WALKER We’Re Winning

6 – THE DERRICK. / The News-Herald Wednesday, January 13, 2016 QUESTIONS & ATTITUDE Compelling questions... and maybe a few actual answers Will the Rolex 24 get the racin’ blood flowing? It does sorta shake the slumber for NASCAR fans. For those who think racing is nothing but left-hand turns, the Rolex doesn’t fully satisfy their desire to see ROAD TO DAYTONA SPEEDWEEKS Jimmie, Kyle, Matt and maybe even Kurt, but like the first sighting of tinsel on store shelves in early November, it signi- fies a certain season is approaching. McMurray, Larson will Why do you like Daytona's road course so much? Because in combination with the high- banked tri-oval, it puts high demand on team up at Rolex 24 run everyone from the driver to engineers, who have to compromise on car setup. And I’ll say it again: In my perfect world, when NASCAR comes back here in July, they’d run the road course. Did Tony Stewart call out Brian France? It reads that way in print, but some- times something is lost in translation. In a radio interview last week, he sug- gested Brian should be more visible to drivers — “He shows up at the drivers’ meeting and you never see him after that,” Stewart said. Does Tony have a point? Not really. Brian isn’t Big Bill France or Bill Jr., two men who worked without all the layers of administration you have today. Brian’s focus has always seemed to be the business and marketing end, This is the race car Ganassi Racing NASCAR drivers Jamie McMurray and Kyle Larson will be wheeling this weekend. It is the No. 02 Riley Ford Daytona from which Tony and the others benefit Prototype. They will team up to run the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway on Jan. 30-31. NEWS-JOURNAL /PETER BAUER greatly, by the way. Driver Jamie Ken Willis has been Ganassi Racing McMurray talks with covering NASCAR for drivers believe 2016 team owner Chip The Daytona Beach Cup Series will be Ganassi along pit News-Journal for 27 road during a test years. Reach him at ken. much better than session at Daytona [email protected] last season International Speed- way. NEWS-JOURNAL/ By Godwin Kelly JIM TILLER [email protected] The other NASCAR driver in the Rolex 24 Chip Ganassi Racing’s Jamie McMurray and Kyle AJ Allmendinger has made eight Larson will get some seat Rolex 24 At Daytona starts in his time this weekend while most career and took home the big trophy of their counterparts in the in 2012. Sprint Cup Series must wait All those starts were with Michael until February to slide into Shank Racing, which moved to a the cockpit of a race car. Honda-power Ligier Prototype 2 in McMurray and Larson 2015. will join forces with Chip During winter testing at Daytona Ganassi’s IndyCar Series International Speedway, the No. 60 drivers Scott Dixon and Ligier showed an incredible leap in Tony Kanaan to compete speed thanks to Honda increasing in the Rolex 24 At Daytona the engine displacement. sports-car endurance race feedback from drivers. “I’m so lucky to win there in The larger engine provides greater at Daytona International Godwin Kelly is the Daytona “I think that will throw a go-karts, the Daytona 500, torque, which allows the exotic- Speedway. Beach News-Journal’s big curveball at a lot of teams the Rolex 24; I’ve won some looking car to come off flat turns They are pretty good at it. motorsports editor to figure out where we are pretty cool races there.” much quicker. Last season the four drivers and has covered when we get to Las Vegas,” McMurray will have a Allmendinger can’t get enough of teamed up for the Rolex 24 in NASCAR for 30 said Larson, of NASCAR’s bullet for the 500, where Daytona International Speedway. He the No. 02 Riley Ford Day- years. Reach him next stop after the Feb. 21 drafting is a key component was at the Speedway for December's tona Prototype and captured at godwin.kelly@ Daytona 500. to winning the race. national go-kart races, will compete the overall victory. news-jrnl.com “I’m excited to get going McMurray has seven career in the Rolex 24 and return to run in “The No. 02 entry has ter- as far as all the big changes Cup victories, and four of the Feb. 21 Daytona 500. rific drivers from in-house we’ve done inside the shop.” those have come at Daytona Allmendinger is a regular on the who can devote the time and engineering. McMurray, 39, has won and Talladega Superspeed- NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. He’ll attention to this race