Out of the Groove - Race Review

ALL OVER THE PLACE OUT OF THE GROOVE: NBC GONE IN A FLASH!

5 LESSONS LEARNED TAKEWAYS FROM DAYTONA’S ROAD COURSE

FOUR WILDLY DIFFERENT RACES AT THE HISTORIC DAYTONA ROAD COURSE

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ERIC’S DAYTONA ROAD COURSE REVIEW AND ANALYSIS In this week’s episode of Out of the Groove, host and creator Eric Estepp takes us through this entire historic weekend of racing at the Daytona road course. From torrential downpours on Xfinity to the sweltering blaze of the Truck race, Eric has plenty of interesting storylines to break down from the weekend.

First up, Eric takes us through the top 20 finishers on Sunday to find out what the consequences are for the playoffs. Where is 0 0 4

Jimmie Johnson and his battle with William Byron at the cutoff line after this weekend?

But that’s not all, of course. Eric also has plenty to say about the road course itself, and its place in the NASCAR schedule. What do they bring to the audience, how entertaining is the on-track product? And speaking of, Eric has his Daytona on his patented Groovy Gauge, so watch the episode to find out his full score on it and more!

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: AUGUST 17, 2020

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5 LESSONS LEARNED

5

LESSONS LEARNED AT DAYTONA ROAD COURSE Not on the original 2020 NASCAR Cup Series schedule, Sunday’s race at the Daytona International Speedway road course took the place of Watkins Glen International when it became clear that NASCAR wouldn’t be able to compete at The Glen this year.

Thankfully, the new Daytona didn’t disappoint. Armed with a dominant car, Chase Elliott continued his road course mastery of recent times and held off Denny Hamlin by .202 seconds at the checkered flag to score his second points win of 2020. Following are five key takeaways from Sunday’s Go Bowling 235.

BY JA RED TURNER

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: AUGUST 17, 2020

5 LESSONS LEARNED

5

FIRST EVER DAYTONA ROAD COURSE RACE EARNED A PASSING GRADE

A

lthough the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series event on the Daytona International Speedway road course might not have produced as much passing or as many wrecks as some spectators might have wanted, the race earned a passing grade — especially when considering how little time NASCAR and Daytona had to prepare. Fans couldn’t have asked for a better finish, with Chase Elliott and Denny Hamlin battling down to the wire for the win. The 3.61-mile, 14-turn course was also a delight to navigate. “The track was a lot of fun,” second-place finisher Hamlin said. “It’s got some good passing zones, good opportunities. I think it’s definitely one of my favorite road courses I run, for sure.” Teammate Martin Truex Jr. concurred. “It was a lot more fun than I anticipated it to be,” Truex said. “It was drivable and manageable. Charlotte (the ROVAL) kind of chatters, and it’s hard to feel. This place was actually a lot of fun. I look forward to coming back.”

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: AUGUST 17, 2020

5 LESSONS LEARNED

4

DRIVERS SHOWED THEIR TRUE TALENT

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ith all but a handful of drivers having never competed on the Daytona road course in any kind of vehicle, Sunday’s race was expected to be a chaotic one — comparable to the annual showdown on the ROVAL at Charlotte Motor Speedway. However, much to the surprise of many observers, Sunday proved to be a relatively tame affair, with the caution flag waving only once for an accident. Clearly, all those hours that many drivers spent in the simulator to prepare for the weekend paid off when it came time to go racing. “It was definitely going to be tricky, simulator or not,” NASCAR Vice President of Competition Scott Miller said. “They did a fantastic job. I don’t know that anybody underestimated them, but they proved their worth today. It was a heck of a show.” Second-place finisher Denny Hamlin agreed. “These drivers are really, really good,” he said.

“They found a way to adapt, and they’ve got a lot of tools to help them prepare for these races.”

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: AUGUST 17, 2020

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LITTLE CHANGED AROUND THE BUBBLE

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oming into Sunday’s race, William Byron held a 26-point advantage over Jimmie Johnson and Erik Jones in the battle for the final spot in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. Now, with the Daytona road course in the rearview mirror and three races left before the playoff grid is locked in, Byron is still on the bubble and his lead is mostly unchanged, as he is 25 points ahead of Johnson — his Hendrick Motorsports teammate — for the final transfer spot. Jones, meanwhile, is now 35 points behind Byron. By finishing eighth on Sunday, Byron managed to hold his closest pursuers at arm’s length. “It was a good result for us today,” Byron said. “We chose to go for the stage points and had to pass our way through the field a few times because of that strategy. I think we did a nice job of that and getting a lot of those available points. Overall, I’m pretty happy with today and getting a good result.”

