Analyzing Daytona - Margin Calls, Smoke, Orlando United, DaleTona

How close is too close? NASCAR analyzes Daytona coming into week 18 of the Sprint Cup season

When it comes to close calls and great finishes, you only have to look back to February of this year when Denny Hamlin beat Martin Truex Jr to the line by .010 seconds, and with Tony Stewart still on a high from last weeks race at Sonoma, it could prove to be a scorcher at the World Center of Racing.

DAYTONA FAST FACTS

Here are some fast facts about the racetrack itself, just in case you are looking for trivia items to stump your friends. 

Groundbreaking for Daytona International Speedway was Nov. 25, 1957. The soil underneath the banked corners was dug from the infield of the track and the hole filled with water. It is now known as Lake Lloyd.

· The first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Daytona was a 100-mile qualifying race for the Daytona 500 on Feb. 20, 1959 – won by Bob Welborn.

· The first summer race at Daytona International Speedway was held on July 4, 1959 – won by Fireball Roberts (140.581 mph).

· NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty won his 200th career race on July 4, 1984 at Daytona.

· Lights were installed in the spring of 1998. However, the July race was delayed until October that year due to thick smoke from wildfires. The second Daytona race has been held under the lights ever since.

· The track underwent a repave in 2010.

NASCAR remembers the Orlando night club victims with a special decal this weekend

NASCAR has announced that it will provide all drivers with a special Orlando Unites decal that will be placed on the A post of the cars in remembrance and to honor the 50 people who lost their lives in the tragic events at The Pulse Night Club. NASCAR released a photo of the decal, which is below:

This decal will be displayed during this weekends NASCAR races at Daytona International Speeday

 Can Smoke Rise (To The Occasion) Again?

Following Tony Stewart’s dramatic race-winning last-lap pass at Sonoma, many started comparing his 2016 to his surprising march to the 2011 Sprint Cup crown. Here is the statistical breakdown comparison between Stewart’s 2011 and 2016 seasons. Notably, from races 9 through 16, the No. 14 had the exact same average finish in both seasons. Is this a foreshadowing of a 2016 championship?

In 2016, Tony Stewart has made eight starts posting one win (Sonoma), three top 10s and an average finish of 17.125. He is currently 32nd, outside the Chase cutoff (top 30) in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings. Stewart missed the first eight races of the season due to a back injury. 

DALE-TONA

Dale Earnhardt Jr is looking for a sweep at Daytona this Saturday night under the lights.

Will Dale Earnhardt Jr repeat his season opener win with another trip to Victory Lane? According to the stats above, the 88 driver is 4th out of all active drivers on the all time wins list, with 10 wins at restrictor plate tracks. Just hope he can get out of the current funk he's in. 

WHERE AND HOW TO WATCH AND LISTEN:

Thursday, June 30

TV Notes (ET):

2:00 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series practice, NBCSN

3:00 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice, NBCSN

4:00 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series practice, NBCSN

5:00 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series final practice, NBCSN

Friday, July 1

TV Notes (ET):

2:10 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, NBCSN

4:10 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, NBCSN

7:30 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series: Subway Firecracker 250, NBCSN

Saturday, July 2

TV Notes (ET):

7:45 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Coke Zero 400, NBC

NASCAR

Daytona

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nascarguy

NASCARGUY's Blog

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