NASCAR Sprint Cup Tests At Charlotte Motor Speedway

NASCAR has more preseason testing with the new Gen-6 cars at Charlotte!

If you live in the Charlotte region and you're a NASCAR fan, you're in luck!  More preseason testing for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Gen-6 car will be taking place at Charlotte Motor Speedway this upcoming Thursday and Friday.  (Jan 17-18, 2013)

This test session is another shake-down for the new, lighter car, and at this moment, thirty-three drivers will be testing.

Haulers are scheduled to arrive at 7 a.m. and testing is scheduled for 9 a.m.-noon and 1 p.m.-4 p.m.. (Local times)

If the weather cooperates (Rain is predicted for Thursday at the time of this post)  admission to the track is free during this 2-day test and the following drivers are slated to be there:

• Jamie McMurray     Earnhardt Ganassi Racing
• Brad Keselowski     Penske Racing
• Kasey Kahne     Hendrick Motorsports
• Marcos Ambrose     Richard Petty Motorsports
• Danica Patrick     Stewart Haas Racing
• Denny Hamlin     Joe Gibbs Racing
• Casey Mears     Germain Racing
• Tony Stewart     Stewart Haas Racing
• Clint Bowyer     Michael Waltrip Racing
• Greg Biffle     Roush Fenway Racing
• Ricky Stenhouse Jr.     Roush Fenway Racing
• Kyle Busch     Joe Gibbs Racing
• Matt Kenseth     Joe Gibbs Racing
• Trevor Bayne     Wood Brothers Racing
• Joey Logano     Penske Racing
• Jeff Gordon     Hendrick Motorsports
• Paul Menard     Richard Childress Racing
• Kevin Harvick     Richard Childress Racing
• David Stremme     Swan Racing
• Jeff Burton     Richard Childress Racing
• David Ragan     Front Row Motorsports
• Dave Blaney     Tommy Baldwin Racing
• Ryan Newman     Stewart Haas Racing
• Juan Pablo Montoya     Earnhardt Ganassi Racing
• Aric Almirola     Richard Petty Motorsports
• Bobby Labonte     JTG-Daugherty Racing
• Jimmie Johnson     Hendrick Motorsports
• Mark Martin     Michael Waltrip Racing
• Martin Truex Jr.     Michael Waltrip Racing
• Kurt Busch     Furniture Row Racing
• Dale Earnhardt Jr     Hendrick Motorsports
• Scott Speed     Leavine Family Racing
• Carl Edwards     Roush Fenway Racing

Have fun if you go, get great pics and let us know if you went or not!  Me, I'm insanely jealous right now. 

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NASCAR: Villains, Rivalries or Just Frustrating Results

Over on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on The Morning Drive, the guys have been touching on an interesting thematic conversation this week, and that's how people perceive athletes in different scenarios.

The most common perspective seems to be the disdain against the athlete who wins so much that it gets old.  They touched on how your favorite driver keeps getting dusted by Jimmie Johnson while JJ keeps winning championships (well, was) and races.  And him and his teams performance earned him boos.  Boos for excelling.  I have to wonder if you were the best employee in your company, and you worked hard to get there, how you'd take it if you had peers who sneered at you.  (For some, that's called jealousy.)

I've always found that to be a bit crass, to jeer someone who has worked so hard at his craft that he and/or his team get booed.  I don't hear anyone jeering on Channing Tatum or Jennifer Lawrence, but that's a fantasy kind of appreciation.  Sports is the best in reality TV, period.  So my guess is that the jeering comes from frustration and nothing more.

Then today (Wed 1-16) they touched on what makes a driver a villain?  At first it was touched on that Johnson can be considered by some to be a villain and then they segued into drivers who may drive too aggressively and not take ownership of the incidents they cause, with Juan Pablo Montoya being the prime example.

But for me, I went right to a few thoughts about who could be a villain...

Back in the day, despite the love for the man now, Dale Earnhardt (Sr.) was the nasty man who drove through the grass or your back bumper to win.  From what I understand, he was probably the villain of the day.

