NASCAR IS BACK ~ DAYTONA Budweiser Shootout/Duels ~ (Begins) Saturday Feb 12, 2011 FOX 8PM

Various | 02/2/11 | Me, Jack, Jr and Rocky

[WestCoastGal]

WELCOME BACK RACE FANS ~ WE'RE BACK ~ DAYTONA SPEEDWEEKS WHICH BEGINS THE 2011 NASCAR SEASON

The 33rd annual BUDWEISER SHOOTOUT
Saturday, February 12th - 8pm on Fox begins our race season with this non-points event.




The field will include:
• The 12 drivers that qualified for the 2010 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup

• Past NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champions
• Past Budweiser Shootout champions
• Past Daytona 500 and Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola champions
• NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Rookie of the Year drivers from 2001-2010 (New this year)

The race distance will continue to be 75 laps (187.5 miles) on the 2.5-mile tri-oval. The race will have two segments, of 25 and 50 laps. Both green- and yellow-flag laps will count.

Between segments, there will be a 10-minute pit stop at which time teams will pit and may elect to change tires, add fuel and make normal chassis adjustments.

Starting positions will be determined by a draw at the annual Budweiser Shootout Draw Party on Thursday night, Feb. 10, on the SPEED stage in the Midway, outside Turn 4. Televised on SPEED.
The Budweiser Shootout is scheduled for 8:00PM ET. Last years winner was Kevin Harvick.


***


Qualifying for the Daytona 500 is scheduled for Sunday Feb. 13th on Fox 1PM ET which determines the front row starting positions for the 500. Last year front row ~ Martin #5 and Earnhardt Jr. #88






***


The Gatorade Duels (60 laps each) will be held on Thursday February 17, 2011 2PM ET on SPEED - lineup is based on qualifying speeds -- odd number qualifiers will race in Duel #1 for the inside line in the 500 and even # Duel #2 for the outside line in the 500. (confused yet?) Last years winners Johnson, Duel #1 and Kahne, Duel #2.
Those not in the top 35 are qualified in as follows:
This leaves eight spots open to other drivers which are assigned like this: The top two drivers in each Gatorade Duel that are not already guaranteed a starting spot get into the Daytona 500.

The next three spots go to the fastest three qualifiers based on the single-car time trials from Sunday.

The final spot is guaranteed for a previous Sprint Cup Champion who was unable to qualify any other way. If there is no unqualified past champion then the 43rd spot goes to the next fastest qualifier based on speed from the single-car session.

The Duels are two 150-mile qualifying races that determine the starting lineup for the Daytona 500 from positions 5 through 43.

[onyx]

Post 63.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

WELL DONE!!!

[WestCoastGal]

Media Day Madness: Tune In For Your Favorite Driver

The 2011 NASCAR season goes green Thursday at Daytona International Speedway with Media Day.

Watch your favorite drivers live on NASCAR.COM right here: www.nascar.com/multimedia/webcast/media_...

Here’s who to watch for in the morning and afternoon:

A.M. Session from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. ET: Justin Allgaier, Trevor Bayne, Greg Biffle, Todd Bodine, Ricky Carmichael, Kevin Conway, Austin Dillon, Robby Gordon, Ron Hornaday Jr., Jimmie Johnson, Brad Keselowski, Bobby Labonte,Jason Leffler, Joey Logano, Jamie McMurray, Mark Martin, Paul Menard, Juan Pablo Montoya, Joe Nemechek, Danica Patrick, Nelson Piquet Jr., Regan Smith, Ryan Truex, J.J. Yeley.

P.M. Session from 12:30- 4 p.m. ET: AJ Allmendinger, Marcos Ambrose, Dave Blaney, Clint Bowyer, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Jeff Burton, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Carl Edwards, David Gilliland, Jeff Gordon, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Kasey Kahne, Matt Kenseth, Travis Kvapil, Casey Mears, Ryan Newman, David Ragan, David Reutimann, Tony Stewart, Martin Truex Jr., Brian Vickers, Michael Waltrip

[tubebender]

I was savagely attacked time after time by the listed parties on the FReepathon thread and denied my rights to the double aught posts. We now return you to your regularly scheduled racing thread...

