All three of NASCAR top divisions, along with the ARCA Menards Series, will each compete on the Daytona Road Course for the first time this weekend.
The road course will be the same used for the Rolex 24 with the exception of a newly added chicane near the exit of the Turn 4 on the oval, making it now 14 turns.
See Also: Daytona Schedule
A number of drivers in all four series have some Rolex 24 or IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge experience on the road course with the most recent Cup Series driver being Kyle Busch.
“I think anytime you’re able to go to a racetrack and gain some experience, run some laps, obviously it helps with the visual, the pickup points, how the corners transition and so on, it helps,” said Busch, who has four career Cup road course wins. “There’s definitely – I hope, anyway – there’s a little added advantage there. The big difference is the cars I drove in the GTD class, they’re very technologically advanced with the brakes and traction control, so a lot of things you can really attack with those cars, plus a lot of downforce, and they’re lighter.”
Jimmie Johnson, who is currently 26 points out of the final playoff spot, made eight starts in IMSA competition at Daytona.
“I am so excited for this weekend at Daytona,” said Johnson, who will debut a new Ally paint scheme on his No. 48 Chevrolet this weekend. “The challenges of this track – there will be some really high speeds and then the chicane off of turn four will change that to some degree. It’s going to be a balance of aero efficiency on the straightaways and mechanical grip for the tight little infield section. It’s going to be really interesting for those who have never taken a lap on this track.”
Along with Busch and Johnson, Clint Bowyer, Kurt Busch, Kevin Harvick and Michael McDowell are among the Cup drivers in the top 25 in points with previous Rolex 24 experience.
See Also: Daytona Starting Lineups
Brendan Gaughan, who will start last in the No. 62 Beard Motorsports Chevrolet, is the only Cup driver in the field with a Rolex 24 win. In 2011, Gaughan co-drove a Porsche GT3 with Andy Lally, Spencer Pumpelly, Wolf Henzler and Steven Bertheau to a class victory. Lally, who has won the Rolex 24 five times, will be racing in the Xfinity Series race after finishing fifth last weekend at Road America driving the No. 02 Chevrolet.
“There’s very few of us Cup drivers that have experience on that race course,” said Gaughan, who is making his third start of the season. “And with no practice and no qualifying, that gives about 10 of us a very large advantage over the field. So, I was immediately enticed by it.”
When it comes to the last 10 Cup Series races on road courses – Charlotte ROVAL, Sonoma and Watkins Glen – Martin Truex Jr. and Chase Elliott are tied for the most wins with three. Harvick, Ryan Blaney and Denny Hamlin also have one win each in that span.
Motor Racing Network’s live coverage of Sunday’s Cup Series Go Bowling 235 will begin at 2 p.m. ET.
The busy weekend at Daytona will get started with Friday’s ARCA General Tire 100 (MRN, 5 p.m. ET).
Hailie Deegan, who is currently fourth in the ARCA standings, teamed with NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Chase Briscoe in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge race at Daytona in January driving a Ford Mustang GT4.
“One of the advantages I have going to this road course is that I raced and tested there in an IMSA sports car, so I got a lot of seat time and a lot of laps,” Deegan said. “I know the line and the track, so since we only get an hour of practice in the stock car, I’m going to be a lot more ready than most right off the bat.”
Briscoe, who won at the Indianapolis road course, is one of three drivers entered in Saturday’s Xfinity Series UNOH 188 (MRN, 2:30 p.m. ET) that finished in the top five in both road course races this season, joining AJ Allmendinger and Austin Cindric, last week’s winner at Road America.
Cindric, the points leader, has yet to finish outside the top five in his last seven road course events with three wins in that span. He won at Watkins Glen International last season, which is the race Daytona replaces this year on the schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I wish we were able to go to Watkins Glen and Mid-Ohio this year in the Xfinity Series, but obviously a lot of fun things to look forward to on the Daytona Road Course,” said Cindric, who has raced in the Rolex 24 three times. “There are definitely a lot of challenges between showing up and racing at a track that no one has any knowledge or data on, but at the same time hot conditions, I think that plays a role.”
Sunday will start with the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Sunoco 159 (MRN, 11:30 a.m. ET). The 44-lap race will be the first in the Triple Truck Challenge with Dover International Speedway (Aug. 21) and World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway (Aug. 30) to follow. A $50,000 bonus will go to the winner of each race and if driver can win two of the three they will be awarded an extra $50K. A $300,000 bonus will go to the driver that can sweep all three races for a total of $500,000 in prize money.
Brett Moffitt is the only driver entered in the race with a Gander Trucks road course win. Sunday, Moffitt will return with the same chassis he led 44 laps with en route to the win at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in 2019.
“Road courses are always a lot of fun, but this week brings its own challenges with it being the first Gander Trucks race on the Daytona Road Course,” said Moffitt, who is currently fifth in the standings. “I feel like our team has been hitting our stride the last few weeks, hopefully this is the week we break through and get our first win of the season.”
Alex Tagliani finished second last year at CTMP driving the No. 51 Toyota for Kyle Busch Motorsports. He will return again to drive for KBM and will start 21st, which will mark his sixth career start – all coming on a road course.
“When you are able to master Mosport, I think you can bring that experience and apply it to other tracks,” said Tagliani, who will start 21st. “I think it is going to be difficult for everyone in different aspects. Hopefully, we will be able to get the feeling back of the truck quite quickly in the race. I think the guys are capable of doing simulator test runs.”
Last week’s winner Zane Smith will start from the pole and will be joined by Christian Eckes to make it an all-rookie front row. Both drivers will be making their first NASCAR road course start with their previous road course experience coming in karts or Legends cars.
“I’m definitely doing a lot to prepare,” Eckes said. “Obviously, simulator time, a lot of film watching, and I’ll iRace some this week to try and learn a little bit. There are a lot of things I can do with all the resources I have to get us prepared as possible.”