For me, I remember Kurt Busch's early days in the Cup Series and his altercations with Jimmy Spencer.  Being someone who appreciated Spencer's honesty (though politically, that nipped him in the butt), I took to slotting Busch in the bad guy basket.  And then when Spencer manned up and did the NASCAR thing the punched Busch, for me, it was settled and they were done.  Oh, and they were.  I don't remember Busch ever getting in his face again after that.  (Or was that selective memory?)

And through the years new rookies would come into the sport and drive like they stole it, ticking off drivers and seasoned fans alike.

A few quickie names that come right to mind... Tony Stewart's midget racing mindset and photographer decking attitude.  Brad Keselowski and his non-apologetic ways of winning.  If everyone didn't love Dale Earnhardt Jr., but stepped back and watched carefully, he takes crazy risks on the track that would get anyone else booed out of the stadium.  But that's a moot point.  Kyle Busch, who came on the scene, out drove everyone, drove through everyone and had a teenager's mouth about the situation.  Now that, was villainous.  Of late, the newest "villains" on the scene could be Kurt Busch (again) for his verbal tirades last year and the year before, and now Juan Montoya.  Driving for the win, no matter how many laps down he is, has earned him a cautious spot and that bad boy podium.  (And jet dryer drivers fear him!)  And the reputation for not taking ownership of the messes he leaves behind seems to have put him all by himself in many people's eyes.  But is he a bad guy, a gangsta, or just someone with no real manners?  That's for you to decide.

For me, I have a tough time with jeering a superior performance.  Don't get me wrong... I get the frustration.  But then, my frustration may have started with my favorite driver's lack of success.  Too many 2 or no-tire pit stops that never work out and the like just drive me crazy.  But my guy or gal's lack of success is no reason to trash on the winner.  There always has to be a winner and it just happens that it's the same few guys every week. (ballpark speaking that is.)

And winning doesn't warrant throwing beverage cans and bottles over the fence either.  But that's just me.  I just keep wishing my driver would just get better and have a shot at the championship, as I'm sure you do too.

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To mark someone a villain in a sport seems extreme.  To me, a villain steals, destroys, murders... etc..  In sports it's more of an emotional label than anything else.  But stepping back and learning to appreciate the talent that goes into what is being achieved, well, it can be confusing, but at least you might just get it.  (Then again, it makes it hard to hate a driver.  I remember hating Jeff Gordon in his day.  Remember that quote, why he hasn't hit the wall?  Because it didn't have a number on it?)

That's my piece of mind today...

Preseason Thunder Seems To Have Been Successful

After watching the three days of thunder, as in Preseason Thunder at Daytona, it seems that most everyone is pretty happy with the new, Gen-6 car bodies.  Especially NASCAR, as the last time I have heard, they don't plan on making any changes between now and the next time the cars hit that burning track surface of Daytona.  (I assume the jet dryer trucks have Juan Pablo impact suppression tech by now!)

There seems to be some things that will take getting used to, break in period, but as we saw, or as tested, the roof flaps are bigger and a few other changes that are being predicted that will be making this 2013 Daytona 500 more of a wheel man's race than ever before.

• The new 2013 cars will sport brand identifiable body work.  (Though I fear that might take us back to the era of "his brand's nose has better airflow than mine!" era)
• The cars are 160 pounds lighter.
• A couple of bars were added to the roll cage, making it more sturdy and a bit more roomier.
• A taller spoiler and new camber rules are designed to make this new car handle better.
• There's less aero-dependency, and Goodyear made a tire specifically for the new car.

And these changes make it so the car can handle better going into the corners making the racing surface more of a level playing field.  At least that's the anticipations.

BUT...

We also saw that bump-drafting has been changed forever (or until they change the bumpers).  Dale Earnhardt Jr. took note that he could push a Toyota down the stretch, but the moment he laid his Chevy bumper to the back end of a Ford, he "wheel barreled" the car off the ground and they had a pretty decent practice wreck.

