will be simulcast on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

The Modified race entry list includes 33 drivers, with 13 regulars expected from the Whelen Modified Tour.

Below are some fast facts from NASCAR on the event.

— The NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Late Models will have four 25-lap/25-minute qualifying heat races for which the lineups are determined by fastest lap in final practice. The four fastest drivers in final practice will start from the first position in the respective four qualifying races. The first 28 starting positions for the feature race will be determined by the highest finishers in the four qualifying races and those having ‘Protected’ status. The four qualifying race winners will participate in a random draw to determine the first four starting positions. Positions fifth through 28th will be assigned by the finishing order in the four qualifying races with the second-place driver in the first qualifying race getting the fifth starting position and so on. Entered drivers with ‘Protected’ positions in this race are the top-10 finishers in the 2012 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national championship point standings that include: C.E. Falk III, Nate Monteith, Deac McCaskill and Adam Royle. The remaining six positions for who did not qualify in the top 28 will be determined by a 25-lap/25-minute last chance race.

— The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will have two 25-lap/25-minute qualifying heat races for which the lineups are determined by fastest lap in final practice. The two fastest drivers in final practice will start from the first position in the respective qualifying races. The first 28 starting positions for the feature race will be determined by the highest finishers in the four qualifying races and those having ‘Protected’ status. The two qualifying race winners will participate in a coin toss to determine which is awarded the pole position and which qualifying race finishers will start from the inside and outside rows. Entered drivers with ‘Protected’ positions in this race are the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion (Doug Coby) along with eligible 2012 race winners from each of the two tours which includes: Danny Bohn, Justin Bonsignore, Donny Lia, Jason Myers, Ryan Preece, Bobby Santos, Ron Silk, Mike Stefanik, Andy Seuss and Brandon Ward.

— The NASCAR K&N Pro Series will have two 25-lap/25-minute qualifying heat races for which the lineups are determined by fastest lap in final practice. The two fastest drivers in final practice will start from the first position in the respective qualifying races. The first 28 starting positions for the feature race will be determined by the highest finishers in the four qualifying races and those having ‘Protected’ status. The two qualifying race winners will participate in a coin toss to determine which is awarded the pole position and which qualifying race finishers will start from the inside and outside rows. Entered drivers with ‘Protected’ positions in this race are the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East champion (Kyle Larson), NASCAR K&N Pro Series West champion (Dylan Kwasniewski), NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 champion (D.J. Kennington), NASCAR Mexico Toyota Series champion (Jorge Goeters) and Euro-Racecar NASCAR Touring Series champion (Ander Vilarino) along with eligible 2012 race winners from each of the two series which includes: Cale Conley, Corey LaJoie, David Mayhew, Greg Pursley, Tyler Reddick, Michael Self and Derek Thorn.

— The Track: The .4-mile short-track oval is situated on the backstretch of the 2.5-mile tri-oval at Daytona International Speedway. This newest addition to the menu at “The World Center of Racing” was made possible following the 2010 resurfacing project. The track is virtually flat and has a paperclip-like shape.