Forty-six Xfinity cars are entered for Saturday’s race at Daytona International Speedway and there are 36 entries for Friday’s Camping World Truck Series race.
Both preliminary entry lists were released Monday.
Six Cup drivers are entered in the Xfinity race: Austin Dillon, Daniel Suarez, Joey Logano, Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott and Aric Almirola.
Ryan Reed won the Xfinity race last year. Kaz Grala, who is entered in the Xfinity race this year, won last year’s Truck race.
Garrett Smithley will return to JD Motorsports with Gary Keller for a third season, the Xfinity Series team announced Wednesday. The 25-year-old Smithley will again drive the No. 0 car.
He completes JD Motorsports’ driver roster for 2018. Smithley’s teammates will be Ross Chastain, Vinnie Miller and Matt Mills.
“I’m so excited to be back with JD Motorsports with Gary Keller this season,” Smithley said in a statement from the team. “We’ve had two very successful seasons together and to be given the opportunity to continue to build on that is something I do not take for granted.
“Each and every year JD Motorsports with Gary Keller grows and improves. This offseason has been an extremely strong one for this organization, and I knew that if the opportunity presented itself to return, I wouldn’t pass it up. I can’t thank Johnny Davis and Gary Keller enough for the opportunities they have given me and this entire team for all that they do. We’re a family, and we’re in this together. It will be awesome to work with Ross once again, as well as Vinnie and Matt this season.”
Smithley finished 21st in the points last season. He finished a season-best eighth in the season opener last year at Daytona International Speedway.
The Minnesota Vikings’ win against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday marked the first time in NFL history that a playoff game ended with a game-winning touchdown with no time left on the clock.
NASCAR has had its share of dramatic finishes through the years. While it’s easy to debate which dramatic finishes rank among the all-time best, here’s a look at some of the most dramatic (and surprising) wins in NASCAR.
The first selection comes from what is now the Xfinity Series. It was the 2012 season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway. Kurt Busch led with Kyle Busch pushing him as they entered Turn 3. Behind them were Joey Logano, Trevor Bayne, Tony Stewart, Elliott Sadler, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Kasey Kahne, Cole Whitt and Brad Keselowski.
None of them won the race.
James Buescher, who was 11th in Turn 4 won for his only Xfinity victory in 91 career starts.
Carl Edwards had won the Xfinity race the day at Atlanta but had yet to win in 16 previous Cup starts before he cranked the engine at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March 2005. Edwards came from behind to beat Jimmie Johnson at the line in among the closest finishes in NASCAR.
Dale Earnhardt’s incredible ride from 18th to first in the final five laps in 2000 at Talladega Superspeedway is memorable for that alone but it also was his 76th and final Cup victory. When the video clip below starts, you don’t even see Earnhardt but he’s there lurking and works his way up the field. With two laps left, announcer Jerry Punch exclaims: “The Intimidator is scraped and beaten on the right side, but he will not be denied! “Mr. Restrictor Plate knows there are two laps to go! Earnhardt drives to the high side of Bobby Labonte. Wow.”
As they took the white flag at Watkins Glen International in 2012, Kyle Busch led, Brad Keselowski was second and Marcos Ambrose was third.
What followed was a chaotic final lap that ended with Ambrose winning. It led broadcaster Dale Jarrett to say about the beating, banging and battling: “A year’s worth of excitement in 2.45 miles. Incredible.”
Ricky Craven tried to make his move by Kurt Busch with two laps to go at Darlington Raceway in 2003 but slid up and made contact with Busch and lost his momentum. That allowed Busch to dive underneath and take the lead back. Craven persisted. As they came off the final corner, Craven went underneath Busch for a door-slamming drag race to the checkered flag, nipping Busch by 0.002 seconds to win.
Of course, one can’t include such a list without one of the sport’s most famous finishes. Donnie Allison led Cale Yarborough on the last lap of the 1979 Daytona 500. Yarborough dived low on the backstretch to pass Allison, who blocked. They hit, bounced off each other and hit again before crashing in Turn 3. Richard Petty drove by several seconds later to take the lead and go on to win the event. As Petty celebrated, Allison, Yarborough and Bobby Allison, who had stopped to check on his brother, fought.
A new year brings many changes. Such is the case for NASCAR teams. Here’s a look at some of the key changes heading into the 2018 season for Cup teams that have announced drivers for this season.
(Drivers are listed in order of their car number with where they finished in the points last year)
No. 1 Jamie McMurray (12th in points in 2017)
What’s new: Chip Ganassi Racing announced Wednesday that Doug Duchardt has been hired to be the organization’s chief operating officer.