And this, NASCAR hopes, will eliminate the tandem drafting that many fans have been grumpy about.

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And the general consensus from the drivers is that these changes will be good for the racing.  Other consensus say there will be a huge learning curve coming into the Daytona 500 weekend.  (Ebayers, get ready with your checkbooks for that scrap metal auction coming up!)

But speeds look interesting from the three-day practice session:

Thursday:

• Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 195.712 mph
• Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 195.385 mph
• Kyle Busch, Toyota, 195.329 mph

Friday:

• Trevor Bayne, Ford, 199.650 mph
• Joey Logano, Ford,199.309 mph
• Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 199.212 mph

Saturday:

• Greg Biffle, Ford, 194.936 mph
• Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 194.717 mph
• Kyle Busch, Toyota, 194.578 mph

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Thursday and Saturday were single car sessions and Friday was when the pack got together for drafting practice.  But I don't see any Chevy's in the top-3 speeds.  But that should not be an issue, this was only practice.

So after that last few years of some of the best racing I've seen out of NASCAR, the promise is that we're about to see even better racing.  And there's no doubt that those first and last 40 laps of every race out there will be pretty intense.  But I'm still waiting for the mid-race laps to be addressed so I can stay awake or engaged during the telecast.  But that's just me and over time, I'm sure things will straighten out.

For now, it's 2013 and the Gen-6 car.  And my biggest problem will be how to keep track of what new drivers are in their new rides.  That might take a few laps to get used to.

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NASCAR and Featherlite Trailers Extends Their Partnership

If you're a fan of both NASCAR and Featherlite Trailers... or wonder why there are so many Featherlite Trailer ads during the races, it might all be coming together pretty soon.

NASCAR and Featherlite have officially extended their contractual relationship with each for another 6 years.  That's something that in this economy, is a good thing for all involved.  Plus, as it's always said, with NASCAR fans being the most sponsor loyal sports fans out there, is a good thing for Featherlite.

Check out news, via press release, below:

NASCAR And Featherlite Trailers Announce Six-Year Partnership Extension

The Official Trailer Of NASCAR Continues Its 20-Year Relationship With The Sport

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 14, 2013) — NASCAR® and Featherlite Trailers announced today that the Iowa-based company has agreed to extend its long-term partnership with NASCAR. The six-year extension ensures that Featherlite Trailers will be the Official Trailer of NASCAR through 2018. Entering its 13th year as an Official Partner, Featherlite Trailers built its first race car transporter for owner Richard Childress 20 years ago, dating its relationship with the sport back to 1993. 

Currently, Featherlite Trailers plays a vital role in facilitating high-quality NASCAR race events each weekend. Ninety percent of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series™ and NASCAR Nationwide Series™ teams rely on Featherlite transporters to move vital race equipment to every event. Additionally, approximately 10 transporters manufactured by Featherlite Trailers serve as official office and meeting spaces for NASCAR race officials and personnel each weekend across the country. 

"Featherlite Trailers is pleased to extend our partnership with NASCAR," said Terry Carlson, chief executive officer of Universal Trailer Holding Corp. "As a long-time NASCAR partner, Featherlite is committed to the sport and its fans, as well as providing world-class support and services to NASCAR and its race teams."

In the second half of the 2012 NASCAR season, Featherlite Trailers introduced its newly redesigned custom "T1" NASCAR support and media trailer. The transporter, featuring larger and more efficient work spaces, is utilized by NASCAR broadcast partners at the track each weekend.

 

"The return of Featherlite Trailers benefits our entire industry, including our tracks, drivers, teams and partners," said Jim O'Connell, NASCAR chief sales officer. "The extension of this 20-year relationship ensures that our sport will continue to have the most technologically advanced race transporters and meeting spaces, critical to facilitating high quality race events each weekend."