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: AUGUST 17, 2020

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5 LESSONS LEARNED

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KAZ GRALA IMPRESSED AS SUB FOR AUSTIN DILLON

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abbed at the last minute to sub for the ailing Austin Dillon at Daytona, Kaz Grala understandably didn’t enter the race with super-high hopes. After all, Grala’s lone full season in one of NASCAR’s three national series came in 2017, when he ran the entire campaign in what is now the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series. Since then, Grala has made only select NASCAR Xfinity Series starts — including just two in 2020. So when Grala finished seventh on Sunday in his NASCAR Cup Series debut, the outcome far exceeded his expectations. How far, exactly? “About 23 positions, I think it is,” he said. “I was hoping for a top 30, so this is certainly far beyond my wildest dreams for this race. I just wanted to complete the laps. Going into the race, I thought if I could just complete all the laps, I felt like I could get a top 30, and that was what I was looking to do.”

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: AUGUST 17, 2020

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CHASE ELLIOTT IS NASCAR’S NEW ROAD COURSE KING

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hase Elliott didn’t just win Sunday’s race on the Daytona road course; he dominated it, leading 34 of 65 laps, scoring a stage victory and holding an advantage over the rest of the field that at one point was as much as 10 seconds. With Sunday’s victory, Elliott has now captured the last three races held on road courses. Of his eight victories at NASCAR’s highest level, four of them have come on road courses, which is significant when considering that the Cup schedule consists primarily of ovals. Clearly, the son of 1988 NASCAR Cup Series champion Bill Elliott just has a special knack for road racing. “I think he takes a little bit untraditional lines,” said Denny Hamlin, who finished second to Elliott on Sunday. “I think he does a great job of staying out of the rubber. … I think they’ve really got a great road course setup, and he executes it, and that’s going to equal a lot of success.”

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: AUGUST 17, 2020

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DON’T ADD DAYTONA ROAD COURSE TO SCHEDULE

After a solid NASCAR Cup Series debut, Daytona’s road course could become a permanent fixture of the Cup schedule. But should it? “That’s well above me,” Sunday’s race winner Chase Elliott said. “I don’t know.” That’s not exactly a ringing endorsement coming from the guy who had just won Sunday’s race. Here’s the thing: Daytona already has Speedweeks, which includes the sport’s biggest race — the Daytona 500. Daytona also hosts the final race of the regular season.

Although no one is suggesting that the Cup Series compete more than once on the Daytona road course each year, it seems hard to justify permanently moving a race from another track to make this happen at a venue that annually already hosts two other marquee NASCAR events.

JA RED TURNER ▶▶ Lack of Post-Race Show Was Inexcusable After winning Sunday’s first ever NASCAR Cup Series race on the Daytona road course, Chase Elliott had every reason to celebrate. And celebrate he did, performing one of the more memorable burnouts in recent times. It’s too bad virtually no one had the opportunity to see it, however. Inexplicably, and with little warning, NBC cut away to its next scheduled programming within just a few seconds of Elliott taking the checkered flag. So no burnouts, no post-race interviews, no nothing. Methinks most NASCAR fans were looking forward to seeing the sport’s most popular driver celebrate a big victory.

It’s too bad NBC had other plans. Let’s hope this never happens again.

■■ Four wildly different road course races this weekend still didn’t definitively answer why the Daytona Road Course should be a permanent fixture to the schedule.

▶▶ Get Well Soon, Austin Dillon Austin Dillon missed Sunday’s race on the Daytona road course after testing positive for COVID-19 earlier in the week. Thankfully, all indications are that Dillon — the 2018 Daytona 500 champion and oldest grandson of his legendary team owner, Richard Childress — has only mild symptoms and should be back in his No. 3 car possibly as soon as this weekend at Dover. In the meantime, here’s wishing Dillon — who recently became a dad for the first time — a speedy recovery.

