Latest news with #Dayton500
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
A NASCAR Fan's Introduction to Endurance Racing and the Motul Petit Le Mans
You don't have to be a big racing fan to have heard of the Indianapolis 500. The Dayton 500 is almost a household brand. But there's a good chance you've never heard of the Motul Petit Le Mans. It's one of the biggest racing events in the world and it takes place each year at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia, the heart of NASCAR country. While most racing fans believe NASCAR and traditional European racing are vastly different, you might be surprised to learn they also have a lot in common. NASCAR was born out of the southern backwoods moonshine trade, where lead-footed bootleggers tried to outrun 'revenuers' while making their deliveries. When Congress repealed Prohibition in 1933, those boys had to go somewhere to get their speed fix. The racetrack seemed to be the logical place. Enter NASCAR. Founded in 1948 in Daytona Beach, Florida, NASCAR now has one of sport's biggest fan bases in the United States with more than 1,500 races in 48 states, Canada, Mexico, Brazil and Europe. But, if you're taking the entire history of auto racing into account, NASCAR is just an upstart. Almost as soon as someone dropped the first gas-powered internal-combustion engine onto a set of wheels in the 1880's, someone else decided to see how fast it would go. The first organized race happened in 1894 in Paris, France. While the South's contributions to auto racing are colorful and significant, it's Europe that is the true cradle of auto racing. The pivotal moments came in the early 1900's, when the first race tracks were built, and the 1930's, when legendary car makers like Alfa Romeo, Bugatti, and Mercedes-Benz began building cars specifically for racing. Speed was important, but so was endurance. Therein lies the difference between winning in NASCAR and winning an endurance race. Instead of one driver completing 500 miles in the shortest amount of time, multiple drivers combine in teams to complete the most number of laps during a set amount of time. La Mans, France, hosted the first 24 hours of Le Mans in 1923. There were 35 two-man teams competing in the field made up of 32 cars from France, a Bentley from Great Britain and two Excelsiors from Belgium. It was supposed to be the first in a series of 3-races, with the winner crowned after the third race. Just like the cars that race there, the event at Le Mans has evolved. Some of the greatest drivers in racing history have competed in the race. Today, Le Mans, the Monaco Grand Prix and the Indianapolis 500 are considered to be the world's most prestigious races. And Le Mans, along with two Florida events, 12 Hours of Sebring and 24 Hours of Daytona, make up endurance racing's Triple Crown. So, how does the Motul Petit Le Mans fit into this story? In 1998, Braselton, Georgia, businessman Don Panoz partnered with the organizers of 24 Hours of Le Mans to create a racing series called the American Le Mans Series. There were 8 races during the inaugural 1999 season. It expanded to 12 races in 2000. Initially the races were run on rovals, sometimes in city streets. But each year the series featured races at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Mosport, Sebring and Road Atlanta. In 2014 the American Le Mans Series merged with Gran Am Road Racing under the International Motor Sports Association. Here's where the NASCAR connections become apparent. The IMSA was founded in 1969 by a man named John Bishop and his wife Peggy. The Bishop's received a lot of help from a man named Bill France, Sr. Yes, the same Bill France, Sr. who founded NASCAR. In fact, IMSA is owned by NASCAR and is headquartered in Daytona Beach, right along with NASCAR. If you haven't guessed by now, Panoz bought the Road Atlanta facility in 1996. The track hosted its first Petit Le Mans endurance race in 1998. That was the first of the American Le Mans Series. That brings us full circle to the 26th annual Motul Petit Le Mans which took place October 11th -14th. There were a total of 52 cars entered in five classes. There were 10 cars entered in the Grand Touring Prototype, or in GTP class. 8 entered the Le Mans Prototype 2, or LMP2 class. The Le Mans Prototype 3, or LMP3 is an entry-level class, with 7 cars this year. The Grand Touring Daytona, or GTD class, usually has an amateur driver on each team. There were 19 cars in the GTD class this year. And 8 cars entered the GTD Pro class. This year's race was huge. As the 11th and final race of the season, it decided the 2023 IMSA SportsCar Championship, and the fourth round of the 2023 Michelin Endurance Cup. 3 teams were in position to take the GTP class IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship title. Nick Tandy got knocked out early when his #6 Porche Penske Motorsport Porche 963 was involved in a wreck, a little more than an hour into the race. That put Pipo Derani of the Whelen Engineering Cadillac Racing team and Filipe Albuquerque driving for Wayne Taylor Racing-Andretti Autosport as the final two in contention to win the IMSA GTP championship. Almost 9-hours into the 10-hour race, Albuquerque tried to overtake Derani and move into 2nd