Featherlite Trailers is a leading designer and manufacturer of aluminum trailers, including specialized 53-foot race car transporters and highly customized specialty trailers for virtually every business purpose. The company also manufactures car, recreation, utility, horse and livestock trailers. Featherlite is part of Universal Trailer Corporation's family of brands.

About NASCAR

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for one of North America's premier sports. NASCAR races are broadcast in more than 175 countries and in 25 languages. In the U.S., races are broadcast on FOX, TNT, ABC/ESPN/ESPN2, SPEED, Motor Racing Network Radio, Performance Racing Network and Sirius XM Radio. NASCAR fans are among the most brand-loyal in all of sports, and as a result more Fortune 500 companies participate in NASCAR than any other sport. NASCAR consists of three national series (the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series), four regional series, and one local grassroots series, as well as three international series. Also part of NASCAR is GRAND-AM Road Racing and the American Le Mans Series, featuring competition on road courses with multiple classes of cars. NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races at 100 tracks in more than 30 U.S. states, Canada, Mexico and Europe. Based in Daytona Beach, Fla., NASCAR has offices in eight cities across North America. The next NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race will be The Sprint Unlimited At Daytona on Feb. 16 on FOX at 8 p.m. ET. For more information and a complete schedule, visit www.nascar.com. Follow NASCAR on www.facebook.com/NASCAR or on Twitter: @NASCAR.

About Featherlite Trailers

 Featherlite specialty trailers are sold through the company's corporate headquarters in Cresco, Iowa. In addition, Featherlite has highly diversified product lines offering horse, livestock, car, utility and recreational trailers through an extensive international dealer network. In addition to its "Official Trailer" status of NASCAR, Featherlite is a sponsor of many equine, livestock and motorsports organizations. Featherlite is part of the Universal Trailer Corporation's family of brands.

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Noticed Michael McDowell's Silence on Twitter & Facebook?

If you're a fan of Michael McDowell's and happen to miss the news bite, you might be wondering why he hasn't said anything on the social media outlets like Twitter and Facebook.  Michael is taking a break from the frenzy of social media, that's all.

Turns out that after a rather productive Bible study group with some other drivers and their family, Michael thought he'd fast from tweeting!

As he put it, the social media outlets or venues are like an addiction.  You want to see what family and friends are doing or saying.  If you're a celebrity, you want to keep your fans or following up to speed on news and events in your professional life.

But he also noted that you miss the math and how much time you end up burning while tackling your social media fixation or responsibilities.

And if you step back you'll see that he's not that far wrong.

And to make sure he sticks to his guns regarding his "fast," McDowell has gone so far as to delete the apps from his phone.

(But he does have an automated process in place that tweets Bible verses every day.)

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And a good point is being made, for whatever the reason.

Some impromptu surveys show many folks check their social media on a daily schedule, while others check a few times a day and even hourly.  I write about things that catch my eye, and so I almost fall into the hourly category.  But it's for a business-like purpose.

And a University of Chicago study findings suggested that only sleep and sex are stronger drives than social media checking.

We encounter it all the time.  Head out to eat, to wait for the bus, walking and even in the most annoying environment, during movies.  People are always head down and absorbing what their phones have to tell them.

In a study by Edison Research, looking at just over 2,000 folks, 22% of their survey testers checked their social networks several times a day, while 15% did it once a day.  (Once a day seems reasonable actually.)  12% did it once a week.  While 40% of their respondents never checked on the sites.

Some folk are even known to be checking their social accounts first thing in the morning.  But the caveat there in my mind is that is how they get their morning news, so hence, not as unhealthy of a premise.  The classic morning routine used to be coffee and the paper.  Now it's coffee and the phone attached to some news source.

And then there's the vacations I've taken.  Sometimes my vacations take me to mountain cabins with no service or connection to the world.  It takes me a day or so, but then I settle in and enjoy living my life again and not being tethered to my laptop or phone.  Though, to be honest, I don't take enough vacations.