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: AUGUST 17, 2020

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IN THE HOT SEAT

IN THE HOT SEAT

Ryan Blaney

BY ROB TIONGSON

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Throughout the season, Rob Tiongson interviews various drivers in the world of NASCAR. Today, he talks with Ryan Blaney, driver of the No. 12 Menards Ford Mustang. ▶▶ It’s your 10th season competing in stock cars and your fifth as a full-time Cup Series driver.

How amazed are you with how quickly your racing journey’s flown by despite being 26 years old?

Yea, time has flown by. I’ve been very lucky to drive for great organizations like Team Penske and the Wood Brothers and won a bunch of races. I look forward to what the future holds. ▶▶ When I think about how far you’ve come along, you’ve absolutely shown confidence with your No. 12 team, especially this season. What’s some of the things that you’ve done to increase your confidence and ability to trust your judgment and decision making?

I think just working with Todd Gordon and this entire 12 group has been great. This is the same team that won the championship with Joey Logano in 2018. We have been really fast all season and felt like we could’ve one a bunch of races. Circumstances just haven’t worked out for us. I feel like this team is a championship team, for sure. ▶▶ You make it a solid point to connect with fans at the track and online. Especially during these times, how important is it to have that connection beyond the fact that fans support NASCAR? Yea, I certainly miss having fans at the track and look forward to seeing them back soon. I try to stay connected with them on social media and answer questions when I have time. Personally, I think our sport does such a great job allowing fans access to the drivers and I look forward to when the pandemic is over to have them back in full.

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: AUGUST 17, 2020

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16 WILLIAM BYRON

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17 JIMMIE JOHNSON

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18 ERIK JONES

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20 CHRISTOPHER BELL

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21 BUBBA WALLACE

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22 CHRIS BUESCHER

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23 MICHAEL MCDOWELL

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: AUGUST 17, 2020

WINS

POLES

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6 0 15 19 5 0 13 15 3 1 9 16 2 1 8 13 2 0 6 12 1 0 8 10 1 1 8 14 1 0 2 6 1 0 2 6 1 0 2 5 0 0 5 13 0 1 4 14 0 1 10 12 0 1 2 6 0 0 2 7 0 0 0 7 0 0 3 7 0 0 5 8 0 0 2 7 0 0 1 5 0 0 0 4 0 0 2 5 0 0 0 3 0 1 3 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 BLUE AREAS HIGHLIGHT PLAYOFF QUALIFIERS

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AUSTIN CINDRIC

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CHASE BRISCOE

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3

NOAH GRAGSON

740

4

HARRISON BURTON

645

5

BRANDON JONES

561

6

JUSTIN HALEY

637

7

ROSS CHASTAIN

709

8

JUSTIN ALLGAIER

633

9

MICHAEL ANNETT

567

10 RILEY HERBST

462

11 RYAN SIEG

462

12 BRANDON BROWN

409

13 JEREMY CLEMENTS

381

14 MYATT SNIDER

357

15 ALEX LABBE

333

16 JOSH WILLIAMS

330

17 JESSE LITTLE

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18 JOE GRAF JR.

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19 DANIEL HEMRIC

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20 ANTHONY ALFREDO

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28 KYLE WEATHERMAN

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29 COLBY HOWARD

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30 KODY VANDERWAL

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31 JEB BURTON

115

32 JOSH BILICKI

97

33 DAVID STARR

96

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: AUGUST 17, 2020

WINS

POLES

TOP 5

TOP 10

5 0 13 15 5 0 11 14 2 0 9 13 2 0 9 13 2 1 6 10 1 0 6 12 0 0 7 16 0 0 4 10 0 1 3 10 0 0 2 10 0 0 3 7 0 0 0 4 0 0 1 4 0 2 2 5 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 7 0 0 1 6 0 0 0 0 1 0 5 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 BLUE AREAS HIGHLIGHT PLAYOFF QUALIFIERS

