NASCAR THIS WEEK 6 - THE DERRICK. / The News-Herald Thursday, December 26, 2019

CUP COUNTDOWN QUESTIONS & ATTITUDE

Compelling questions ... and provided maybe a few actual answers wild finish

Hailie Deegan got a taste of heavy stock cars with six ARCA starts in 2019. [AP FILE]

Will Hailie Deegan be the one?

As of last week, she offi- cially has the opportunity to become NASCAR’s first organically grown female race star. Yeah, yeah, beat her to it in some respects, but her racing talents seemed better suited for IndyCar, and it seemed she went to NASCAR because that’s where the biggest audi- ences were. It felt more like “celebrity” than star. Deegan is different because she’s working her way through NASCAR’s lower levels and doing so successfully.

When will we see her next?

Denny Hamlin celebrates a hard-fought Daytona 500 triumph with his Racing team in Victory Lane. [NASCAR GETTY IMAGES/CHRIS The 18-year-old Californian GRAYTHEN] will be all over Daytona in January and part of Febru- By Godwin Kelly snapped up his second championship. “It is what it is.” ary. After three wins the past [email protected] , who won the 2018 July Hamlin, who won the 2016 Daytona two seasons in the K&N West race at Daytona, completed the Gibbs’ 500, said his best chance to win would series, and four top-10s in six This is the second of a five-part series trifecta with a third-place finish. It was be to start on the outside racing lane. 2019 ARCA starts, she signed counting down the top five NASCAR Cup the first time the same team has swept “I’ll always take the outside line,” said with Ford as a “develop- Series races of 2019. the 500 since Hendrick went 1-2-3 in Hamlin. ment” driver. She’ll run full 1997. The Daytona 500 was relatively tame time in ARCA, including the his past February, all the car This was a wild season opener for the until the very end. There were 12 cau- season-opening 200-miler at manufacturers left Daytona Cup Series. It included two red-flag tions covering 47 laps, with mishaps Daytona. She’ll also do some International Speedway’s periods for multicar crashes — instead here and there, including a weird wreck road racing in IMSA’s top Speedweeks with some- of one “Big One,” this 500 got two. at the entrance to pit road. feeder series, the Michelin Tthing to show for their efforts. The 31-year restrictor-plate era ended But when it got to the trophy dash Pilot Challenge, including The Chevro- with a 21-car pileup in Turn 3 on Lap — 10 laps to go — drivers were doing the Friday-before-the-Rolex lets dominated qualifying, while Fords 191, ignited when Matt DiBenedetto’s everything they could to gain track event at Daytona in late Janu- swept the Duel qualifying races — and newly energized No. 95 was position. ary. She remains outside the Toyota saved its best for last and cap- turned by ’s No. 21 Ford. “Brains come unglued,” Busch said. spotlight for now, but she’ll tured the big trophy. The red flag lasted 24 minutes, 57 “That’s all it is.” advance quickly if the results Add in 15 lead changes and a boat- seconds as pieces of stock cars were col- Hamlin, who never won a race in are there. load of mayhem, including a crash that lected from the track surface. 2018, led the Daytona 500 twice for 30 involved 21 cars, plus a last-lap shoot- “Just a racing deal,” DiBenedetto said. laps, including the last nine. DiBene- Ken Willis, ken.willis out, and the Daytona 500 makes the “Nothing intentional; it looks like he detto, making his first start in the No. @news-jrnl.com top-five list. was trying to give me a push.” 95 Toyota, led twice for a race-high 49 beat “The No. 12 () had a big laps. teammate in a two-lap over- run so I jumped up in front of him and Busch did win Stage 1 and scored extra WHAT’S ON TAP time shootout to win the 61st Daytona hooked (DiBenedetto),” Menard said. championship points. Blaney captured 500 before an estimated 125,000 spec- “I am not sure what really happened Stage 2. Jan. 3-5: IMSA Rolex 24 three- tators at Daytona. there.” ’s cars posted the top day test at Daytona. “It was one of those days where it On the next restart (Lap 206), Clint four speeds in Daytona 500 qualifying. Jan. 13-18: Chili Bowl Nation- was meant to be,” said Hamlin, who Bowyer’s No. 14 Ford clipped the front Ford’s , who crashed out als in Tulsa, Okla. dedicated the win to Gibbs’ deceased of Michael McDowell’s No. 34 car, Sunday, and Logano swept the 150-mile Jan. 25-26: Rolex 24 at son, J.D. “Hats off to Kyle, but today we necessitating a second race stoppage, qualifying races, and Toyota entered Daytona would not be denied.” this one delaying the finish by another Sunday’s final contest with nothing to Feb. 8-16: Speedweeks at J.D. Gibbs, who died Jan. 11 at the age 14:41. show for Speedweeks. Daytona: of 49 from brain disease, helped Hamlin The massive stadium, which boasts “This was extra special,” said David Feb. 8: ARCA 200 get hired at Gibbs Racing. more than 101,000 seats, was so full of Wilson, who runs Toyota’s racing Feb. 9: Daytona 500 pole “I think J.D. had the best view of anticipation and energy that it produced program. “We’ve been talking about it qualifying; at everything today,” Joe Gibbs said, a “wave” during the second forced all week. Everybody has been picking Daytona fighting back tears. timeout. one of our competitors to win because Feb. 13: Duel at Daytona quali- “We wanted to get one of our JGR The final restart set the stage for the we just don’t have the numbers, but the fying races for Daytona 500 cars into Victory Lane,” said Busch, one-on-one battle for NASCAR’s big- neat thing is we set up strategy and we Feb. 14: Truck Series NextEra who has never won the 500. “But it’s gest prize, with teammates starting side worked the strategy. Energy Resources 250 bittersweet.” by side, much to Busch’s chagrin. “I’ve always said plate racing is team Feb. 15: Xfinity Series NASCAR Hamlin would go on to win six “He wanted to go back into teammate racing. The winner of this doesn’t win as Racing Experience 300 Cup Series races in 2019 while Busch preservation mode again,” Busch said. an individual; he wins as part of a team.” Feb. 16: Daytona 500