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For Michael McDowell, he's reconnecting to what's important to him and he sets a great example.  But dang...  once the Daytona 500 kicks it in gear on February 24th, we'll all be piling in and checking FB or Twitter for our sports updates, just like the rest of the user!

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How Qualifying Works for The 2013 Daytona 500

If you are wondering how qualifying works for the 2013 Daytona 500, which takes place on Feb 24th, here's a quick and simple description for the process.

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Positions 1 and 2 go to the 2 fastest cars on qualifying day.

Positions 3 through 32 are set by the finishing order in the Budweiser Duel races.

Positions 33 through 36 go to the drivers who didn't make the field through the qualifying races but posted the fastest 4 speeds in qualifying.

Positions 37 through 42 are set based on 2012 owner points.

43rd position is a provisional filled by the most recent past champion not in the field already or the next eligible driver based on 2012 owner points.

And there it is.  Now you can tell your buddies how qualifying works.

Preseason Testing, Day Two, With a Draft

The second day of Preseason Thunder at Daytona came and went.  Today the practice was looking at the drafting pack and Dale Earnhardt Jr. learned something quite valuable for everyone to take note.

He figured he can push other Chevys and Toyotas, but he learned that he can't as easily push Fords.  Headed down the backstretch, Dale Jr. bump drafted with Ambrose and Dale's car nose jacked in under the back bumper of Ambrose, sending him off to the grass and catching a few other cars in the process.

Since this is just testing, most teams only brought one car, and this wreck ended the weekend for some.

But at least for me, it's good to see the cars counting off laps at speed.  We don't have that much longer to go before the Daytona 500.

Below, is the NASCAR press release regarding day two....

Feeling A Draft: Pack Mentality Returns To Daytona

Drivers Test Drafting At Daytona For First Time In Gen-6 Car

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (January 11, 2013) – Day 2 of Preseason Thunder at Daytona International Speedway offered a little bit of everything, with the highlight coming in the afternoon as the pack returned to the high banks.

Friday's second session opened with a multi-car pack working on drafting around the hallowed 2.5-mile superspeedway. About an hour into the afternoon test session, a 12-car accident ended several teams' day.

During Day 2's media availability, NASCAR's 10-time Most Popular Driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. talked about his anticipation for the upcoming 2013 season.

"I feel like that the sport is in a good healthy place," said Dale Earnhardt Jr. "We have a good opportunity to grow.  With this car we have a chance to do something great and really make a big impact … I think the racing is as exciting as it has been in a long time.  You look at some of these old races and look back at some of the events that we had in the '80s and the '90s … it always is changing and it always will, but I think we have improved it."

Trevor Bayne, the 2011 Daytona 500 champion, posted the fastest lap of both days at 199.650 mph, set in the afternoon session.

"The biggest thing was just how the draft was working more like it used to be," said Martin Truex Jr. "There were no two-car tandems, it was cool being able to back up off the leader and get runs and take the lead and do things like you used to do.  It has a little bit more strategy involved than just holding it wide open and hitting the guy in front of you as hard as you could, so I thought it was cool."

With The Sprint Unlimited (Feb. 16 on SPEED, Motor Racing Network Radio and SiriusXM Satellite Radio) and the Daytona 500 (Feb. 24 on FOX, Motor Racing Network Radio, SiriusXM Satellite Radio) a little more than a month away, Greg Biffle is readying himself for what he believes will be a "fun" and "exciting" Speedweeks.

"The cars are stuck less and they are looser," said Greg Biffle. "That is good for racing. It is good for the fans. It will make it more exciting and make pit strategy come into play. If you put tires on, you will be able to go faster. I think all of that is good. This is going to be a heck of a race. I like that the cars were sliding around and hard to drive. It will make it a fun race." 

Off the track, Jimmie Johnson, 2006 Daytona 500 winner, has partnered with Daytona International Speedway to provide fans with "The 48 Experience," the ultimate race fan package for the Daytona 500.