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AUSTIN HILL

476

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ZANE SMITH

417

5

MATT CRAFTON

375

6

BRETT MOFFITT

422

7

BEN RHODES

413

8

CHRISTIAN ECKES

412

9

TYLER ANKRUM

343

10 TODD GILLILAND

340

11 DEREK KRAUS

338

12 TANNER GRAY

295

13 RAPHAEL LESSARD

285

14 JOHNNY SAUTER

273

15 STEWART FRIESEN

253

16 TY MAJESKI

222

17 AUSTIN SELF

194

18 TATE FOGLEMAN

168

19 SPENCER BOYD

163

20 CORY ROPER

161

21 CODIE ROHRBAUGH

159

22 JORDAN ANDERSON

150

23 SPENCER DAVIS

167

24 NATALIE DECKER

109

25 PARKER KLIGERMAN

100

26 TYLER HILL

95

27 CLAY GREENFIELD

92

28 ANGELA RUCH

84

29 RYAN TRUEX

79

30 CHASE PURDY

78

31 TIMMY HILL

76

32 JENNIFER COBB

70

33 KORBIN FORRISTER

68

WINS

POLES

TOP 5

TOP 10

2 1 4 7 2 0 4 6 1 0 6 10 1 0 3 7 1 0 6 7 0 0 4 7 0 0 4 8 0 0 4 6 0 0 2 5 0 0 3 7 0 0 2 7 0 0 2 4 0 0 1 2 0 2 3 6 0 0 1 5 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 BLUE AREAS HIGHLIGHT PLAYOFF QUALIFIERS

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ishni Takin-3rdpage.indd 1

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: AUGUST 17, 2020 5/15/2020 8:30:21 AM

DRIVER Q&A

TODD GILLILAND SEE GAINS WITH DGR-CROSLEY

BY JOSEPH WOLK IN

A new team can do wonders for a racecar driver, and that’s what you can see out of Todd Gilliland. The 20-year-old is competing for DGR-Crosley Racing this year, which is owned by his father, former Cup Series racer David Gilliland. Now, the younger “Gilly” is ready to bring home a Truck Series title to this second-year team. ▶ WHAT HAS IT BEEN LIKE FOR YOU TO PERFORM SO WELL WITH THIS NO. 38 TEAM? “I think it has been a big confidence booster for me and the team. At the beginning of the year, we all believed in each other, but the circumstances obviously aren’t what we were expecting like not having practice, or qualifying each weekend. So being a new team, I feel like everyone is doing a great job.” ▶ WHAT WOULD IT MEAN TO YOU TO WIN ONE OR MORE RACES WITH THIS GROUP? “It would mean a lot because I feel like my guys are just pure racers and have the heart to do whatever it takes, so it pushes me to be the best I can be also. I know we can win.” ▶ WHAT DO YOU FEEL YOU’VE DONE WELL WITH COMPARED TO A YEAR AGO AT THIS TIME? “Taking what the truck will give me and communicating better what I need from my truck with my crew chief.” ▶ WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS FOR THE REST OF THE SEASON? “I think we need to win before the playoffs start and obviously our number one goal is to make the playoffs. Beyond that, just take it race by race and perform the best we can.”

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: AUGUST 17, 2020

TWEETSTORM COMPILED BY ROB TIONGSON

▶▶ As many times as Denny Hamlin’s delivered with wins on the track, he also delivers with the jokes on Twitter. After issuing a somewhat silly warning to his competitors on Saturday evening, his peers had some fun. From teammate Kyle Busch asking where he planned on braking to Tyler Reddick just telling him to give it all he’s got, it’s safe to say these drivers have personalities. Heck, they even have some humor before taking on the unknown at Daytona.

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▶▶ Normally, Justin Allgaier’s pretty mild mannered and chill as can be. However, after a frustrating finish at Daytona, he found himself reading some not so receptive tweets following his post-race conversation with AJ Allmendinger. In this case, Allgaier retorted with a line that most associate with Tommy Lee Jones from The Fugitive. That said, the use of the Chandler gif was quite on point.

Moreover, he got the point across and he’s also shown folks that he’s absolutely fired up.

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: AUGUST 17, 2020

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▶▶ Admittedly, it was a bit of a surprise to see Jimmie Johnson’s familiar No. 48 Ally Chevrolet paint scheme switch to a lighter, vibrant livery. As someone who’s been relatively superstitious, perhaps the switch indeed changes his fortunes. Even seven-time Cup champions have their quirks, even with the paint scheme.

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▶▶ While it wasn’t the circumstances that Kaz Grala imagined, the fact is the Bostonian made his first NASCAR Cup Series start for Sunday’s Go Bowling 235 at Daytona. Making clean, respectable starts for Richard Childress Racing’s XFINITY Series program, he’s fared nicely in the No. 3 car for Austin Dillon.

