The Latest: Drivers ready their engine for NASCAR’s biggest race

By Canadian Press on February 16, 2025.

It’s NASCAR’s turn to throw its version of the Super Bowl, and the Daytona 500 is trying hard to match the hype. Captain America actor Anthony Mackie and even President Donald Trump are expected to attend the “Great American Race.”

The field is stacked with stars including four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves, seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson and 2017 Cup champion Martin Truex Jr.

___

Here’s the latest:

Trump drives onto Daytona Speedway

The president’s motorcade drove straight onto the Daytona International Speedway at 1:17 p.m. and traveled a short distance in front of tens of thousands of NASCAR fans packed into the stands before it entered a secure area.

Race will begin early, with rain on the way

The Daytona 500 will start an hour earlier than initially scheduled — and rain is on the way.

Officials moved the start time to 2 p.m. Eastern earlier this week — 70 minutes ahead of the planned green flag — because of potential rain. Inclement weather is expected to be in the area between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m., with forecasts showing 99% chance of rain. And since it takes roughly two hours to dry the track, it could be 7 p.m. before the race resumes.

Eddie Woods won’t drop the flag

Eddie and Len Wood of Wood Brothers Racing will be on the flag stand for the start of another Daytona 500. This time, though, Eddie will actually get to hold the green flag.

“The first thing you think about was, ‘I sure hope I don’t drop it,’” Eddie Wood said. “I always thought it would have a loop on it to go around your wrist, but it doesn’t.”

Wood Brothers Racing will serve as honorary starters for “The Great American Race.” The famed NASCAR team did the same in 2010, with founders Glenn and Leonard Wood handling flag duties with Eddie and Len standing in the background.

A unique fire suit for the Daytona 500

Justin Haley is dressed for a rough ride — more like a rodeo — at Daytona. Haley is wearing the most unique fire suit in this year’s 500, possibly in the history of the event.

Haley’s Chili’s-sponsored outfit resembles jeans and a cowboy shirt. He’s wearing it with a cowboy hat for driver introductions. Haley is driving the No. 7 Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports.

He has one victory in 144 Cup Series starts, with the lone one coming in a rain-shortened race at Daytona in 2019.

Antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR explained

23XI Racing, a team co-owned by NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan, and Front Row Motorsports have filed a federal antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR over the charter system at the heart of the Cup Series. The system allows 36 cars to have charter that guarantees them a spot in the field at every race. There are four open spots earmarked for the field each week.

One hour before time trials began Wednesday, NASCAR filed an 86-page appeal, arguing the court erred in granting 23XI and Front Row chartered status for 2025.

The teams banded together for negotiations seeking changes to the charter system in an often-contentious battle with NASCAR for nearly two years. Last September, NASCAR presented the teams with a take-it-or-leave-it offer just before the start of the playoffs.

23XI and Front Row were the only two teams out of 15 that refused to sign, instead filing suit accusing NASCAR of being an unfair monopoly and winning a court order allowing them to compete this season as chartered teams while the lawsuit plays out.

Trump arrives in Daytona Beach

Air Force One landed at Daytona Beach International Airport just before 1 p.m. and after the airplane buzzed the Daytona Speedway.

Place your bets

Three-time Daytona 500 champion Denny Hamlin, 2015 race winner Joey Logano, Kyle Busch and Ryan Blaney are listed as co-favorites (+1200) to win the race, per BetMGM Sportsbook.

Hamlin starts eighth, the highest spot among the four drivers. Busch is 0 for 19 lifetime in the 500. Blaney and Logano are in Fords for Team Penske. Hamlin drives a Toyota and Busch a Chevrolet.

Some of NASCAR’s biggest stars have never won the Daytona 500. Brad Keselowski is 0 for 15. Kyle Larson is 0 for 11. And Martin Truex Jr. is 0 for 20.

IndyCar visits NASCAR

Among those in attendance for the Daytona 500 were IndyCar champions Scott Dixon and Josef Newgarden, who have both won the Indianapolis 500.

Newgarden has won the last two Indy 500s and the two-time series champion joined his Team Penske counterparts at Daytona. Penske has three cars in the race. Dixon is a six-time IndyCar Series champion who won the Indy 500 in 2008. He was a guest of Jimmie Johnson, who was Dixon’s teammate for two years when Johnson tried open-wheel racing.

