Trevor Bayne (21), Tony Steward (14), Bobby Labonte (47) and Mark Martin (5) race for position during the 2011 Daytona 500. Photo by Photo by Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR
Call it the calm before the storm begins anew. A wildly successful Rolex 24 went into the books this past weekend with Penske Racing’s first-year driver AJ Allmendinger taking the checkered flag for Michael Shank Racing. A harbinger of the season to come, perhaps, the Daytona International Speedway infield was packed with fans before the start of the 50th anniversary of the twice-round-the-clock affair.
Now everyone takes a deep breath before the engines fire again. Speedweeks 2012 resume on Friday, Feb. 17, when practice gets underway for the Budweiser Shootout. The traditional opening event of the year, 75 laps around Daytona’s 2.5-mile high banked superspeedway, will run at 8:10 p.m. ET on FOX.
With this year’s Daytona 500 scheduled a week later than usual – on Feb. 26, live on FOX at 1 p.m. ET – teams receive a bit of extra prep time before assembling in Florida. Even so, there remain plenty of pre-season storylines upon which to chew. Several follow.
AJ Aims At Historic Double
AJ Allmendinger attempts to become the first driver to win the Rolex 24 overall title and the Daytona 500 in the same season. (Casey Mears won the 2006 Rolex 24 and finished 2nd in that year’s Daytona 500 to Jimmie Johnson.) True to form, Allmendinger, the top Closer in the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, ran the final three hours or 12.5% of the race for the win.
After winning the Rolex 24, a follow-up victory in the Great American Race would celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first time the No. 22 won the 500 – in 1962 with Fireball Roberts. It’s been 10 years since Ward Burton won in the 22 in 2002. Roger Penske seeks his second victory in the Daytona 500 in five years, taking the 50th running of NASCAR’s biggest race with Ryan Newman behind the wheel.
Turning 30 last month, Allmendinger could become the sixth driver to win the 500 at that age, tying 36 for most wins by a driver at a specific age. Allmendinger’s best finish in the 500 came in his first try – 2009 when he finished third.
Harvick Heads Home An HOFer
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After back-to-back third-place finishes in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings, Kevin Harvick hopes to jump-start his 2012 title hopes with a visit to Las Vegas on Tuesday to help promote the Kobalt Tools 400 on March 11 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Harvick has three top-five finishes and four top-10s in 11 NASCAR Sprint Cup starts at the track, including a runner-up finish two years ago to Jimmie Johnson.
Last week, Harvick was inducted into the Bob Elias Kern County Sports Hall of Fame in Bakersfield, Calif., his hometown. Harvick is just the fourth race car driver to be inducted, joining four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Rick Mears, off-road champion Roger Mears and many-time Indy 500 competitor George Snider. Harvick told the Bakersfield Californian: “To get this honor while still racing, it sort of makes me feel old. It’s a pretty cool deal for me. You know how much this town and race track (Mesa Marin) supported my career.”
“We’ve been fortunate all the way through my career to win championships,” Harvick continued. “The Daytona 500 is the biggest race and to win that was great. Obviously, the biggest we want is the (NASCAR Sprint) Cup championship and we’re still working towards that.”
During the Richard Childress Racing stop on the recent NASCAR Sprint Media Tour Hosted by Charlotte Motor Speedway, Harvick announced that he and wife DeLana, both raised in racing families, were expecting a child this year.
Another Different Daytona 500 Winner?
Trevor Bayne became the 10th consecutive different Daytona 500 winner in 2010 – a streak that began in 2002. Only three drivers have won the Great American Race in consecutive seasons: Richard Petty (1973-74), Cale Yarborough (1983-84) and Sterling Marlin (1994-95). While the Daytona 500 has validated the careers of many NASCAR superstars, the race also has produced some huge surprises. Bayne had just turned 20 years of age and became the race’s youngest winner in his second NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start. Who might be next?
Harraka, Wauters Bring Ford Back to NASCAR Camping World Trucks
Former Drive For Diversity driver Paulie Harraka, who is completing his final semester of studies at Duke University, will compete for Sunoco Rookie of the Year in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. The New Jersey native will drive a Ford for newly minted Wauters Motorsports. The team is owned by Richie Wauters, one of the series’ most successful crew chiefs winning 17 times between 2004 and 2010 with drivers Kyle Busch, Aric Almirola and Shane Hmiel. Ford has not had a major presence in the series since Roush Fenway Racing exited after the 2009 season. Harraka, 22, posted three victories in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West and also won a championship in NASCAR’s Whelen All-American Series. He owns a pair of NASCAR rookie of the year titles: Whelen All-American Series and K&N Pro Series West.