before The 23-year-old driver several big races, such as the way, where drafting is king. be joined in the Rolex 24 battle by the race season,” Ganassi enters his third Cup Series Daytona 500 and Brickyard After that, he hopes to have stock-car regulars Jamie McMurray Racing team manager Mike campaign without a victory, 400, but has not enjoyed a competitive car at other and Kyle Larson wheeling the No. 02 Hull said. a drought that most insiders the consistency that other tracks on the schedule. Ganassi Racing Riley Ford Prototype. “They are all working expect to end in 2016. drivers have shown in recent McMurray and Larson “The Rolex 24 is such a tough race together to freshen up and be NASCAR will use a dif- years. can start the season with a to win,” Allmendinger said. “Every ready to go racing when their ferent aerodynamic He is looking forward to win in their back pockets year teams show up and they have a series begins.” configuration for stock cars racing at Daytona in both before returning to Daytona lot of speed in their race cars. In the This could be a big year for this season. The new aero Ganassi’s sports car and for the stock-car portion of end, the race itself is the toughest Ganassi’s two-car NASCAR package won’t have as much stock car in the next several Speedweeks. thing. race team. McMurray and downforce as last year’s weeks. “We are a great sports-car “If you don’t get to the end of 24 Larson finished the 2015 racers. “Daytona for me, since team, a great combination hours, then you don’t have a shot to season strong, and they hope The new package was I went there when I was of drivers,” Larson said. win, so that’s the focus. No matter that carries over into 2016. tested in the races at Ken- eight to race a go-kart, it’s “Hopefully, we can put what, it’s going to be difficult. There Larson welcomes a new tucky and Darlington with one of my favorite tracks,” another 24 hours together are a lot of cars here that have a lot of crew chief in Chad John- a great amount of positive said McMurray, the 2010 and get another Rolex.” speed, but I really do think we have ston, plus additional hires in Daytona 500 champion. the best lineup, the best team and the best car, and if we get to the end of the race we’ll have a great shot to win.” SPEED FREAKS A couple questions we had to ask — ourselves ONLINE EXTRAS Allmendinger will co-drive You like the Chase coming to Xfin- KEN’S CALL: Can’t wait to see yes, but in a sponsor-driven Shank’s machine with John Pew, ity and Trucks? world, these things are the strategy sessions atop the news-journalonline. Ozz Negri and Olivier Pla, who was GODSPEAK: complicated. I’m thinking along pit boxes. The calculators will com/nascar named to the team roster in early the lines of too much of a good be buzzing, assuming someone January. thing… still owns a calculator. Are you buying the idea of a physi- “My expectation from a pure facebook.com/ KEN’S CALL: Not sure, but if it cally fit Tony Stewart? results side is that we’re capable of nascardaytona draws some eyeballs to Friday Shouldn’t more Cup drivers run the GODSPEAK: If he wins the being a podium car,” Shank said. and Saturday at Homestead, it Rolex 24? Daytona 500 and does the “With how strong this lineup is, serves a purpose. GODSPEAK: Yes, but of the Spider-Man deal up the catch @nascardaytona and how much more we understand three in the 24, two are racing fence, I will believe. about this Honda-Ligier than we did And the “caution clock” for for their car owner, while AJ KEN’S CALL: Yes, and by next at this time last year, I think we are Trucks? Allmendinger can’t get enough Christmas I'll be a Rockette. Questions? Contact Godwin strong enough to be fighting for a GODSPEAK: I don’t understand of Daytona. He was there for Kelly at godwin.kelly@ podium if we can avoid any trouble the concept. What am I miss- go-karts in December. — Ken Willis, ken.willis@ news-jrnl.com or Ken Willis and be there to race on Sunday ing here? KEN’S CALL: In a perfect world, news-jrnl.com at [email protected] afternoon.” NASCAR NEWS AND NOTES his muscles, but he talked a idea. I would like to think in the good game. At 44 and enter- 37 years I've been in racing that Junior douses talk of a getting better, we’re racing ing the final season of SALEShis Cup But Tony is still &Tony SERVICEI've learned a thing or two.” nearby exit ramp better,WALKER we’re winning.

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