February 18, 2018 By Reid Spencer NASCAR Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Austin Dillon prevailed in a game of Survivor played at 200 miles per hour, winning the Sunday’s Daytona 500 fiercely and unapologetically after turning race leader Aric Almirola in the third corner of the final lap. Ten of the 40 drivers who started the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series’ season-opening event finished on the lead lap in a race that featured eight cautions and three massive wrecks that eliminated many of the strongest cars in the field. After a huge push from Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr. down the backstretch…

February 17, 2018 By Holly Cain NASCAR Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – On the eve of the Daytona 500, Ford team owners representing 10 Daytona 500 victories and five NASCAR championships addressed the racing media to share high expectations for the 2018 season and indulge in a few stories of their considerable time competing in NASCAR’s big leagues. Roger Penske, Jack Roush, Tony Stewart and Eddie Wood sat alongside Mark Rushbrook, global director, Ford Performance Motorsports to field questions and provide perspective. “For 2018, there's been driver lineup changes in a lot of these teams," Rushbrook said. “I think all strengthening…

February 17, 2018 By Holly Cain NASCAR Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Toyota racing executive Ed Laukes sat alongside the make’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series team owners Joe Gibbs and Barney Visser to address the racing media Saturday morning eager for the group to step right in where it left off in 2017 – a lot of victory circles and on stage hoisting the championship trophy. Visser, who fields a Furniture Row Racing Toyota Camry for reigning champion Martin Truex Jr., made his first formal address to reporters since his team won the title in November. Visser suffered heart problems…

February 17, 2018 By Reid Spencer NASCAR Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – In a day race that ended under the lights, with the closest margin of victory in NASCAR history, Tyler Reddick finished Saturday’s PowerShares QQQ 300 less than three inches ahead of JR Motorsports teammate Elliott Sadler. In the last of five overtimes, after a stoppage of 5 minutes, 27 seconds, and on the 23rd extra lap, Reddick made a move to the outside off Turn 4 and won a drag race with Sadler to the stripe after their cars bumped side-to-side coming to the finish line. The margin of…

February 16, 2018 By Reid Spencer NASCAR Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – In a race that produced seven cautions for 35 laps and left 21 trucks running at the finish, Johnny Sauter held off Justin Haley by .098 seconds at Daytona International Speedway to win Friday night’s NextEra Energy Resources 250, the season-opener for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Sauter grabbed the lead from pole winner David Gilliland on Lap 92 of 100 and stayed out front the rest of the way. The victory was Sauter’s third at Daytona and 18th of his career. The 2016 series champion dedicated the…