The Morning After: DAYTONA 500 Victory Still ‘Surreal’ for Kurt Busch

Feb 27, 2017 | NASCAR

The Morning After:
DAYTONA 500 Victory Still ‘Surreal’ for Kurt Busch
· Latest Winner of ‘The Great American Race’ Honored at Annual Champion’s Breakfast
· Stewart-Haas No. 41 Car Starts Year-Long Showcasing at DIS Ticket and Tours Building
· Busch Embarking on Whirlwind New York Media Tour

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 27, 2017) – Twelve hours after celebrating his DAYTONA 500 victory in Daytona International Speedway’s Gatorade Victory Lane, the newest champion of “The Great American Race” was still processing the defining moment of his NASCAR career.

“It’s surreal,” the Stewart-Haas Racing driver said Monday morning, during the annual Champion’s Breakfast in the Speedway’s Bill France Room. “Wins are hard to come by … but to win the DAYTONA 500, it’s hard to put into words. It’s beyond belief, really.
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Kurt Busch Rides Last-Lap Pass to DAYTONA 500 Victory

Feb 26, 2017 | NASCAR

Kurt Busch Rides Last-Lap Pass to DAYTONA 500 Victory
· Three-Time DAYTONA 500 Runner-Up Finally Gets Career-Defining Result
· Ryan Blaney, AJ Allmendinger Finish 2nd, 3rd
· Mid-Race Accident Ends Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Run

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 26, 2017) – Kurt Busch used a last-lap pass to win the 59th annual DAYTONA 500 Sunday in a raucous, rough-and-tumble season-opening race for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.

Busch (No. 41 Haas Automation/Monster Energy Ford), a three-time DAYTONA 500 runner-up and the 2004 series champion, made a high-line move coming off the Daytona International Speedway backstretch to pass Kyle Larson (No. 42 Target Chevrolet), as Larson was running out of fuel. Busch beat Ryan Blaney (No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford) at the line by 0.228 seconds, with AJ Allmendinger (Kroger Click List Chevrolet) finishing third.
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Ryan Reed Wins NASCAR PowerShares QQQ 300

Feb 26, 2017 | NASCAR

Ryan Reed Wins PowerShares QQQ 300,
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Fastest in Final DAYTONA 500 Practice
· 59th DAYTONA 500, Set for 2 p.m. Sunday, to Open Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Season
· Elliott, Earnhardt to Lead 40-Car DAYTONA 500 Field to Green Flag

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 25, 2017) – In a race that evolved dramatically from early attrition into stunning door-to-door competition, Ryan Reed won the PowerShares QQQ 300, the high-intensity season-opener for the NASCAR XFINITY Series on Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway.

It required “NASCAR Overtime” which extended the race to 124 laps, four more than the scheduled distance. Reed, driver of the No. 16 Lilly Diabetes Ford, surprisingly out-dueled three of NASCAR’s major stars – Kasey Kahne, Austin Dillon and Brad Keselowski – during the OT. Reed, the 300’s champion in 2015, edged Kahne by 0.219 seconds at the stripe.
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Rookie Kaz Grala Avoids Last-Lap Incident, Wins NextEra Energy Resources 250

Feb 25, 2017 | NASCAR

Rookie Kaz Grala Avoids Last-Lap Incident, Wins NextEra Energy Resources 250
· Grala Becomes Youngest Daytona Race-Winner in NASCAR National Series History
· David Ragan, Kyle Busch Top DAYTONA 500 Practice Sessions
· PowerShares QQQ 300 Opens NASCAR XFINITY Series Season on Saturday

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 24, 2017) – Rookie driver Kaz Grala guided his truck through, then past a last-lap incident involving 13 trucks to win an action-filled NextEra Energy Resources 250 on Friday night at Daytona International Speedway, to open the season for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

Grala, an 18-year-old who started on the pole in the No. 33 Kiklos Greek Extra Virgin Olive Oil Chevrolet, emerged from the backstretch incident that ruined a dominating effort by Grala’s teammate, defending race champion – and reigning series champion – Johnny Sauter (No. 21 Allegiant Travel Chevrolet). Sauter led 52 laps of the 100-lap race, in the process also winning the race’s first two “stages” – in the debut of NASCAR’s new national-series format that divides races into three stages and awards points for each stage. Friday’s stages were 20, 20 and 60 laps.
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