[tubebender]

Do you have a entry list for the 500 so I don’t waste my valuable C team picks? Please don’t share it with my competitors...

[musicman]

"I was savagely attacked time after time by the listed parties on the FReepathon thread and denied my rights to the double aught posts. We now return you to your regularly scheduled racing thread..."

[musicman]

[vox_freedom]

[onyx]

ROTFLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL.
PREFECT©

[onyx]

I was savagely attacked time after time by the listed parties on the FReepathon thread and denied my rights to the double aught posts. We now return you to your regularly scheduled racing thread...

He's asked for it....LOL.

[SouthTexas]

Made it home finally. Thankfully the wind stayed up and dried up the roads, no ice.

REAL good tail wind coming home, hopefully it will lay before morning and I have to go back north again.

[McGruff]

You keeping an eye on these bad boys of racin?

:)

[onyx]

Just the one very baaaaaad boy.
LOL.

[musicman]

[musicman]

[vox_freedom]

I laughed again!

[vox_freedom]

Thanks for the ping, WCG!
It's a whole new year!

[WestCoastGal]

Oh brother

[happydogx2]

Oh brother indeed, more “rolling blackouts” a possibility:

http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2011/02/10/north-texas-could-see-more-rolling-blackouts/

[WestCoastGal]

Planning ahead: Schedule for Daytona (with who is broadcasting what at the track)

Here’s the schedule at Daytona for Speedweeks in terms of on-track action and what networks will be showing it.

Thursday, Feb. 10

1 - 5 p.m. — ARCA practice

Friday, Feb. 11

2 p.m. — ARCA qualifying

5 - 5:45 p.m. — Practice for Budweiser Shootout cars only (Speed Channel)

6:30 - 7:30 p.m. — Final practice for Budweiser Shootout cars only (Speed Channel)

8:30 p.m. — Budwesier Shootout Selection Show (where drivers draw starting order -— Speed Channel)

Saturday, Feb. 12

10 - 10:45 a.m. — Final ARCA Practice

11 a.m. - 1 p.m. — Sprint Cup practice (Speed Channel)

2 - 3:45 p.m. — Sprint Cup practice (Speed Channel)

4:30 p.m. — ARCA race (Speed Channel)

8:10 p.m. — Budwesier Shootout (FOX)

Sunday, Feb. 13

1:05 p.m. — Sprint Cup qualifying (FOX)

Monday, Feb. 14

No on-track activity

Tuesday, Feb. 15

No on-track activity

Wednesday, Feb. 16

9 - 10:30 a.m. — Nationwide practice

10:40 a.m. - Noon — Sprint Cup practice (Speed Channel)

12:10 - 1:20 p.m. — Nationwide practice

1:30 - 2:50 p.m. — Sprint Cup practice (Speed Channel)

3 - 4:30 p.m. — Nationwide practice

4:40 - 8 p.m. — Camping World Truck Series practice (Speed Channel)

Thursday, Feb. 17

9 - 9:45 a.m. — Nationwide practice

10:15 — 11:50 a.m. — Final Nationwide practice (ESPN2)

12:10 - 1 p.m. — Final Camping World Truck Series practice (Speed Channel)

2 p.m. — First of two 150-mile qualifying races for Sprint Cup series, second to follow first race (Speed Channel)

6:05 p.m. — Camping World Truck Series qualifying (Speed Channel)

Friday, Feb. 18

11 a.m. - Noon — Sprint Cup practice (Speed Channel)

12:30 - 1:55 p.m. — Sprint Cup practice (Speed Channel)

4:10 p.m. — Nationowide qualifying (ESPN2)