What’s the same: McMurray is back for a ninth season with the team in his second stint there. Matt McCall begins his fourth season with McMurray.
No. 2 Brad Keselowski (4th)
What’s new: Discount Tire moves over to be a primary sponsor of Keselowski’s car for 10 races.
What’s the same: Keselowski is back with crew chief Paul Wolfe for an eighth consecutive season.
No. 3 Austin Dillon (11th)
What’s new: He has only one teammate, Ryan Newman, at Richard Childress Racing, with the team cutting back to two cars for 2018.
What’s the same: Crew chief Justin Alexander is back after being paired with Dillon in May 2017.
No. 4 Kevin Harvick (3rd)
What’s new: Wife DeLana delivered the couple’s second child, a daughter in late December.
What’s the same: Crew chief Rodney Childers is back for a fifth season with Harvick. Since they’ve been together, they’ve won one championship, scored 14 victories and captured 13 poles.
No. 6 Trevor Bayne (22nd)
What’s new: AdvoCare is back but with a new paint scheme for this season.
What’s the same: Matt Puccia is back as Bayne’s crew chief. They’ve been together since the 2016 season.
No. 9 Chase Elliott (5th)
What’s new: A new number for the son of Hall of Famer Bill Elliott.
What’s the same: Crew chief Alan Gustafson is back and Elliott, who enters his third Cup season, seeks his first career series win.
No. 10 Aric Almirola (29th)
What’s new: A new ride for Almirola, as he moves from Richard Petty Motorsports to Stewart-Haas Racing. That’s just among the many changes. Almirola also will have a new crew chief. John Klausmeier, who has been an engineer with the organization since 2009 and filled in as in interim crew chief previously, moves into that position for Almirola’s team. And a new look. Smithfield joins Almirola in the move, but its car will be black and white.
What’s the same: Even with the move, Almirola is driving a Ford again.
No. 11 Denny Hamlin (6th)
What’s new: No major changes have been announced.
What’s the same: Crew chief Mike Wheeler is back for his third season with Hamlin. They’ve combined to win five races and three poles the previous two seasons.
No. 12 Ryan Blaney (9th)
What’s new: A new team. Blaney moves from the Wood Brothers to a third entry for Team Penske. He’ll be teammates to Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano. Team Penske purchased a charter from Roush Fenway Racing for Blaney’s car.
What’s the same: Crew chief Jeremy Bullins joins Blaney in the move from the Wood Brothers to Team Penske.
No. 13 Ty Dillon (24th)
What’s new: Crew chief Matt Borland joins the team from Richard Childress Racing.
What’s the same: Germain Racing remains aligned with Richard Childress Racing.
No. 14 Clint Bowyer (18th)
What’s new: No major changes have been announced.
What’s the same: Crew chief Mike Bugarewicz is paired with Bowyer for a second season in a row.
No. 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (13th)
What’s new: Stenhouse is no longer dating Danica Patrick.
What’s the same: Crew chief Brian Pattie and Stenhouse are set to begin their second season together after winning two races and making the playoffs last season.
No. 18 Kyle Busch (2nd)
What’s new: No major changes have been announced.
What’s the same: This will be the fourth Cup season for crew chief Adam Stevens and Busch. They’ve won 14 races and 11 poles the past three seasons together.
No. 19 Daniel Suarez (20th)
What’s new: No major changes have been announced.
What’s the same: Suarez is back with Arris and Stanley as sponsors in 2018.
No. 20 Erik Jones (19th)
What’s new: A new driver in this car that Matt Kenseth had run the past five seasons. Also, crew chief Chris Gayle moves with Jones, the 2017 Cup rookie of the year, from Furniture Row Racing to Joe Gibbs Racing for the 2018 campaign.
What’s the same: The car has the same number as last year.
No. 21 Paul Menard (23rd)
What’s new: A new home for Menard, who goes from Richard Childress Racing to the Wood Brothers. Greg Erwin will be the new crew chief, taking over for Jeremy Bullins, who moves from the Wood Brothers to Team Penske with Ryan Blaney.
What’s the same: The Wood Brothers.
No. 22 Joey Logano (17th)
What’s new: Logano’s wife is expecting the couple’s first child in January.
What’s the same: Crew chief Todd Gordon is back for his sixth season with Logano. They’ve combined to win 16 races and 14 poles working together.
No. 24 William Byron (Did not race Cup in 2017)
What’s new: A new driver and new number for what had been the No. 5 team at Hendrick Motorsports. The Xfinity Series champion moves up from JR Motorsports. He’ll have Darian Grubb as his crew chief.
