DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. – What’s the greatest challenge for driver Daniel Suarez as he transitions from one powerhouse team to another? Avoiding gluttony—in a figurative sense, of course. Suarez knows he needs to exercise patience as he learns the ropes at Stewart-Haas Racing after a spotty two years with Joe Gibbs Racing. But Suarez also […]

DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. – Martin Truex Jr. showed up for Daytona 500 Media Day looking relaxed but speaking of high expectations for his debut season driving the No. 19 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing. Truex moved to the Gibbs stable this year after spending five seasons with the Furniture Row Racing organization where he enjoyed […]

DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. – The 40th anniversary of the race that put NASCAR on the map is all but lost on William Byron. When Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison wrecked in the closing laps of the 1979 Daytona 500—and tried to settle their differences with fisticuffs afterward—Byron wasn’t around. In fact, when Jimmie Johnson won his […]

DAYTONA BEACH, FLA.— Denny Hamlin readily acknowledges that when he shows up at Daytona International Speedway, he is a race favorite. He’s earned that distinction as a former Daytona 500 winner. But this year a victory in the sport’s biggest race wouldn’t only be of historical significance of but put an end to the longest […]

DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. – Mutt and Jeff. Oil and water. Yin and Yang. In a host of ways, Kurt Busch and Kyle Larson are polar opposites. Busch is lanky at 5-foot-11, 160 pounds. Larson is more compact at 5-foot-6, 135 pounds. Busch is a 40-year-old champion in the twilight of a likely NASCAR Hall of […]

DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. – Daniel Hemric was surprised. Actually, shocked might be a better description. But when Daytona 500 single-car qualifying shook out on Sunday, Hemric was fifth on the board, behind only the dominant Hendrick Motorsports quartet of Busch Pole winner William Byron, Alex Bowman, Jimmie Johnson and Chase Elliott. “We never got to do […]

DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. – Rick Hendrick smiled widely and acknowledged that his team’s 1-2-3-4 sweep of Daytona 500 pole qualifying is as good an omen as his championship organization could hope for. He loves the historical significance and the present message about their preparation for the season’s biggest race. A couple hours later, he was […]

DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. – Crew chief Chad Knaus may not have discovered the fountain of youth in “trading” 43-year-old Jimmie Johnson for a driver less than half his age, but there was definitely a bounce in Knaus’ stride as he hastened to congratulate his new charge, 21-year-old William Byron, on his Daytona 500 pole-winning run. […]