Dixon said he’d love to enter the Daytona 500 and has been talking about it with Johnson, who owns Legacy Motor Club, which has three cars in Sunday’s race.

Trump says the spirit of NASCAR ‘will fuel America’s Golden Age’

In a presidential message released as he flew to the race, Trump said the Daytona 500 brings together people from all walks of life in a “shared passion for speed, adrenaline, and the thrill of the race.”

“From the roar of the engines on the track to the echo of ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ soaring through the stands, the Daytona 500 is a timeless tribute to the speed, strength, and unyielding spirit that make America great. That spirit is what will fuel America’s Golden Age, and if we harness it, the future is truly ours.”

Trump said “the golden age of America” began with his inauguration.

Goodyear Blimp at 100: The ‘floating piece of Americana’ is still thriving

Flying a few hundred feet above the streets and shores of Daytona Beach, the Goodyear Blimp draws a crowd.

Onlookers stare and point. Drivers pull over for better looks, snapping pictures, recording videos and trying to line up the perfect selfie. For some, it’s nostalgic. For others, it’s a glimpse at a larger-than-life advertising icon.

At 100 years old, the blimp is an ageless star in the sky. And the 246-foot-long airship will be in the background of the Daytona 500 on Sunday — roughly 1,500 feet above Daytona International Speedway, actually — to celebrate its latest and greatest anniversary tour.

Even though remote camera technologies — drones, mostly — are improving regularly and changing the landscape of aerial footage, the blimp continues to carve out a niche. At Daytona, with the usual 40-car field racing around a 2 1/2-mile superspeedway, views from the blimp aptly provide the scope of the event.

▶ Read more about the Goodyear Blimp

Mr. Worldwide takes center stage at Daytona

Pitbull is on stage for the Daytona 500 pre-race concert. He’s doing a nine-song set that includes hits “Fireball” and “Timber.”

Mr. Worldwide joined Trackhouse as an ownership partner ahead of the race team’s debut in the Cup Series in the 2021 Daytona 500. But they ended their partnership earlier this week.

Pitbull, whose real name is Armando Christian Perez, said he loves both NASCAR and music, and the two are part of his vision to unite people and show the opportunities that exist for all cultures.

How ‘world-class driver’ Helio Castroneves entered the race

Four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves will race in the Daytona 500 as a special 41st driver under a new rule that allows for a “world-class driver” to receive a provisional spot.

NASCAR added a new provision this year that earmarks a starting position for such drivers. Castroneves claimed that spot in the big race as part of the rule change and will be driving for Trackhouse Racing, making his NASCAR debut at 49.

The Brazilian did not want to use the provisional and hoped to race his way into the field. But he was involved in an early eight-car accident that sent his Chevrolet behind the wall for repairs and took him out of contention for one of the open spots available in his Thursday night 150-mile qualifying race at Daytona International Speedway.

“Unfortunately, we’re going to have to take the provisional,” Castroneves said. “That’s not what we wanted, but we will. And, in the end, we have more to learn.”

Trump is on his way to the Daytona 500

Air Force One took off from Palm Beach International Airport shortly after noon. According to the White House, Trump is bringing several guests to the race. Among them are his son, Eric, and grandson, Luke, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum. Several members of Congress are also traveling with Trump.

It will be Trump’s second appearance at the Daytona 500.

Who is this Hélio guy?

There’s a new face in the Daytona 500: Hélio Castroneves will make his NASCAR debut.

The four-time Indianapolis 500 winner and former “Dancing With the Stars” mirror ball winner will make his Cup Series debut at age 49. Castroneves is often miscalled “Heel-eeeoh” and doesn’t bother correcting people. The actual pronunciation is “El-eo.”

“They call me Julio, Hello, as long as they call my name, it’s OK,” Castroneves said. “It’s definitely unique.”

Name confusion is nothing new for the Brazilian, who was born Hélio Alves de Castro Neves. He changed his last name to Castroneves in 2000 after team members suggested Castro Neves was too closely associated with Fidel Castro.

The Big One?

It’s a wreck. OK, not just a wreck, but THE wreck that destroys cars, alters the outcome of the race and puts drivers in danger.

There was a scary one in 2020, with Ryan Newman’s terrifying tumble that nearly killed him on the final lap of the race. The wreck started when Newman hit the wall, bounced back into traffic and was drilled by another driver. His car flipped, landed on its roof and skidded to a halt in a harrowing, heart-stopping show of sparks and flames.

