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Only constant is change

By Ken Willis

Daytona Beach News-Journal

By Ken Willis

O

n the eve of NASCAR’s 69th year as the nation’s premier stock-car racing sanctioning body, here’s what we know for sure.

The season will open in Daytona and close in Homestead.

Oh, and this.

It will be Tony Stewart’s last year and Chase Elliott’s first in the Sprint Cup Series.

What is it that we don’t know? Only everything else.

How can it be, you might ask, that we’re so certain of this? How do we know there’s so much we don’t know? Maybe because, through the past 68 seasons of NASCAR racing, the sport is roughly 68-for-68 when it comes to not only delivering the unpredicted, but

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Motorsports columnist

the unpredictable.

Who had the 2015 champion missing the first 11 races and eventually winning the title with his left foot and right leg held together by Aisle 12 from Ace Hardware? Who suspected such an event would be the catalyst for another update in the ongoing safety revolution?

The demise of Michael Waltrip Racing? The tworace suspension of Mild Matt Kenseth, whose Feuding

Fenders saga with Joey Logano delivered the type of fireworks that long ago turned NASCAR into reallife, real-time, really dangerous reality television on a weekly basis? Who had Stewart tripping his right-side blinker and veering toward the exit ramp?

Away from the racing groove, and maybe most importantly, who had NASCAR coming to terms, however grudgingly, with something called the Race Team Alliance? That one will continue into this year and, you know, quite likely change the entire business model of a sport that’s basically run the same way it was designed in the top-floor lounge of Daytona Beach’s Streamline Hotel in December 1947.

With that in mind, a final toast to 2015 and a popping of the cork for 2016, which brings a handful of certainties worth noting.

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What we know The most noticeab Th able chang ge for ll be 2016, at least in the beginnin ng, will Jeff unifo ff Gordon, whose Sunday ay u form il no llonger ill g be b fi firep eproof. f For the th wil first time since 1992, the fou fi ur-time champion and generational superstar, wh who play ayed an inv nval aluab ab ble role in advancing NASCAR into its billionllar network age, won’t bee behind doll the wh wheel wh when the green fla flag drops. ll be up upstairs al alon Instead, he’ll ngside Mike Joy and Darrell ll Wal alt ltrip p in the Fox broadcast booth. ubtfu ful ul Gordon can have h It’s doub the same typ type yp of imp ype mpact as a tal alk ker he did as a driv iver, but ut it’ll be int nteressting to see if he produces any of the transforational imp mpact he did wh when first mat n he fi mashed the throttle on that at N No. 24 Chevy.

As for what at Gordon will seee fr from his Fox perch ab above the track k, NASCAR is bank mat nking on dram atic dynamic changes to pro duce aerody odu dramat atic resul ults on the track k. Posit itiv ive

PHOTO BY ANDY LYONS/GETTY IMAGES

Who had the 2015 champion miss ssing g th he firs rst 11 ra races and missing the first eve ventuallly winning the title eventually with his le eft ft fo foot ot and right leg left held toget ther by Aisle 12 fro rom together from Ace Hardw Ac ware? Who suspect wa cted Hardware? suspected such an eve eevent vent wo would be the cat atalys yst st fo or another updat ate in catalyst for update the ongoing safety rrevolution? evolution? vo

ults, of course, at least in the t eyes resul of the fa fans, who are al always cllamoring for more of the slip fo ippin’ and sllidin’ and door-bangin’ that at fi first grabb bed and hooked them decades ago.

They cal They all it the new “down nforce package,” with tweak aks to thee rear spoiler and fr front nt splitter designed to mak ake each car more suscep ptib ible to nat atural al turbul ulence and theerefo fore

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By April, th hey’ll Th too, is a given. What That, Whatever new rule is implem ment nted, event ntuall lly a heal althy con nstituency of racers, crew chiefs and owners will complain. Another certaint nty: The Th teams ng racees won’t be among winning them.

More questions ons than ans answers answe sw wers Meanw nwhilee, on that competitiv ive front, it’s assumed the chief contenders will ll sstill ll inclu lude NASCAR’s longstanding gold standard – Hendrick Motorssports – as well as last year’s other top t perfo formers fr from the Joe Gib ibbss and Roger Penske shops.

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Gibbs fielded last year’s championship team (Kyle Busch’s No. 18) while Penske’s No. 22, piloted by Joey Logano, had perhaps the best all-around year, which included the season-opening Daytona 500 victory.

Other longtime team owners, as they did last year, are hoping for an uptick. Jack Roush is looking for answers, Richard Childress is looking for Victory Lane.