"I became a fan of racing as a kid and I think the future of our sport really relies on connecting with the young kids and helping them get involved in the sport and understanding and being around it," said Jimmie Johnson. "Hopefully, this program can contribute to that."

"The 48 Experience" and great seats are still available for the 55th Annual Daytona 500 on February 24.  Call 1-800-PITSHOP or visit www.daytona500.com.

Tomorrow concludes 2013 Preseason Thunder for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams.

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Michael Waltrip Swings a Ride in The Daytona 500 for Swan Racing

In the heyday of his career, Michael Waltrip, while driving for DEI, learned a thing or two about restrictor plate racing.  It served him well then, and for the years to come afterwards.  Thus, some folks still see him as a viable resource to tap into when needed.

Back then, pre-Teresa days, DEI was a dominant force at any restrictor plate race.

Over the last few years, I've seen no one dominating factor as the cars became more equally designed, but you still have to account for the learned skills of some of the drivers, because, face it, air is air.

With that in mind, in case you had not heard the news, Michael Waltrip will be in the Daytona 500, driving for Swan Racing, and effectively, driving with his old crew-chief, Tony Eury Jr..

The D500 will also be marking Swan Racing's debut to NASCAR Sprint Cup racing.

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via press release

Michael Waltrip to drive for Swan Racing in the Daytona 500 Two-time champion reunites with former crew chief for the Great American Race Michael Waltrip, a two-time Daytona 500 champion, will pilot Swan Racing's No. 30 in the 2013 "Great American Race," reuniting him with former crew chief Tony Eury Jr. The race marks Swan Racing's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series debut since announcing its new ownership this month.  "I am thrilled to drive the No. 30 Toyota for Swan Racing and the chance to win a third Daytona 500," said Waltrip about the one-race deal. "Reuniting with Tony Jr. and Steve Hmiel brings back a lot of good memories and is going to create new ones."   "Swan Racing is here to compete and to build a championship contender," said Swan Racing owner Brandon Davis who has vowed to end the practice of habitual "start and parks" for the team. "This one-race partnership with Michael puts a two-time champion behind the wheel and the No. 30 in the mix at the Daytona 500." Waltrip qualified for 25 consecutive Daytona 500s between 1987 and 2011 winning his first in 2001 and a second in 2003.  In 2002, Waltrip won the July race at Daytona International Speedway, bringing his total to three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series wins at the "World Center of Racing." "This is a great move for Swan Racing," said David Stremme who will be the regular driver of the No. 30 Toyota."Michael and I have been friends for a long time.  We got to talking last year and from my perspective I thought this would help to further our relationship with Toyota and be a good building block for Swan Racing."  Swan Racing is building its team from the ground up by hiring veterans of the sport who share a common long term vision for success.  Steve Hmiel, named competition director last week, has over 35 years of experience as a crew chief, car chief and competition director.  He has worked with NASCAR greats such as Richard Petty, Mark Martin, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Waltrip.  Hmiel was Waltrip's crew chief for 12 races in 2001.   Tony Eury Jr. will be the crew chief for the No. 30 Toyota.  The addition of Waltrip for the 2013 Daytona 500 reunites another driver and crew chief combination. Eury was Waltrip's crew chief in 2005 where they teamed up for 26 races.  "Michael is a familiar face for a lot of us here at Swan Racing," said Eury. "We know each other's habits, wants and needs on the track.  We're going to Daytona to compete and hopefully we'll make a mark for Swan Racing." Eury has been a part of 19 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victories with Waltrip and Earnhardt Jr.  He was part of teams that won the Budweiser Shootout twice at Daytona International Speedway in 2003 and 2008 with Earnhardt.  The Daytona 500 is scheduled for Sunday February 24, 2013 and will be broadcasted live on Fox.

Preseason Thunder And Reign: Talk Of Gen-6 Car Rules Day 1

 

Preseason Thunder And Reign: Talk Of Gen-6 Car Rules Day 1

Defending Daytona 500 Champ Tops Charts; Excitement Builds For New Car Debut

via press release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (December 12, 2012) – New faces with new teams and new cars were on display during Day 1 of Preseason Thunder at Daytona, but one storyline dominated – the Gen-6 car is sleek and fast.