What’s the same: Liberty University, a longtime backer of Byron, is back as a sponsor.
No. 31 Ryan Newman (16th)
What’s new: No major changes have been announced.
What’s the same: Caterpillar, which has been a partner with Richard Childress Racing since 2009, will sponsor Newman’s car in select races in 2018.
No. 32 Matt DiBenedetto (32nd)
What’s new: No major changes have been announced.
What’s the same: DiBenedetto is back with the team for a second consecutive year.
No. 34 Michael McDowell (26th)
What’s new: New ride for McDowell, who moves from Leavine Family Racing to Front Row Motorsports and joins David Ragan at that organization. Front Row Motorsports also has expanded its technical alliance with Roush Fenway Racing.
What’s the same: Team remains in the Ford camp.
No. 37 Chris Buescher (25th)
What’s new: The team purchased a charter after leasing one last season.
What’s the same: Buescher is back for his second year with the team.
No. 38 David Ragan (30th)
What’s new: He has a new teammate with Michael McDowell joining the team and replacing Landon Cassill.
What’s the same: Ragan is back for his fifth season (in two stints) with Front Row Motorsports.
No. 41 Kurt Busch (14th)
What’s new: Is what’s old. Busch is back with Stewart-Haas Racing as is sponsor Monster Energy after his contract option was not picked up last season amid questions about sponsorship. Busch also has a new crew chief. Billy Scott moves from the No. 10 team to be Busch’s crew chief this season. Scott replaces Tony Gibson, who moves into a position at the shop.
What’s the same: The car number for Busch, who will enter his fifth season at Stewart-Haas Racing.
No. 42 Kyle Larson (8th)
What’s new: A new sponsor for the Chip Ganassi Racing driver. Credit One will replace Target on the No. 42 Chevrolet in 2018. Also Larson got engaged to girlfriend Katelyn Sweet in December.
What’s the same: Larson will be teamed with crew chief Chad Johnston for a third consecutive year. They’ve combined to win five races and three poles together.
No. 43 Darrell Wallace Jr. (50th)
What’s new: Wallace joins the team after running four races for Richard Petty Motorsports when Aric Almirola was injured last season. RPM also has switched from Ford to Chevrolet and formed an alliance with Richard Childress Racing and will get its engines from ECR Engines this season. Team also is adding sponsorship with Smithfield putting most of its resources with Almirola at Stewart-Haas Racing.
What’s the same: Crew chief Drew Blickensderfer returns to be Wallace’s crew chief.
No. 47 AJ Allmendinger (27th)
What’s new: No major changes announced.
What’s the same: This will be Allmendinger’s fifth season with JTG Daugherty Racing.
No. 48 Jimmie Johnson (10th)
What’s new: No major changes announced.
What’s the same: He’s back with crew chief Chad Knaus for a 17th consecutive year.
No. 78 Martin Truex Jr. (1st)
What’s new: A new moniker for Truex – reigning Cup champion. Also, the team is back to a one-car operation with the shuttering of the No. 77 team.
What’s the same: Champion crew chief Cole Pearn is back to lead this team.
No. 88 Alex Bowman (Did not race Cup in 2017)
What’s new: Bowman takes over the former ride of Dale Earnhardt Jr. at Hendrick Motorsports.
What’s the same: Greg Ives is back as the team’s crew chief.
No. 95 Kasey Kahne (15th)
What’s new: Kahne joins Leavine Family Racing, replacing Michael McDowell. Travis Mack, who had been the car chief for Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s team at Hendrick Motorsports, makes the move to be Kahne’s crew chief.
What’s the same: The car number for the team.
Fitzgerald Glider Kits will serve as the primary sponsor for Team Penske’s No. 22 Xfinity car in 16 races next year, the team announced Wednesday.
Fitzgerald Glider Kits will be an associate sponsor on the car for the races it is not a primary sponsor.
As part of the agreement, Fitzgerald Glider Kits will be the sponsor for Ryan Blaney‘s Cup car in the Bristol night race next August and will continue as an associate sponsor on reigning Verizon IndyCar Series champ Josef Newgarden’s car.
“Team Penske continues to grow its relationship with Fitzgerald Glider Kits and we welcome the company’s increased role as a sponsor with the No. 22 Ford Mustang team in 2018,” said team owner Roger Penske in a statement. “We work closely with Fitzgerald in our trucking business and the company has certainly made the most of its partnership with our race teams across different platforms since it joined Team Penske in 2016. We look to continue to build the Fitzgerald Glider Kits brand as we move to the next level next season.”