Both know what it’s like to field a champion. Nowadays, they’re just trying to get back in the lead pack on a weekly basis.

Can Jimmie Johnson win that seventh championship? Can Tony Stewart go out with a (positive) bang? Can Danica Patrick slide over into the passing lane?It’ll all start at Daytona with the type of dramatics guaranteed with a restrictor-plate rule that packs all cars together, in tight formation, at about 200 mph.

The winner will be both lucky and good.

It’ll end about nine months later as you’re finalizing Thanksgiving plans.

In between, who knows?

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Fans will have the most modern of amenities from which to watch racing this year

T

he NASCAR racing g season begins at Daytona Internatio onal Speedway, International agree and most drivers ag gree that Speedweeks is an experie experience ence onto its own.

Speeedweeks in gen“You almost separate Speedweeks eral from the season,” season, driver driveer Martin Truex prestigious race you Jr. said. “It’s such a big, prestigious winn really are focused in on winning ning it.

“We’ll go to Daytona and do all we can to win the Daytona 500. I don’t don’’t know how awesome it would be to win thatt race, but I’ve seen what it’s done to other people and what it means to their career. It’s a race you want to win.”

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There is a new and expensi expensive ive w wrinkle to this season’s racing racin ng p triiprogram over the 2.5-mile trio oval at Daytona. Race fans can caan eexpect a totally new experience. experien nce.

Unique spectator experience U experiennce S t t Spectators will ill b be greeted t db by a nearly mile-long motorsports motorsports stadium, the first of its kind in i the s world, which cost $400 million w milliion aand took more than 2½ yearss to cconstruct.

Contractor Barton Malow broke ground on the project on o b m JJuly 8, 2013, and the stadium occcurreceived its certificate of occupancy on Jan. 12, 2016. p 150-foot The 150 foot tall structuree ffeatures five primary entrances entrancces d dubbed “fan injectors” and loads lo oads of “vertical transportation,” o as escalators and elevators, s such elevators, will whisk fans to one of w which concourse levels. t three Each level has open areas in n tthe concourses called “neigh“neigh hb borhoods,” where race fans will w

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find a variety off food and drink courtyard choices plus a co ourtyard with chairs. tables and chair s.

The concours concoursee areas will offer fans free Wi-Fi, so fa ans can keep up with family frien friends nds on social media platforms s, or just surf the platforms, b web.

The Speedway y will have more than 1,600 flat screen s televisions stadium posted in the sta adium so fans will of action never miss one minute m the happening on th he track.

And unlike thee old grandstand, if there is rain, spectators s can take cover in any y concourse, which all have cover. c

A decade of work work o Over the last decade d Daytona Speedway, International Sp peedway, owned

by Internationall Speedway family Corp. and the fa amily of NASCAR founder William m H.G. France, has transformed. been transforme ed.

It started with h a new garage,

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paddock and “fanzone” in 2005.

2 The entire surface of the tri-oval course was torn out ut and rep placed in 2010. The backstretch grand g stand, which once boasted d more th 60 than 60,000 000 seats, t h has b beeen razed.

Daytona Rising was the last l and most expensive piece of o the puzzle in the Speedway red design.

“The property looks so awe a some,” Speedway presiden nt Joie Chitwood III said. “We thiink oy fans are really going to enjo their experience here.”

You won’t find any disag greement from race drivers drivers.

“To go outside the track and look in, it doesn’t look like a race track, it looks like a stadium m,” MurNASCAR driver Jamie McM ray. “It’s really cool. They did an awesome job on that.”

McMurray’s teammate at a Ganassi Racing, Kyle Larso on, started racing at Daytona the t year construction started on o

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“The process we’ve gone through over several years, such as improve the garage area and fan experience and repaving the track. We spent $400 million for the fan part of this venue. This is all for the fans.”

– Jim France, chairman of International Speedway Corp.

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“I’d never even been to Daytona until three years ago, but it’s definitely taller and bigger now,” the 23-year-old driver said during a recent test session.

“I’d like to go up there into the breezeway and check it out. I’ve heard it’s spectacular. Once I get on the other side, I’ll see all the changes and how cool they are.”

‘The finest experience in the world’ Jim France, 71, who is chairman of International Speedway Corp., finished the installation of the final seat (of 101,500) in the new stadium on Jan. 19.

“This is one of the most spectacular motorsports facilities that I’ve ever seen in my life,” France said. “I’ve been to many places around the world and nothing compares to this.”

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Daytona track in 1958. It opened for business in February, 1959 with the running of the inaugural Daytona 500 and several other support races.