2 0 2 0 C U P S E R I E S April 5: Bristol June 21: Chicagoland Sept. 6: Darlington SCHEDULE April 19: Richmond June 27: Pocono Sept. 12: Richmond Feb. 9: Clash at Daytona April 26: Talladega June 28: Pocono Sept. 19: Bristol Feb. 16: Daytona 500 May 3: Dover July 5: Indianapolis Sept. 27: Las Vegas Feb. 23: Las Vegas May 9: Martinsville July 11: Kentucky Oct. 4: Talladega March 1: Fontana May 16: All-Star Race at Charlotte July 19: New Hampshire Oct. 11: Charlotte March 8: Phoenix May 24: Charlotte Aug. 9: Michigan Oct. 18: Kansas March 15: Atlanta May 31: Kansas Aug. 16: Watkins Glen Oct. 25: Texas March 22: Homestead-Miami June 7: Michigan Aug. 23: Dover Nov. 1: Martinsville March 29: Texas June 14: Sonoma Aug. 29: Daytona Nov. 8: Phoenix

M O T O R M O U T H S SPEED FREAKS — A few questions we had to ask ourselves PODCAST Who needs a big favor in their beyond that, we’ll never know The long, gray days of winter Christmas stocking? because you just can’t com- can be handled, if you have GODSPEAK: got pare eras. Among team owners, the right podding partners. a lump of coal this season. Here’s though? Top three or four. wishing he has a respectable 2020. Tune in online at KEN’S CALL: I’ll go with Daniel Will stand by www.news-journalonline. Suarez, for obvious reasons. Feliz his 2020 retirement plans? com/daytonamotormouths Navidad! GODSPEAK: Only if he wins the Daytona 500. Otherwise, no way. In terms of all-time drivers, where He will be back. He only runs a do you rank ? handful of races as it stands right GODSPEAK: Put him in the top 10. now. He won on dirt tracks and super- KEN’S CALL: Short answer: I speedways. Many of those early hope not. Longer answer: It might racers didn’t care for big tracks. depend on someone making the What could a seven-time champion possibly need under the KEN’S CALL: Hall of Famer, but proper offer in 2021 and beyond. tree? How about some 2020 horsepower? [AP FILE]