place. He tried to pass Derani's #31 Whelen Racing Cadillac V Series R on the outside of turn 1. That's when Derani appeared to push Albuquerque off the track and into the grass. The #10 WTRAndretti/Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06 plowed into a tire barrier. Paramedics took Albuquerque to an Atlanta-area hospital with a leg injury. Derani was not penalized for his actions, finished in 6th place, and picked-up enough points (21) to bring home the 2023 GTP Championship title along with teammate and co-driver Alexander Sims. The winner of this year's race in the GPT class was Tom Blomqvist driving the #60 Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb Agajanian Acura ARX-06. The team completed 397 laps in 10 hours 1 minute and 40.4 seconds (10:01:40.400). The LMP2 winner was George Kurtz in the #4 Crowdstrike Racing by ARP ORECA LMP2 07. The LMP3 winner was Bijoy Garg in the #30 Jr. III Racing Ligier JS P320. The GTDPro winner was Jules Gounon in the #79 WeatherTech Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3. And the GTD winner was Misha Goikhberg driving the #78 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2 for the Forte Racing Powered by USRT team. When the 27th Motul Petit Le Mans takes place at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta in 2024, there will only be 4 classes. This year was the final appearance of the MP3 class. Next year's Motul Petit Le Mans will take place October 9th – 12th. For more information about the race, to buy tickets, or to find out about any of the other events hosted at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, go to their website Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Here's why Denny Hamlin said he is losing his love for NASCAR
Denny Hamlin let loose on his podcast Monday, the day after the Daytona 500 saying he is "losing his love" for his sport because luck has become more important than skill in NASCAR Cup racing. Hamlin pointed to the Daytona 500, which again included a late-race crash, as an example for what is hurting auto racing at the highest level. William Byron drove through the wreck to win the Daytona 500 for the second consecutive year. He passed the top three drivers on the way to the finish line. "Are we going to start viewing the Dayton 500 winners like we question our champions," Hamlin said on his "Actions Detrimental with Denny Hamlin podcast. "It's a bunch of questions now. It's 'Yeah, but' and I hate that for the winners because this is their big moment to shine ... but I hate the fact of how much luck is involved in NASCAR now." Hamlin managed to avoid two multi-car crashes late in Sunday's race, but ended up next to Austin Cindric on the final lap before being taken out by contact from behind and finishing 24th. Instead of making strategic driving moves at the end a race to win, Hamlin said it is more important now to avoid the late chaos that comes more often than not. DENNY HAMLIN AVOIDS DAYTONA CRASH: Denny Hamlin avoids Daytona 500 wreck, Josh Berry not as lucky PREECE FLIPS CAR AGAIN AT DAYTONA: Watch Ryan Preece ride on two tires, then flip over in wild Daytona 500 crash "That, 'Wow that guy just did something that is hard to do, it shows that he's better than the rest of them,' we've lost that," Hamlin said. "It's just a matter of wrecks at superspeedways and the Daytona 500 is a microcosm of the sport in general when it comes to how we crown our champions now." The trouble, Hamlin said, began in 2015 when NASCAR started reducing horsepower claiming it was in the interest of safety, engine life and to make cars easier to control for drivers. In reality, lower horse-powered engines have made it more difficult for drivers to develop the type of skills needed to make strategic moves, mainly when it comes to passing, while increasing the likelihood for more wrecks, Hamlin said. And wrecks translate to entertainment for many. "The entertainment of it has far overtaken the sport of it, and I don't know how we reverse things," Hamlin said. "You will hear all week from the media, 'That's just superspeedway racing,' and all that is is a cop-out for those who make stupid moves. No one holds anyone accountable anymore. You chalk it up to, 'Well, it happens all the time.' How about we actually call out what it is? Are the cars making us do this? Are the drivers doing this?' It's a combination of both, I believe." How bad is it? "I'm losing my love of the sport because I feel like it's going by the wayside for the sake of entertainment," Hamlin said. Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on X @MikeOrganWriter. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Why Denny Hamlin said he is losing his love for NASCAR
Fox News
17-02-2025
- Sport
- Fox News
William Byron captures 2nd straight Daytona 500 victory in overtime lap thriller
William Byron won the Dayton 500, which was a marathon on Sunday night, after rain delays and yellow caution flags ultimately led to some overtime laps. And those two overtime laps were an absolute thrill that saw multiple spin-outs and crashes that allowed Byron to win the Daytona 500 for the second consecutive year. Six of the last eight Daytona 500 races have ended in overtime. This is a developing story. More to come.