“I think this is something my father would have been proud of,” France said. “This is the kind of thing he would have brought about.

“The process we’ve gone through over several years, such as improve the garage area and fan experience and repaving the track. We spent $400 million for the fan part of this venue. This is all for the fans.”

Daytona Rising stretches almost a mile along International Speedway Boulevard, which is the primary, gateway highway into Daytona Beach, Florida.

“The fans coming here are in for a real treat,” France said. “Anybody coming to Daytona Beach for a motorsports event will find this the finest experience in the world.”

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Joie Chitwood, President of Daytona International Speedway, talks with the media during a tour of the Daytona Rising project during NASCAR Preseason Thunder at Daytona International Speedway on Jan. 9, 2014, in Daytona Beach, Florida. PHOTO BY JERRY MARKLAND/NASCAR VIA GETTY IMAGES

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In a puff of

SMOKE S MOKE

Trimmed-down Tony Stewart set for final season

By Seth Livingstone

Motor Racing Network

T

ony Stewart might be in the best shape of his life, and just in time.

At 44, the three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion has declared this to be his final Sprint Cup season as a driver, and he’s doing everyevery thing in his power to make it memorable.

“I’m eating better, drinking better, working out, doing stuff I swore I would never do – and I’m doing it in my last year,” said Stewart during January’s Charlotte Motor Speedway Media Tour.

“I’ve changed my diet. I’ve changed

everything for this year, so if anybody has any questions about how dedicated we are to having the best year we possibly could have, that’s the answer. I’m more excited about this year than I have been in a long time.”

Season goals Stewart would love to emulate the farefare well season enjoyed by Jeff Gordon, who went into the final race of the 2015 season with a shot at his fifth Sprint Cup title.

“That was 99 percent of a perfect (final) season,” Stewart said. “I don’t have any grand illusions that I’m going to have that kind of year. It may or may not be in our

cards. We’re going to give 100 percent, but the main focus will be to have fun this last year. If we can go out and win races and have an opportunity, trust me, I’ll be ready.”

In his dream scenario, Stewart said, he would win the Daytona 500, the Southern 500 at Darlington and a Sprint Cup race at Kentucky Speedway to give him checkered flags at every track on the circuit.

Kurt Busch said he wouldn’t put anyany thing past Stewart, who is both his teammate and boss.

“Jeff Gordon had a fantastic final season. I don’t see why Tony Stewart can’t do the same thing,” he said. “He’s a

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three-time champion in stock cars, he’s a champion from open-wheel ... he’s won in everything. Having a teammate and a car owner going through a retirement tour, there will be times when I’ll be giving that extra 5 percent on a given day to help him out.”

Stewart knows that two more victories would get him to 50, but even one victory would be enough to get him to the Chase with a shot at one last title. No matter what, he insists this will be his Sprint Cup swan song.

“Even if we went out there and won 15 races and won the championship, we’re done,” he said. “When Homestead haphap pens, no matter how the year went, we’re done. If it’s a terrible year, I’m not going to sit there and go, ‘Wow, that defined my career,’ because the stats will define how we did over 18 years.”

Looking back Stewart’s past two seasons have not been indicative of his 48 career wins and 300 top-10 finishes in 590 Sprint Cup starts.

He has not won a race since June 2, 2013, at Dover and failed to notch a top-five finish last season.

There have been extenuating circumstances – a broken leg that halted his 2013 season and the tragic incident in August 2014, when Stewart struck and killed a fellow competitor while running a caution lap during a sprint car race in upstate New York.

Although it will be Stewart’s final season as a Cup driver, he’ll remain active as a co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing with Gene Haas, participating in the dayto-day operations of a high-profile team with championship expectations. defi “I think we have two guys who definitely have a great opportunity to race for a championship” this year, said Stewart, referring to 2014 Sprint Cup champion Kevin Harvick and Busch, a former champ who finished eighth in points last season.

Only Kyle Busch stood between Harvick and a second consecutive Sprint Cup title.

Harvick, who turned 40 in December, has eight victories in his two seasons with Stewart-Haas. He registered career highs

PHOTO BY CHRIS TROTMAN/NASCAR VIA GETTY IMAGES

in top 10s (23) and laps led last season when he also matched his career-best with an average finishing position of 8.7.

Kurt Busch had two victories and three poles in 2015.

Matching a career high with 21 top-10 finishes (in 33 starts), Busch finished eighth in points.

“We need to bump it up another spot,” he said. “We know we did good things (but) we need more top fives.”