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: AUGUST 17, 2020

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REDDIT REACTIONS COMPILED BY ROB TIONGSON r/NASCAR . Posted by u/pixarfan9510

549

[Greg Biffle] Anybody else watching the 2010 Daytona 500 on @NASCARONFOX ?? I think I’m going to run the 2021 Daytona 500

OK, SERIOUSLY, HOLD THE PHONE. IF GREG BIFFLE IS SERIOUS ABOUT MAKING A CUP Series comeback for the 2021 Daytona 500, it would be as epic as those who worship hard about Paul Menard. As much as he’s trolled fans on social media since his last full-time season in 2016, the Washington State native still has his legions of enthusiasts who long for his return.

Is it Biffle playing with our heartstrings again or is he indeed being for real?

r/NASCAR . Posted by u/rlagarde066

197

NASCAR Xfinity on Twitter: Justin Allgaier and AJ Allmendinger have a heated postrace conversation

IF YOU WERE SOMEWHAT BELEAGUERED BY TWO MILD MANNERED DRIVERS HAVING A discussion after Saturday’s NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Daytona, you weren’t the only one. However, Justin Allgaier approached AJ Allmendinger following a late race incident that relegated Allgaier to the ninth spot while Allmendinger took a top-five finish. During those final laps, it’s all taking and no giving and there will always be two sides to the story. Cooler heads relatively prevailed after a tough tangle at Daytona.

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: AUGUST 17, 2020

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REDDIT REACTIONS

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BY ALL MEANS, JGRFAN11181920 GAVE SOME PROPS TO JENNIFER Jo Cobb on her 200th NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series start.

When you consider the challenges that Cobb and her team faces, she maximizes her opportunity. Weathering through various economic plights within the sport and country, Cobb presses on.

See www.galleryofguns.com for complete program terms and conditions.

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Congratulations to Jennifer Jo Cobb on her 200th NASCAR Trucks start, which is the most starts for a woman in a single series!

r/NASCAR . Posted by u/takeover_gaming

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Who is the most underrated driver this season?

TAKEOVER_GAMING HAD THE REDDIT NASCAR FANS CONSIDERING who’s been some of the most underrated drivers this year. While this fan mentioned Tyler Reddick, Austin Dillon, and Matt DiBenedetto as prime examples, jhealey0909 threw Daniel Suarez’s name into consideration for how he’s managed Gaunt Brothers Racing’s cars after a tough start. r/NASCAR . Posted by u/CouchPryor

REPLACEMENT

LIFETIME

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©2020 Davidson’s, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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[Mayer] Newman thanked Daytona officials for their response to his crash at the Daytona 500!

ALL THINGS CONSIDERED, RYAN NEWMAN’S RETURN TO DAYTONA International Speedway is a pretty special moment in NASCAR and sports.

Much like when Ernie Irvan returned to Michigan International Speedway in 1996, two years after his life-threatening crash, Newman overcame incredible odds from his harrowing crash in the 2020 Daytona 500.

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: AUGUST 17, 2020

BY THE NUMBER

37

BY THE NUMBER

CAR NO.

BY K EITH WA LTZ

■■ 2020 – Ryan Preece (Getty Images photo)

1

970 NASCAR Cup Series champion and NASCAR Hall of Famer Bobby Isaac is the only driver to win a Cup Series race driving car No. 37.

That victory came on April 18, 1968, when Isaac dominated a 200-lap race at Columbia Speedway, a half-mile dirt track in Cayce, South Carolina. Isaac started sixth in Nord Krauskopf’s No. 37 Dodge and led all

■■ Bobby Isaac (NASCAR photo)

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but 14 laps.

It’s interesting to note that Isaac made only seven of his 308 series starts in car No. 37 and five of those resulted in top-five finishes.

Overall statistics show that cars carrying No. 37 in the NASCAR Cup Series have only 18 top-five finishes and 84 top-10 results in just over 620 starts as the number has been used sparing throughout the years.

In a unique twist, two cars carrying No. 37 competed in the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race on June 19, 1949, at Charlotte Speedway. Archie Smith finished sixth in the No. 37 Smith Racing Ford while teammate Frank Smith ended up 21st in a Chrysler.

JTG Daughtry Racing has been the caretaker of No. 37 since the team added a second car in 2017. Chris Buescher, who drove for JTG Daughtry Racing from 2017 to 2019, has the most starts in No. 37 with 108. John Andretti is second with 54.

Ryan Preece currently drives car No. 37.

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: AUGUST 17, 2020

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