Defending Daytona 500 champion Matt Kenseth, with new team Joe Gibbs Racing, was fastest in the first practice with a top speed of 192.757 mph and second-fastest in the afternoon session with a top speed of 195.385 mph. Teammate Denny Hamlin topped the speed chart in the second practice (195.712 mph) in his Gen-6 Toyota Camry.

Following Thursday's afternoon session, NASCAR Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton spoke about how the collective effort of the industry has been key to the Gen-6 car's development.

"We have been working on this car for nearly two years and we have been at the track on and off for well over a year in different stages and forms and configurations of the car," Pemberton said. "Because of the depth of everybody, throughout our entire industry, we were able to take these things and put a long lead time in them and develop a better product."

John Darby, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series director, reiterated the positive feelings about the new car, and was particularly impressed with the close competition during Thursday's test.

"When you look at the enormity of the project … and basically putting three brand-new models of race cars out on a race track … and put speeds up that are within a tenth of a second of each other – it is an incredible, incredible effort," Darby said. "I truly believe there is not another racing series in the world that could accomplish what these guys did since we left Homestead."

As far as competition goes, the Gen-6 car received high marks. But so too did the look and feel of the Toyota Camry, Chevrolet SS and Ford Fusion as they hit the high banks of the World Center of Racing for the first time in advance The Sprint Unlimited on Feb. 16 (SPEED, MRN Radio, SiriusXM Satellite Radio) and the 55th running of the Daytona 500 on Feb. 24 (FOX, MRN Radio, SiriusXM Satellite Radio).

"Everybody is super excited about this race car and what it brings to our sport and the identity that it brings back to the passenger cars you see on the roads," said Clint Bowyer, driver of the No. 15 5-hour Energy Toyota for Michael Waltrip Racing. "This is my first time I've been in it. I didn't do the Charlotte test so it was fun to get out there and see what it was all about. They're certainly cool looking. [It's great] to see everybody's cars down here and be back to racing."

Carl Edwards hopes to use Preseason Thunder to kick start 2013 after a disappointing 2012 season. Edwards missed the Chase for the Sprint Cup after finishing second in 2011.

"I couldn't be looking forward to it more," Edwards said. "I think it will be an exciting year for me. I would like to put last year out of my memory and not think about it too much. Not in the last few years have I been this excited to go racing. I think it is probably because my offseason has been a little longer than most. I didn't go to Vegas [for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion's Week] so I have been ready to go."

The drivers rounded out Day 1 at Daytona International Speedway with Fan Fest. Fans were treated to driver fan forums, show cars and displays, music and photo opportunities with the 2013 Harley J. Earl Daytona 500 trophy and autograph sessions.

Teams will be back on track for testing tomorrow at 9 a.m. Tomorrow's media availability includes: Dale Earnhardt Jr. 12:05 p.m.; Matt Kenseth 12:20 p.m.; Jimmie Johnson 12:35 p.m.; Greg Biffle 12:45 p.m.

Daytona Preseason Thunder Speeds & Indy 500 News For Danica Patrick

The gang is at Daytona for Preseason Thunder testing and they're playing with the new car bodies.  NASCAR is calling the new body the Gen-6, though, as I see floating around the Twitter-verse, I'm not sure what or where the first 5 versions were!

Today Danica Patrick's folks posted speeds on her Facebook page and they reported that:

Preseason Thunder Day 1 Results - Danica was 3rd in the morning session at 192.583 mph, and 7th in the afternoon session at 192.934 mph.

The second day of the three-day test is scheduled Friday with a 3-hour morning run (9AM-Noon EST on SPEEDTV.com) and a 4-hour afternoon run (1PM-5PM EST on SPEED).

On her FB account she also confirmed she will NOT BE competing in the Indy 500 this year.

-Bruce