7:30 p.m. — Camping World Truck Series race (Speed Channel)

Saturday, Feb. 19

10:30 a.m. - Noon — Final Sprint Cup practice (Speed Channel)

1:15 p.m. — Nationwide race (ESPN2)

Sunday, Feb. 20

1 p.m. — Daytona 500 (FOX)

[WestCoastGal]

Dale Jr and Matt Kenseth sat down with Chocolate Myers and Rick Benjamin on Sirius XM today. Choc noticed Jr had a smile on his face. Jr said he was happy because he got to sit by Matt. Choc said Jr runs very well at Daytona and Jr said he runs good at Daytona. He enjoys racing there. He has had a lot of great race cars there. Jr said Matt will tell you that if you run good here, it has a lot to do with the race car. Jr said he has worked with a lot of great engine builders and had a lot of great fabricators hang a lot of awesome bodies. Jr said you have to make the right moves. Jr said he has made some that have gotten good finishes and others that have ruined some races there for him. Jr said it is like 60/40. He makes the right move about 60% of the time, wrong move 40% of the time. Matt says he is more like 30/70. Matt said he has learned a lot from Jr about speedway racing. Jr said Matt used to tell him that and Jr thought he was full of B.S.

Rick said having a great handling race car might not be a big deal at all. Jr said the car will drive the same from start to finish. There won’t be much of a handle to it. Just be the guy who is the bravest who can push his car through and into certain positions. You will be moving people out of the way and forcing yourself into the middle and top and stuff like that. Jr says it will be a lot of ticking people off, forcing your way up through there and trying to win. Choc asked if it comes down to horsepower and guts. Jr said sometimes you make moves that and then said it really depends on what the guy behind you does and if he decides to take advantage of you at the moment or help you. If you make a move and you need some help to survive the change you made at that point, then you are in good shape and can keep going forward. Jr said a lot of times guys will hang you out and leave you sitting and you go to the back. It is really hard to get back to the front. He doesn’t think it will be in the event. In the past with the old surface if you got out of the top 5 your car handled terribly with the aero push and how dirty the air was and just plowing up the track. Now Jr said that won’t be much of a factor.

Rick asked if the bottom be a usable part of the track as usually guys run high at the end? Matt said it depends on where the rest of the cars are but he feels the whole race track will be usable. Jr said he thinks so too. Jr said it is hard to tell but we will all find out when they get out there during the Shootout practice. Jr said everybody except for Kes and Truex are in the Shootout. Jr said they will be the only 2 guys that don’t know what is going on yet.

Choc asked since they have had a lot of changes with crew chiefs if they feel pretty confident. Jr said he feels good. He has not ran a race with Steve yet but feels confident with his abilities. Rick said Steve is talkative guy and asked Jr if that is good to have a talkative guy. Matt said that Jr just said he hasn’t talked to Steve on the radio yet. Jr said he doesn’t know what to expect during race but he likes his energy and his personality. He likes the way Steve prepares the race team and the way he works with the other teams in the organization. Jr feels confident he will fit in well and everything will go along seamlessly. Their test sessions went well and they seem to communicate well. They went to New Smyrna and did some things other than drafting at Daytona to see how they work well together. Jr said it went pretty good.

Choc asked what 500 means to Jr. Jr said race itself doesn’t mean any more than other times he has been there. It is the biggest race of the year and the most important at this time then they will go to Phoenix and that will be the most important one. Jr said it is a big race to win and he has always put his best foot forward to try and win it. Rick brought up to Matt that he won the 500 before although rain shortened and Matt said you had to throw that in there. Matt said he is glad the won the 500 so when he and Dale Jr get old, they can hang out, get their picture taken and be part of that group of 500 winners which is really cool. Jr said he will have someone to talk to at those functions. Matt said we won’t feel so uncomfortable. Rick said you have a lot of racing to do and thanked them for coming by.