On Danica That leaves Danica Patrick, now 34, who has yet to register a top-five finish in 118 Sprint Cup starts. She managed a pair of Martins top 10s last season – a seventh at Martinsville and a ninth at Bristol – but finished no better than 15th in any of her final 28 races.

“Clearly, I need to be able to finish better to be able to make the Chase,” said Patrick, who has replaced Go Daddy with Nature’s Bakery as her primary sponsor.

“She understands how the cars work,” said Haas, noting that Patrick has been teamed with a new crew chief in Billy Scott. “She understands all the ins and outs of racing a Cup car. Now, it’s time for her to concentrate on going faster. We realize she’s a unique talent out there and we’re just trying to find a more accurate combination that will provide better results.

Stewart, for his part, continues to be publicly supportive on NASCAR’s most prominent female competitor.

“I don’t know what it’s going to take. I still stand behind the fact that she hasn’t spent a ton of time in these cars,” Stewart said. “You can say she’s been in the Cup Series for four years, but most guys by the time they’ve got to the Cup Series have had a lot of time in a stock car. She did not have that.

“So, I would say if she just keeps making forward progress, that that’s going to be a good year. It’s so hard to pinpoint and say ‘this is what the goal is. This is what we expect.’ If her stats get better than what they were last year, that’s what we look at as improvement. As long as we’re moving the needle forward and not backward, that’s what we want to do.”

“I’m more exxcited c about this year than I have been in a long time.”

To ony Stewart

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BY BOB BOB LE LEVERONE/NASCAR VERONE/NASCAR VIA GETTY IMA IMAGES GES

TOP T OP TEAM TEA AM

A NEW

HENDRICK Rick Hendrick Rick Hendrick ssays ays changes changes w won’t on’t deter deter team team

By Pete Pistone Motor Racing Network

I

t will be a season of transition for Hendrick Motorsports and the organization is looking forward to it.

Jeff Gordon steps into his new role as a teletele vision analyst, opening the door for rookie Chase Elliott to take the wheel of the famed No. 24 ChevChev rolet. He joins Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kasey Kahne in what team owner Rick Hendrick still believes is one of the top driver lineups in the sport.

“It doesn’t matter what kind of business you’re in, it’s the kind of people you have that’s important,” said Hendrick. “We’re looking out of the windshield, not in the rear-view mirror. We focus on the championships ahead, not the ones behind us.”

The ne new w team Elliott isn’t shying away from a situation that will certainly bring pressure. But the former XFINITY Series champion isn’t letting the idea of taking the seat of a future Hall of Famer in Gordon get in the way of the matter at hand and setting realistic goals.

“No matter where we start – good, bad, ugly, great, fantastic – wherever it is, if we can start at that point and improve, that’s how we’re going to achieve our goals,” Elliott explained. “I’m confident. This is a winning team. We have no excuse if I do my part to compete for good runs and, hopefully, some wins.”

Elliott has a trio of veteran teammates to learn from in his first full season at NASCAR’s highest

“It doesn’t matter what kind of business you’re in, it’s the kind of people you have that’s important.

We’re looking out of the windshield, not in the rear-view mirrorr. We foocu ocus on the championships ahead, not the ones behind us.”

– Rick Hendrick

level. But he’ll also have to compete against them on the racetrack for wins and all are prepared to find success in the coming season.

“We’re winning races, I’m having more fun than I’ve ever had driving racecars and I’ve got to give the company all the credit,” said Earnhardt, who won three races last season with first-year crew chief Greg Ives. “The cars are the best in the garage, the people are the best and every time you get in it, you’ve got all the confidence in the world that it’s going to do what you want it to do. We’ve had more fun the last two years than I can ever remember having and I hope to keep it going.”

Kahne went winless a year ago but is ready to put that disappointment behind.

“We communicated and did the things we needed to do together,” Kahne said of his relationship with crew chief Keith Rodden. “We need to figure out how to have more speed in the cars, but I enjoy working with him.”

Building on last season So for the first time in more than two decades, a guy named Gordon will not be campaigning a HenHen drick car. It’ll be different for the organization that’s been the gold standard in the Cup Series for years, but Hendrick does not envision a slowdown.

“If you’ve been to the top of the mountain, it’s hard to sit out there in Las Vegas and not be on that stage,” he said. “We’ve got a commitment within our organization. All the crew chiefs, engineers and drivers ... we’ve never worked together any better or as much as we have toward the end of last year and in the off-season. Our guys are fired up.”

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CHANGES

AHEAD NASCAR CEO reports on changes for 2016 and the sport’s future

New formats

Charter system

Safety

New sponsor

PHOTO BY BOB LEVERONE/NASCAR VIA GETTY IMAGES

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