‘Race To the Chase’ Rolls Into 2nd Week, At Daytona
One week down, nine more to go in the “Race to the Chase” which serves as the prelude to NASCAR’s “playoffs” – the “Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.”
The top 12 is thus the main focus as the schedule rolls on, with the start of the Chase, set for Sept. 20 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The Race to the Chase features some of the most historic tracks in all of racing: Indianapolis, Watkins Glen, Bristol – and this week, Daytona International Speedway, NASCAR’s premier facility in terms of both history and prestige.
Restrictor-plate racing throws a wild card into the deck that’s sure to be stacked with excitement for Saturday night’s Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola. Tony Stewart (No. 14 Burger King Chevrolet) is the series points leader – and a two-time winner of Daytona’s summer race. Stewart leads Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet) by 69 points but an even more intense battle rages further down in the top 12. From eighth place to 14th, the separation is only 71 points. From 10th to 14th, the gap is merely 17 points. “The heat is really on in that range,” said 11th-place Mark Martin (No. 5 Kellogg’s/CARQUEST Chevrolet).
In the middle of that maelstrom is none other than Juan Pablo Montoya (No. 42 Target Chevrolet), holding down the tenuous 12th-place position for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing, somewhat surprisingly. Montoya, the 2000 Indianapolis 500 champion and former Formula One star, is in his third NASCAR season and appears to be acclimating. This is the first year of a merger between the former Chip Ganassi Racing With Felix Sabates organization and Dale Earnhardt Inc.
“When I came here my expectations were not that high,” Montoya said. “I think the ability is there [now] and the momentum is there ... we’ve just got to keep the ball rolling.”
Get The Point(s): Drivers Trying To Boost Chase Seedings
Let’s use Mark Martin as a perfect example on why winning races is more vital than ever in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Martin is 11th in the series standings. But in terms of potential “seedings” for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, he’s second.
To rehash: The 12 drivers who qualify for the Chase will have their point totals reset to 5,000. They will then get 10 bonus points for each pre-Chase victory. Those new totals will create seedings to start the Chase. As it now stands, Kyle Busch (No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota) and Martin, with three victories apiece thus far, would start the Chase with 5,030 points, atop the field. (Busch would get the distinction of top seed, via better race finishes beyond wins.)
Said Martin: “I wouldn’t trade our season for a consistent one that hadn’t won – that’s for sure.”
After Martin, the driver who stands to benefit most from the bonus-point rule is former series champion Matt Kenseth (No. 17 R&L Carriers Ford). Kenseth comes to Daytona 10th in points but also in line for the fourth Chase seed thanks to his two wins that started the year.
‘Double-File Restarts – Shootout Style’ Coming To Site Of The Shootout
The advent of “Double-File Restarts – Shootout Style” in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series has been greeted enthusiastically thus far as an obvious boon to competition.
Enthusiasm will get a further boost Saturday night when the series races at Daytona International, home of the Budweiser Shootout each February, a non-points event that long has used the double-file restarts.
In addition, double-file restarts will debut in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, in Friday night’s event.
Double-file restarts replace the previous approach of having lead-lap cars in one row on the outside and lapped cars in the other row alongside.
“I’m a big fan of this double-file restart stuff,” said Tony Stewart. “It’s so much fun restarting with the guys that you’re racing with and are used to running up front with and not having to deal with some of these other guys on the restarts that you sometimes have to deal with.”
Daytona’s high banks bring the added element of restrictor-plate racing, which Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M/Scotchbrite Ford) says will mix well with the new restarts.
“I think restrictor plate racing will be the biggest beneficiary of double-file restarts,” Biffle said. “We’re already racing two-wide and three-wide all the time already, why not start them two-wide.
“It totally makes sense.”
Silver Anniversary Of A Golden Moment: Petty, Daytona Set To Celebrate July 4, 1984
July 4, 1984 at Daytona International Speedway was a day that surely crossed boundaries for many sports fans.
Whether you were a follower of stock car racing or not, you had to appreciate the scene of NASCAR’s most prolific and popular champion, Richard Petty, getting his milestone 200th victory, winning the Firecracker 400 in his iconic No. 43 STP Pontiac.
Likewise, no matter your political leanings, chances are you had to admit it was pretty cool that then-President Ronald Reagan gave the command to start the race from Air Force One, did a short stint in the MRN radio broadcast booth – actually giving the call for a few laps – and joined Petty for the post-race victory celebration.
“We got the President of the United States on the sports page, and the President of the United States got us on front page,” Petty said. “So it was a pretty good trade-off.”
Petty never won another race, although he tried for the rest of 1984 and eight more frustrating seasons after that. In retrospect, it seems almost as if fate intervened to have Petty get his last victory at the track where he built his legend, mainly via a record seven Daytona 500 victories.
Saturday, Petty will have a chance to celebrate. Daytona’s summer race, now called the Coke Zero 400, no longer is always held on July 4 but rather the Saturday closest to the holiday. The calendar, though, has fallen just right this year. Once again, NASCAR’s top series is racing on the 4th.
“Everything was perfect for that day for us,” Petty reminisced last week about 1984, during a NASCAR CAM video teleconference.
“The main thing was that we were prepared to do the best we could and we were prepared for what the circumstances were – and we were able to beat the circumstances.
“So, you know, although it’s been 25 years ago, I still remember a lot of it. But [since] it’s the last time I won a race driving, naturally that’s going to be in your memory the most.”
Two weeks ago at Infineon Raceway, Petty, now a part owner in a first-year organization called Richard Petty Motorsports, returned to Victory Lane as an owner for the first time since 1999, thanks to Kasey Kahne’s (No. 9 Budweiser Dodge) victory.
Whether Kahne can get “The King” back to Daytona’s Victory Lane remains to be seen. His average finish is 18th at the 2.5-mile track in 11 starts.
Daytona International Speedway has a variety of Petty-themed, fan-oriented activities scheduled for this weekend.
Petty pacing the 43-car field of the Coke Zero 400 prior to the waving of the green flag in a replica of the 1984 Daytona No. 43 Pontiac.
Appearances by Petty throughout the weekend at the speedway in the Sprint FANZONE, Coke Zero Club and Daytona 500 Experience.
Displays inside the Sprint FANZONE, Daytona 500 Experience and Coke Zero Club of race-winning Petty cars on loan from the Petty Museum in Randleman, N.C. The exhibit inside the Daytona 500 Experience will remain on display through the end of the year
A special $43 Coke Zero 400 ticket offer for the Oldfield and Lockhart Grandstands.
An exclusive ticket package that will put race fans in the suite on the frontstretch with Petty for Saturday’s race.
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