USA Today
16-02-2025
- Automotive
- USA Today
Daytona 500 2025: Start time, TV, streaming, weather, lineup for Sunday's NASCAR race
The annual Daytona 500 is back at the Dayton International Speedway to host some of the top drivers in the sport. Chase Briscoe won the Dayton 500 pole after qualifying results were finalized. Austin Cindric of Team Penske will join Briscoe in the front row. Bubba Wallace and Erik Jones are lined up immediately behind them to start the race. Briscoe was added to the qualifying session after replacing the retiring Martin Truex Jr. in the No. 19 car for Joe Gibbs Racing. Briscoe secured the top spot after a lap timed at 49.249 seconds during the time trials. It is the first time a Toyota driver has held the pole position for the race since joining NASCAR full-time in 2007. Here is all the information you need to get ready for the 67th annual Daytona 500, the season-opener of the NASCAR Cup Series: When is the 2025 Daytona 500? The 2025 Daytona 500 is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 16 at 1:30 p.m. ET at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. The time was moved up one hour from the original 2:30 p.m. start due to weather concerns. What TV channel is the 2025 Daytona 500 on? The 2025 Daytona 500 will be televised nationally on Fox. Will there be a live stream of the 2025 Daytona 500? The 2025 Daytona 500 can be streamed on and the Fox Sports app. For those looking to cut the cord, the race can also be streamed on Fubo, which is offering a free trial. What is the weather forecast for the 2025 Daytona 500? Don't be surprised if rain delays or temporarily halts any portion of the race, with a 50% chance of precipitation in the afternoon hours, according to National Weather Service. The forecast is for partly sunny skies early before transitioning to cloudy and windy, with gusts as high as 35 mph. The temperature is expected to be around 80 degrees for the start of the race. How many laps is the 2025 Daytona 500? The race is 200 laps around the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway for a total of 500 miles. The race will feature three segments (laps per stage) — Stage 1: 65 laps; Stage 2: 65 laps; Stage 3: 70 laps. Who won last year's Daytona 500? William Byron won the 66th annual Daytona 500 to kick off the 2024 season. The 26-year-old edged Hendrick Motorsports teammate Alex Bowman at the checkered flag. Byron's win gave team owner Rick Hendrick a record-tying nine Daytona 500 victories, becoming the sixth different driver in the team's history to win the iconic race. What is the lineup for the 2025 Daytona 500? (Starting position in parentheses) (19) Chase Briscoe, Toyota (2) Austin Cindric, Ford (23) Bubba Wallace, Toyota (43) Erik Jones, Toyota (24) William Byron, Chevrolet (17) Chris Buescher, Ford (10) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota (1) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet (22) Joey Logano, Ford (45) Tyler Reddick, Toyota (01) Corey LaJoie, Ford (16) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet (34) Todd Gilliland, Ford (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet (12) Ryan Blaney, Ford (9) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet (42) John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota (40) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet (20) Christopher Bell, Toyota (8) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet (5) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet (54) Ty Gibbs, Toyota (35) Riley Herbst, Toyota (71) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet (88) Shane Van Gisbergen, Chevrolet (60) Ryan Preece, Ford (51) Cody Ware, Ford (21) Josh Berry, Ford (41) Cole Custer, Ford (47) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet (4) Noah Gragson, Ford (77) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet (6) Brad Keselowski, Ford (7) Justin Haley, Chevrolet (99) Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet (38) Zane Smith, Ford (48) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet (56) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota (84) Jimmie Johnson, Toyota (91) Helio Castroneves, Chevrolet We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn't influence our coverage.