NASCAR fans and fellow competitors feared the worst for Newman, but the 2008 Daytona 500 winner walked out of the hospital 48 hours later holding hands with his daughters.

Chris Stapleton has arrived

Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Chris Stapleton has arrived at Daytona. Stapleton and his whiskey label are sponsoring the No. 40 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports with Justin Allgaier behind the wheel. It’s the first Daytona 500 entry for team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Stapleton visited with Team Hendrick owner Rick Hendrick, who also is affiliated with Chevrolet, as well as several drivers.

Stapleton is fresh off winning his 11th Grammy, this one for best country solo performance.

Which car manufacturers race in NASCAR?

NASCAR currently has three manufacturers: Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota. Dodge spent decades in the sport before pulling out at the end of the 2012 season because of economic challenges. Dodge also was out between 1977 and 2001. Chevy and Ford have been in NASCAR since its inception, with Toyota joining in 2007.

Several past winners will take the field

The field is littered with past winners, starting with 2024 champion William Byron. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (2023), Austin Cindric (2022), Michael McDowell (2021), Austin Dillon (2018) and Joey Logano (2015) are all in the field.

Jimmie Johnson is a two-time winner (2006, 2013). Denny Hamlin could become the third driver ever with at least four Daytona 500 victories. He won in 2016 and then went back-to-back in 2019 and 2020.

So who has the most wins?

Richard Petty won seven times, and Cale Yarborough has four. Jeff Gordon, Dale Jarrett and Bobby Allison have three each.

What is drafting?

Drafting at superspeedways is paramount. It’s a technique in which two or more cars race bumper-to-bumper to reduce aerodynamic drag and create more speed together than they would alone. NASCAR Hall of Famer Junior Johnson used the science to perfection to win the 1960 Daytona 500.

Even ‘The King’ gets searched

With President Trump visiting the Daytona 500 and the Secret Service on hand, extra security was all the talk around the track. Hundreds of visitors lined up at various entry gates to get through hours before the race.

And no one was immune — not even seven-time NASCAR champion Richard Petty. “The King” posted a picture on X showing him walking through a metal detector with his arms raised. The phot was captioned, “No one is exempt from the Secret Service Search!”

Who is favored to win?

Busch and Blaney are listed as co-favorites (+1200) to win the race, per BetMGM Sportsbook.

Alan Ritchson gets taken for a wild ride

Actor Alan Ritchson, star of “Jack Reacher” on Amazon Prime, turned a few hot laps around Daytona International Speedway to prepare for his role as the Daytona 500 pace-car driver.

Ritchson was a passenger in a Chevrolet Blazer EV SS, with former Daytona 500 winner Ricky Stenhouse Jr. behind the wheel. Stenhouse, who had never driven an electric vehicle at Daytona, was supposed to cap his speed at 99 mph. But Ritchson peeked over and saw 130 mph.

“Are you sure you want us going as fast as you can on the first time out?” Ritchson quipped. “It’s a little creepy being that close to the wall.”

How fast are the cars going?

They are traveling about 190 mph but could be going in excess of 200 mph. NASCAR, however, mandates cars use tapered spacers to reduce the amount of air flowing into engines — thus limiting horsepower and speed. The power-sapping safety measure was first installed after Bobby Allison’s car, traveling at 210 mph, went airborne and tore through the catchfence at Talladega Superspeedway in 1987. The car came dangerously close to landing in the grandstands.

Flags to know

The most common ones waved by the flagman are:

Green flag: Used to start or restart a race.

Yellow flag: Slow down. Often waved because of an accident or other debris on the track that must be cleared before the race can resume.

Red flag: Stop. The track is no longer safe.

Checkered flag: Waved when a driver crosses the finish line and wins the race.

How Daytona Beach became the unofficial ‘birthplace of speed’

In 1903, two men argued over who had the fastest horseless carriage and decided to settle things in a race on the white, hardpacked sand along the Atlantic Ocean.

Since then, the region has become a motorsports mecca, and the first Daytona 500 was held Feb. 22, 1959, in front of a crowd of more than 41,000. They watched 59 cars race for a purse of less than $70,000, and the finish was so close it took three days to determine Lee Petty had edged Johnny Beauchamp.

___

AP NASCAR: https://apnews.com/hub/nascar-racing

The Associated Press

Share this story: