#JD70: J.D. McDuffie experienced tremendous highs and lows at Daytona

McDuffie lines up next to Dale Earnhardt's #3 at Daytona's
filling station, 1991
PHOTO: Mike and Lesley Demers

It’s well-known how significant a win in the Daytona 500 can be. But, as the season’s richest race, merely qualifying for the event can be a boon to the sport’s smallest teams. This was certainly true of J.D. McDuffie.

McDuffie made twenty-three starts in what is now the Can-Am Duels, and qualified for fifteen Daytona 500s. His first SpeedWeeks came in 1969, when he fielded the only Buick on the circuit. An 18th-place finish in the first qualifier scored him 36th on the grid, and he finished 39th when the engine let go short of halfway. He finished last in Race 2 of the 1970 qualifiers – steering issues after four laps – for his only last-place finish in the event. He never finished last in the Daytona 500.

Prior to the accident which took McDuffie’s life, the most serious accidents of his career both happened during SpeedWeeks. In the 1975 Daytona 500, the #70 slowed behind a pileup on Lap 4, but veered hard to the right and smashed head-on into the outside wall. The wreck left him with a fractured breastbone, among other injuries, and kept him in the hospital for more than two weeks. Then, in Race 2 of the 1988 Twin 125s, a collision with two other cars caused his Pontiac to burst into flames. His gloves stolen before the race, McDuffie spent even longer in the hospital, this time with third-degree burns to both hands.

McDuffie’s best finish in the Daytona 500 came in the famous 1976 race. Seven laps behind Richard Petty and David Pearson as they tangled for the win, McDuffie came home seventh. It was not only redemption for his serious crash in the race a year earlier, but was worth $11,260 of the race purse. It was the most he’d earn for a 500 finish until 1982, when an 11th-place finish earned him a track-best $15,235. He also participated in a single “Consolation Race” in 1984, a last-chance qualifier to make the 500 field. After starting outside-pole, he took the lead on Lap 2, but finished 4th of 25 drivers, narrowly missing the cut.

In his final nine attempts, McDuffie made the Daytona 500 just three times. In 1983, he drove an unsponsored Pontiac to a 22nd-place finish in the 35-car grid of his qualifier, squeezing him into the 500 field as the 37th starter out of 42. He finished 29th that day, out with engine trouble. In 1987, with added support of businessman Tom Winkle, he ran 18th out of 30 in his qualifier, putting him 38th on the 42-car grid. This time, he finished under power, 25th at the line, nine laps down to Bill Elliott. His final 500 start came in 1989, when he raced his way in. One year after suffering his burns, McDuffie avoided serious damage in a grinding multi-car accident to finish 15th out of 30 drivers. He lined up 29th and finished 24th, seven laps down, in Darrell Waltrip’s lone 500 win.

Though reaching the close of his career, McDuffie made these three starts despite huge entry lists. 29 drivers were sent home in 1983, including Morgan Shepherd and Rusty Wallace. 19 drivers missed in 1987, including Donnie Allison. Another 19 missed in 1989, including Kyle Petty and Jimmy Means. Petty ended up buying Eddie Bierschwale’s ride while Means’ sponsor Alka-Seltzer jumped on Buddy Arrington’s unsponsored Pontiac driven by Mickey Gibbs.

McDuffie made both qualifying races in 1990 and 1991, but finished just 25th and 21st, respectively. He was one of 19 DNQs in 1990 and one of 16 in 1991. His final qualifier was slowed by one caution, though he managed to finish on the lead lap in the event for the first time in a decade.

ARCA: Osmer Trails Almost-Full Field in Daytona Debut

PHOTO: @DKLOKRacing

by William Soquet
LASTCAR.info Guest Contributor

Ronnie Osmer finished last for the second time in his ARCA Racing Series career in Saturday’s Lucas Oil 200 Driven by General Tire at the Daytona International Speedway. The finish came as a result of Osmer’s No. 99 Hub International / Max Force Racing Ford losing the engine and wrecking after 20 of the race’s 92 laps.

The finish came in Osmer’s second start. The other last-place finish when his No. 36 Bobby Hamilton Racing car failed to start at Salem in 2016.  It was the first time that the No. 99 trailed the field since Tom Woodin finished last at Berlin Raceway on August 9, 2014.

Osmer, hailing from Louisiana, is a veteran of the Southeast short track scene. Growing up in a racing family where his father raced, Osmer started at age three and after a short setback due to Hurricane Katrina, he progressed through go-karts, Bandoleros and super trucks, adopting the St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital as sponsor along the way. Osmer ran at a number of high-profile tracks like Five Flags Speedway before making his ARCA debut with Carter2 Motorsports in 2015, becoming the second-youngest driver to start an ARCA race (15 years, four months and a day) behind NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver Justin Haley. When he is not racing, he attends Pope John Paul II High School and will attend Belmont Abbey College in the fall.

Osmer returned to the ARCA Racing Series this January, testing with Thomas “Moose” Praytor and his Max Force Racing team at Daytona. Praytor would run the team's primary No. 9 with Osmer in the nearly-identical No. 99.

As is the case every February, the ARCA entry list brought sweeping changes. A number of prominent drivers switched organizations or made debuts, and many teams started their ARCA efforts or expanded. Mullins Racing teamed up to field two cars using Hixson Motorsports’ owner points. Fast Track Racing fielded three cars due to alliances with Wayne Peterson and Chad Bryant. Patriot Motorsports Group, a team owned in part by former NFL All-Pro Shawne Merriman, jumped to the ARCA Racing Series after competing in NASCAR’s K&N Pro Series level. They would partner with Basham Racing to use the No. 34 owner points. Newly formed team DGR-Crosley would debut without Bo LeMastus, but instead a young Noah Gragson.

The initial entry list saw 41 cars, which would leave 40 on track due to Brandon Grosso being ineligible to race because of age restrictions on seventeen-year-olds. However, Chuck Walker and his No. 08 Kimmel Racing entry withdrew, leaving only 39 cars to race.

Natalie Decker took the pole in her No. 25 machine for Venturini Motorsports. She was followed by MDM Motorsports’ Zane Smith, his teammate Chase Purdy, Mason Mitchell Motorsports’ Max Tullman and another Venturini driver, Leilani Munter.

Scott Reeves turned the slowest lap in qualifying in his No. 69 Kimmel-Finney Racing machine (another new partnership). However, for reasons unknown to the author, ARCA credited Osmer, whose 37th-place lap was 2.5 seconds faster than Reeves, with the 39th and last starting spot. It all wouldn’t matter, as Reeves incurred a tail-end penalty after replacing the motor between qualifying and the race.

At the end of Lap 1, ARCA’s live timing and scoring showed Reeves down 20 seconds to the leaders, while Osmer had advanced to the 36th position. The leaders fell into line, and were doing so on Lap 21, when Osmer, out of touch with the draft, was being lapped. On the inside of turns three and four, the motor blew, sending cars above and below. After clearing the incident, Andy Seuss came down on Cody Rohrbaugh, triggering a crash that collected Gus Dean and Will Rodgers.

PHOTO: David PeQueen, @CarSDS2078

While initial reports indicated that the engine had blown, Max Force Racing later reported on Twitter that a chunk of bar from another car had ruptured the oil line, triggering flames. Osmer, already a lap down at the time of the incident, pulled behind the wall and was credited with last. The damage proved terminal for Rohrbaugh, and he finished 38th. Dean stayed on the lead lap, while Seuss eventually went five laps down making repairs and Rodgers spent 25 laps in the garage. Interestingly enough, Seuss finished nineteenth, clearing the last “Big One” by a lap thanks to overtime cautions laps. Rodgers, too, benefited from it, clearing the LeMastus / Quin Houff / Bryan Dauzat crash by a lap to finish 30th.

The next caution yielded the 37th-place finisher, as Grant Quinlan blew an engine on his Rette Jones Racing No. 30 on Lap 41. Naval Reservist Jesse Iwuji finished 36th after puncturing the oil cooler on his No. 34, an ailment that did not draw a caution flag.

Rounding out the Bottom Five was Ed Pompa, who got caught up in a Lap 47 crash that began when Dave Mader turned Daniel Sasnett, making his ARCA debut, in the grass. Sasnett came back up the track and collected Pompa and Andrew Belmont, son of longtime ARCA character Andy Belmont.

As the race went on, underdogs began showing more and more promise. Sean Corr led 16 laps before being wrecked out of the lead. Kirk Horton, another driver making his ARCA debut, was briefly inside the top-five. Willie Mullins emerged second from the last crash and fought through a slew of Venturini Motorsports cars on the final restart to keep it there. Andrew Belmont, driving Mullins’ second car, finished ninth. Belgian Jerry De Weerdt finished eleventh in his ARCA debut. Even the eventual winner, Michael Self, drove for JD Motorsports in 2015.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
39) #99-Ronnie Osmer / 21 laps / engine
38) #7-Cody Rohrbaugh / 23 laps / crash
37) #30-Grant Quinlan / 41 laps / engine
36) #34-Jesse Iwuji / 44 laps / oil cooler
35) #22-Ed Pompa / 47 laps / crash

2018 LASTCAR ARCA OWNERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Max Force Racing (1)

2018 LASTCAR ARCA MANUFACTURERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Ford (1)

2018 LASTCAR ARCA DRIVERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP

CUP: Despite valiant efforts to repair a bent splitter, McMurray finishes last in The Clash

PHOTO: @MRNRadio

Jamie McMurray finished last in Sunday’s Advance Auto Parts Clash at the Daytona International Speedway when his #1 Cessna Chevrolet fell out with crash damage after 43 of 75 laps.

Despite a winless streak stretching back to 2013, McMurray closed out his 2017 season with a third-straight Playoff appearance, making it to the second round before a crash at Talladega knocked him out of the running. The Playoff appearance secured him a spot in this, his twelfth Clash, as he continues to search for his first pole since 2014. Though he won the Daytona 500 in 2010, McMurray had never won The Clash, coming as close as second in 2009 and 2011. He’d also led laps in four of the previous five, though crashed in two of those.

McMurray’s new Camaro from the Chip Ganassi Racing stables ran 13th in Saturday’s lone practice session, and drew sixteenth – next-to-last – for the main event. The field would consist of seventeen cars for the second-straight year, tied for the fewest in the race since 2000. Three eligible drivers did not enter: the retired Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Matt Kenseth, who was unable to find another top ride after ending his tenure at Joe Gibbs Racing, and Danica Patrick, whose deal to drive for Premium Motorsports came too late to prepare for the event. As of this writing, all three have not been classified in the official running order in the same way as other eligible, but missing drivers, have.

Starting last was Brad Keselowski, who would ultimately drive his #2 Miller Lite Ford to victory. At the start, Keselowski trailed into the first corner, following his new teammate Ryan Blaney in the #12 Menards Ford. He passed Blaney by the end of the first lap, and Blaney then moved Kyle Busch to last by the backstretch.

On Lap 3, Kasey Kahne took the last spot. Making his first start for Leavine Family Racing in the #95 Procore Chevrolet, Kahne was struggling with the team’s twitter reported as a “minor malfunction with the right side window board.” The issue so distracted Kahne that he couldn’t report on the car’s handling, and he began to lose touch with the lead pack. By Lap 6, he was a half-second behind the next car. Two laps later, he was three seconds out. Then seventeen back on Lap 14. The crew reassured Kahne he would be able to stay on the lead lap until the first stage ended on Lap 25. He did – though he was now thirty-nine seconds back of the leader – and a crewman climbed through the driver’s window to fix the issue. Pit stops by most of the leaders before the caution dropped Martin Truex, Jr. to last, but Kahne re-took the spot after his stop.

When the race restarted on Lap 30, Kahne was able to keep up with the pack, and dropped Ryan Newman to last down the backstretch. For the next four laps, Newman would trade the spot with Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. as both struggled to keep up. It was during this battle on Lap 34 that the caution flew once more, bringing McMurray into the mix.

At the time, McMurray was in a battle with Kurt Busch near the front of the field. When Busch made a move to McMurray’s inside, Busch made contact with McMurray’s left-rear, sending the #1 Chevrolet into a spin. The car avoided the rest of the field, but then cut right and nosed into the outside wall with the right-front corner, then drove through the grass on his way to pit road. McMurray reported something dragging beneath his car, and the crew changed tires to get him out quickly. They sent him out for a lap, during which time McMurray drove his car on and off the banking in an effort to fix his twisted splitter. Then the crew put a block under the front valence and dropped the jack, trying to do the same.

The crew’s efforts kept McMurray in the race, but now one lap down when it restarted. But McMurray still wasn’t happy with the car, at one point saying “That’s about all I got.” On Lap 44, around the time Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. was issued a drive-through penalty for going below the yellow line entering Turn 3, McMurray was told by his crew to take it to the garage, making him the race’s first retiree. Stenhouse’s penalty cost him a lap of his own, leaving him next-to-last. The rest of the Bottom Five – including Kahne, who had somewhat recovered from his slow start – was filled by a grinding last-lap accident entering the third turn.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This marked the first last-place finish for both McMurray and car #1 in the Clash.
*McMurray’s 43 laps complete are the most by a last-place finisher of the Clash.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
17) #1-Jamie McMurray / 43 laps / crash
16) #17-Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. / 73 laps / running
15) #95-Kasey Kahne / 74 laps / running
14) #78-Martin Truex, Jr. / 74 laps / running
13) #9-Chase Elliott / 74 laps / running

PREVIEW: As offseason dust settles, 2018 entry lists filled with several team and driver changes

PHOTO: @JEarnhardt1

I’m debuting a new look for Entry List Storylines in 2018. The objective remains the same – to track the entry list changes from one week to the next, and to preview new names and teams joining the series. For this week’s installment, we’ll focus on the changes made over the offseason in the Cup, XFINITY, and Truck lineup. Efforts will be made to update these articles as more news breaks, so it can be referred-to up to each race.

Sunday, February 11, 2018
CUP Exhibition Race
The Clash at Daytona
2017 Last-Place Finisher: Kurt Busch

ENTRY LIST (17 DRIVERS)
#1-Jamie McMurray, #2-Brad Keselowski, #3-Austin Dillon, #4-Kevin Harvick, #9-Chase Elliott, #11-Denny Hamlin, #12-Ryan Blaney, #17-Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., #18-Kyle Busch, #20-Erik Jones, #22-Joey Logano, #31-Ryan Newman, #41-Kurt Busch, #42-Kyle Larson, #48-Jimmie Johnson, #78-Martin Truex, Jr., #95-Kasey Kahne

ELIGIBLE, BUT NOT ENTERED
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (Two poles in 2017, Alex Bowman now drives #88, not entered either)
Matt Kenseth (Two poles in 2017, Erik Jones now drives #20, entered instead)
Danica Patrick (No poles in 2017, 2013 Daytona 500 polesitter, running Daytona 500 only)

Thursday, February 15, 2018
CUP Exhibition Races
Can-Am Duels at Daytona
2017 Last-Place Finishers: Chris Buescher (Race 1), A.J. Allmendinger (Race 2)

Last year, JTG-Daugherty Racing teammates Chris Buescher and A.J. Allmendinger were classified last in their races due to post-race disqualifications. They moved up from last both Reed Sorenson and Timmy Hill, two Open team drivers who missed the 500 field.

Friday, February 16, 2018
TRUCKS Race 1 of 23
NextEra Energy Resources 250 at Daytona
2017 Last-Place Finisher: Tommy Joe Martins

#2, #25-GMS Racing
DRIVER & NUMBER CHANGES
GMS Racing has a new lineup for 2018. With Kaz Grala moving to XFINITY, the former #33 team is now #2, bringing on Cody Coughlin and sponsorship from JEGS. Joining him is defending ARCA Racing Series runner-up Dalton Sargeant, who is set to run full-time, and will run the #25 in honor of his childhood hero, the late Tim Richmond. Daytona will mark just his seventh series start.

#3-Jordan Anderson Racing
NEW TEAM
On January 31, Jordan Anderson arrived at the NASCAR Hall of Fame to announce the formation of his own new Truck Series team. Thanks to the efforts of several fans through his SponsorJordan.com campaign, Anderson will field a #3 Toyota full-time in 2018, making the switch from Chevrolet. Bommarito Auto Group, LTi Printing, Lucas Oil, Jacob Companies, and Knight Fire return as sponsors. The team has four trucks ready for the season ahead.

#4, #46, #51-Kyle Busch Motorsports
DRIVER CHANGE
With Christopher Bell moving to the XFINITY Series, KBM’s #4 Toyota will now be split between Todd Gilliland, his father David Gilliland, and Busch himself. Todd’s first start will come at Martinsville, and will take on a larger part of the schedule when he turns eighteen in May. The driver lineups for the #46 and #51 will be split among Harrison Burton, Brandon Jones, Spencer Davis, Riley Herbst, and Busch.

#13, #41, #88, #98-ThorSport Racing
MANUFACTURER & DRIVER CHANGE
On January 22, ThorSport announced they would be switching manufacturers from Toyota to Ford, and have acquired several trucks from the closed Brad Keselowski Racing to help with the transition. Matt Crafton returns to the #88 and Grant Enfinger will run the #98. Ben Rhodes will drive the #41, using the Owner Points he collected last year in ThorSport’s #27. On February 7, Myatt Snider was announced as driver of the #13, making the move from Kyle Busch Motorsports and bringing sponsorship from Liberty Tax.

#15, #49-Premium Motorsports
DRIVER CHANGE
On January 23, Premium Motorsports announced that Robby Lyons will run full-time in the Truck Series in 2018. Lyons will drive the #15, a second truck Premium debuted late last season after acquiring the assets from Tommy Baldwin’s joint venture with Stewart Friesen. The other Premium truck, #49, will remain with Wendell Chavous with new sponsorship from Sobriety Nation for the full season. Premium’s fleet of trucks have been prepared by Brian Keselowski, who has tweeted updates over the offseason.

#16-Hattori Racing
DRIVER CHANGE
With Ryan Truex making the move from the Truck Series to full-time in XFINITY, Hattori’s 2018 driver is Brett Moffitt, as announced on February 7.

#17-DGR-CROSLEY
NEW TEAM
On a very busy January 22, David Gilliland announced that his own team would merge with the CROSLEY Sports Group to form DGR-CROSLEY. The team has acquired trucks from Red Horse Racing, whose team closed its doors last season. On January 25, it was revealed they would also campaign Red Horse’s former car number, #17. Driving that Toyota in five races will be Chris Eggleston, who hasn’t run Trucks since 2014, but has had great success on Bill McAnally Racing’s K&N Pro Series West team.

#22, #45-Niece Motorsports
DRIVER CHANGE
Justin Fontaine will go full-time in 2018 driving Al Niece’s #45 Superior Essex Chevrolet, and will be teamed with Austin Wayne Self, who joined late last year, in the #22 Don’t Mess With Texas Chevrolet. It will be the third different team Self has driven for in the last year, following turns with his family’s Toyota team and Martins Motorsports. On February 2, it was announced that Max McLaughlin, son of longtime XFINITY Series driver Mike McLaughlin, will also drive for Niece a minimum of four races in 2018.

#52-Halmar-Friesen Racing
RETURNING
The Halmar-Friesen effort will once again run full-time this year with Stewart Friesen driving the #52. The team will continue their partnership with GMS Racing, which started late last season.

#57-Norm Benning Racing
RETURNING (?)
Senica has posted several tweets over the offseason, indicating he is not only returning to Norm Benning Racing in the #57 alongside Benning’s #6, but will be running a number of different sponsors: Cowboy Coffee Chew, Betty Lou’s, and Pennsylvania Power Products, Inc. (the latter having sponsored him in the closing months of 2017).

#83-Copp Motorsports
DRIVER CHANGE & NEW PARTNERSHIP
On February 6, it was announced that Copp Motorsports' #83 Chevrolet would return in 2018 with Scott Stenzel driving, thanks to a partnership with E2 Northeast Motorsports. Stenzel aims to make his first Truck Series start since 2014, when he finished 33rd in the season finale at Homestead.

CLOSED: #19, #29-Brad Keselowski Racing
The series’ flagship Ford team closed at the end of last season, a year which saw both its drivers Austin Cindric and Chase Briscoe go to victory lane.

CLOSED: #44-Martins Motorsports
On December 30, just eleven days after a tweet showing off a new engine, Tommy Joe Martins announced that his single-truck operation would be closing its doors.

Saturday, February 17, 2018
XFINITY Race 1 of 33
PowerShares QQQ 300 at Daytona
2017 Last-Place Finisher: David Starr

#0, 01, #4, #15-JD Motorsports
DRIVER & SPONSOR CHANGE
After running a handful of races for JD Motorsports last year, Vinnie Miller will go full-time with the team this year. Ten of his starts will be sponsored by JAS Expedited Trucking, which backed BK Racing’s Cup effort in a few races last year. On February 7, it was revealed Garrett Smithley will return to the team's #0 with Ross Chastain likely to return to the #4. A fourth car, the #15 to be driven by Matt Mills, was announced on February 2, and will debut next week in at Atlanta.

#2, #3, #21-Richard Childress Racing
DRIVER CHANGES
On January 24, it was revealed that Richard Childress Racing’s #3 team would see five different drivers: Austin Dillon, Ty Dillon, Jeb Burton, Brendan Gaughan, and ARCA driver Shane Lee. This rounds out a three-car lineup for RCR with Matt Tifft in the #2 Anderson’s Maple Syrup Chevrolet, moving over from Joe Gibbs Racing, and Daniel Hemric, who takes on Gaughan’s sponsor South Point Hotel & Casino for the #21 Chevrolet. Ben Kennedy, who last year made nine of his seventeen starts in RCR’s #2, was on January 30 announced as the new General Manager of the Camping World Truck Series.

#8, #78, #99-B.J. McLeod Motorsports
DRIVER CHANGES
On January 20, B.J. McLeod Motorsports announced they would retain their three-car lineup from 2017, as well as their Daytona lineup. Joining the #8 of Caesar Bacarella, who ran a handful of races late last season, are Ryan Ellis in the #78 and Ray Black, Jr. in the #99. On January 24, Ellis revealed that Densify Cloud Optimization will sponsor his #78 at Daytona.

#11-Kaulig Racing
DRIVER CHANGE
On January 9, Ryan Truex was announced as the replacement for Blake Koch at Kaulig Racing. Truex makes the move from Hattori Racing in the Truck Series. To mark the occasion, Truex has updated his popular “go ryan” t-shirts to show his new ride.

#18, #19, #20-Joe Gibbs Racing
DRIVER CHANGES
While JGR’s #18 will see most of its schedule go to Cup regulars, Ryan Preece will make ten starts this season with sponsorship from Rheem. He’ll be teamed with Brandon Jones, who moves from RCR to drive the #19 Menards Toyota, and Christopher Bell, who after splitting time with Trucks last year goes full-time in the #20.

#24 & #28-JGL Racing
DRIVER & MANUFACTURER CHANGE
JGL Racing brings back the #28 team which suspended operations after last September in Kentucky, leaving Dakoda Armstrong without a ride. The car, which also makes the switch from Toyota to Ford, will be driven by Dylan Lupton, who ran JGL’s #24 in fourteen races last year. On February 7, thinQ Technology Partners signed with Lupton's #28. Driving the #24 this year is Kaz Grala, who makes the move from GMS Racing’s Truck Series team.

#35-Go FAS Racing
NEW TEAM
In addition to their Cup Series effort with Matt DiBenedetto in the #32, Go FAS Racing team owner Archie St. Hilaire is returning to the XFINITY Series for the first time since the 2013 finale at Homestead. On January 5, the team announced that the new #35 will be driven by Joey Gase, who brings with him sponsorship from Sparks Energy, Inc. His vibrant paint job, as well as Ryan Ellis’ aforementioned Densify #78, were both designed by Go FAS Racing’s artist David Marrero. For Gase, things go full circle – Jimmy Means Racing, which he left at the end of 2017, hired him from Hilaire’s XFINITY team in 2012.

#42-Chip Ganassi Racing
DRIVER CHANGE
After exceeding expectations in the Truck Series with his father’s team, NEMCO Motorsports, John Hunter Nemechek has landed a part-time effort with Chip Ganassi Racing’s XFINITY effort for 2018. Announced on December 12, Nemechek, who brings with him sponsorship from Fire Alarm Services, Inc., will share the ride with Cup regular Kyle Larson.

#45, #55-JP Motorsports
NEW TEAM
Joining the XFINITY Series in 2018 is JP Motorsports, founded by Jerry and Phyllis Hattaway from California. Announced on January 18, the team acquired cars from TriStar Motorsports. The team made the announcement on January 22 that Stephen Leicht would drive the #55. A second team was revealed February 5 with Josh Bilicki driving full-time with returning sponsor Prevagen as his full-time backer in the #45.

#52-Jimmy Means Racing
DRIVER CHANGE
On February 7, Jimmy Means Racing announced that David Starr will drive the #52 Chevrolet this year, replacing Joey Gase, who was released at the end of 2017. Last year, Starr drove the B.J. McLeod / SS-Green Light #99 in XFINITY and rounded out the Cup schedule with Motorsports Business Management's #66.

#60-Roush-Fenway Racing
DRIVER LINEUP CHANGE
Roush-Fenway Racing’s driver development car sees Ty Majeski once again in the lineup after his debut season last year. Joining him to divide up the season are Austin Cindric and Chase Briscoe, both moving from the Truck Series after the closure of Brad Keselowski Racing. Cindric is the team’s listed driver for Daytona, and will run four of the season’s first five races. From there, Cindric will split the season between the Roush-Fenway #60 and either the #12 or #22 from Penske Racing, patching together a full-time effort between the two teams in a similar manner to the late Joe Weatherly in the 1963 Cup season.

#74-Mike Harmon Racing
SPONSOR CHANGE
Mike Harmon returns with his Dodge this year. On February 7, it was revealed that another military initiative will be on the hood, the Shadow Warriors Project.

#76-SS Green Light Racing
DRIVER & NUMBER CHANGE
SS Green Light Racing’s #07 is now the #76. Driving in place of Ray Black, Jr., who is now running Cup for Rick Ware Racing, is Spencer Boyd, who brings with him sponsorship from Grunt Style, which backed him in a few races last year.

#86-Brandonbilt Motorsports
RETURNING
(UPDATE: Feb. 9) Brandon Brown's family team returns to XFINITY for the first time since 2016. Brown's #86 Chevrolet for Daytona has several associate sponsors, including ConoCoin, Brio.TV, the Dan Marino Foundation, and True Timber.

#93, #??, #??-RSS Racing
RETURNING
On January 24, RSS Racing announced they would continue their three-car lineup from late 2017 with both Ryan Sieg and defending LASTCAR champion Jeff Green among the three drivers. On January 26, it was revealed that Ryan Sieg would drive the #93, as he did last year at Homestead, and landed a twelve-race sponsorship deal from Code Rum, the Homestead sponsor.

#98, #00-Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste
TEAM PARTNERSHIP
Stewart-Haas Racing has partnered with part-timers Biagi-DenBeste Racing in 2018 to form “Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste.” As a result, Kevin Harvick will be in the team’s #98 for five races, starting in Atlanta, and teammate Cole Custer in the #00 will receive added support for his full-time effort.

CLOSED: #46-Precision Performance Motorsports
On January 18, PPM announced they would be shutting down their XFINITY Series program. Quin Houff, who drove in many of the team’s starts last year, will be competing in ARCA.

Sunday, February 18, 2018
CUP Race 1 of 36
Daytona 500 at Daytona
2017 Last-Place Finisher: Matt Kenseth

ENTRY LIST
Posted just yesterday, February 8, the preliminary entry list for the Daytona 500 stands at exactly 40 cars, marking the first time in the race's 60-year history that not a single car will fail to qualify. As of this writing, the list includes BK Racing's #23 as team owner Ron Devine still holds the team's Charter. However, with continuing reports of financial troubles and legal proceedings, it's yet unclear whether that team will actually race. If they miss out, and no other team takes their place, the resulting 39-car field will be the smallest in 500 history.

#7-Danica Patrick
DRIVER & SPONSOR CHANGE
Released by Stewart-Haas Racing at the end of last season, Patrick announced she would run the Daytona 500 and Indianapolis 500 in 2018, then retire. On January 18, GoDaddy returned from a two-year hiatus to sponsor Patrick’s effort, and on January 22, Premium Motorsports hired Patrick to drive. She will run car #7, the same number she raced in IndyCar with Andretti Autosport as well as the XFINITY Series. She will also be locked-in to the 500, thanks to Premium’s Charter for the #15, run for much of last year by Reed Sorenson. And she’ll have a pit crew trained by Richard Childress Racing.

#9-Chase Elliott
NUMBER CHANGE
After two seasons running Hendrick Motorsports’ #24, Jeff Gordon’s heir-apparent will now run the #9 his father Bill made famous at Melling Racing, and Chase himself drove to the XFINITY Championship. Elliott retains his Owner Points from 2017 earned in the #24.

#10-Aric Almirola
DRIVER & SPONSOR CHANGE
After six full seasons with Richard Petty Motorsports, Aric Almirola and sponsor Smithfield have made the move to Stewart-Haas Racing, replacing Danica Patrick.

#12-Ryan Blaney
NEW TEAM
For the first time since 2010, Penske Racing returns to three full-time Cup teams. Joining Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano is Blaney, a lateral move from his Penske-supported ride at Wood Brothers Racing. Blaney is locked-in this season thanks to the Charter acquired from Greg Biffle’s shuttered #16 team at Roush-Fenway Racing.

#20-Erik Jones
DRIVER CHANGE
The defending Rookie of the Year, Jones makes the move from Furniture Row Racing’s second team (now closed) to the second-oldest team at Joe Gibbs Racing. Jones replaces Matt Kenseth who, unable to secure a quality ride after five seasons in the #20, is not expected to race this season.

#21-Paul Menard
DRIVER CHANGE
With Ryan Blaney moving to Penske Racing, Paul Menard will take his place at Wood Brothers Racing. Menard makes the move from Richard Childress Racing’s #27 Chevrolet, which he’s driven every season since the team debuted in 2011. Sponsorship from Menards has followed the driver to the #21, as well as Blaney’s #12. On January 15, it was announced the team will hold the Charter from Go FAS Racing’s #32.

#24-William Byron
DRIVER CHANGE
With Chase Elliott running the #9, defending XFINITY Series Champion William Byron takes the controls of Hendrick Motorsports’ #24 Chevrolet. The team will use the Charter and Owner Points from Hendrick’s #5, the team’s very first car number in 1984, which ran its last race at Homestead.

#30-The Motorsports Group
LOST CHARTER
After a difficult 2017 season in spite of acquiring a Charter from Circle Sport (#33) and sponsorship from Hulu, The Motorsports Group is once again an Open team in 2018. Circle Sport pulled its Charter on December 12, and Hulu pulled its funding. As of January 7, Earnhardt was still looking for sponsorship for 2018. Sponsorship was found by January 30, when it was announced he’d be moving to StarCom Racing for the Daytona 500. As of this writing, the team's status is unknown. They are not entered in the Daytona 500, and are not expected to run the remaining three restrictor-plate races unless a sponsor is found. They do, however, plan to run the remaining 32 races, starting next Sunday in Atlanta.

#32-Matt DiBenedetto
CHARTER & SPONSOR CHANGE
With Go FAS Racing’s Charter leased to Wood Brothers Racing, the #32 team has entered into a partnership with Circle Sport, which parted ways with The Motorsports Group’s #33 Chevrolet of Jeffrey Earnhardt last season. A new David Marrero paint scheme was revealed on February 6 where DiBenedetto’s #32 will promote the upcoming Rob Cohen film “The Hurricane Heist” in the Daytona 500.

#34-Michael McDowell
DRIVER CHANGE
After parting ways with Leavine Family Racing’s #95, McDowell moves to the Front Row Motorsports #34, replacing Landon Cassill. The team retains sponsorship from Love’s Travel Stops, and also welcomes K-LOVE Radio, which has sponsored McDowell for much of the last decade. The K-LOVE scheme will run in five races in 2018.

#37-Chris Buescher
CHARTER CHANGE
Chris Buescher remains with JTG-Daugherty Racing for a second season, but his leased Charter from the #16 Roush-Fenway Racing team has since been moved to Penske Racing’s #12. Buescher will still be locked-in, however, as JTG purchased the Charter from the closed #77 Furniture Row Racing team.

#38-David Ragan
SPONSOR CHANGE
Leading off the backers for Ragan’s ride at Front Row Motorsports is speedco, revealed on February 5.

#42-Kyle Larson
SPONSOR CHANGE
The Target branding that has been with Chip Ganassi Racing in both open wheel and stock car competition for years has now left the team completely. In its place, Larson’s sponsors will include CreditOne and DC Solar, the latter shared with teammate Jamie McMurray.

#43-Darrell Wallace, Jr.
DRIVER, SPONSOR, & MANUFACTURER CHANGE
With Aric Almirola moving to Stewart-Haas Racing’s #10 and taking Smithfield’s sponsorship with him, Darrell “Bubba” Wallace, Jr. returns to Richard Petty Motorsports for the first time since his relief duty with the team last season. On top of returning sponsorship from the U.S. Air Force and STP, Click ‘n Close has come on to back the car at Daytona. The team has also switched manufacturers from Ford to Chevrolet, thanks to a new partnership with Richard Childress Racing. The team has also leased its Charter to Rick Ware Racing, and will instead use the Charter from RPM’s second team (#44) that closed at the end of 2016.

#51-Justin Marks
ACQUIRED CHARTER & SPONSOR
Ray Black, Jr. drove the Rick Ware Racing #51 in a few races last fall, and was originally reported to be returning to the team for a Rookie of the Year bid in 2018. On February 2, however, it was revealed that Justin Marks will drive in his place with sponsorship from Harry’s Shaving Products and Katerra. Marks last ran Cup at Talladega last fall, when he crashed early and finished last. Marks will run only a limited schedule for Ware in 2018, leaving the remainder of the schedule open for other drivers. The Ware #51 also has additional sponsorship from Keen’s Buildings, which signed on January 22, and have leased a Charter from Richard Petty Motorsports’ #43, locking them in after being an Open team last year.

#52-Rick Ware Racing
NEW TEAM
In addition, the Ware team will field a second car in eight to ten races this season. Ware’s #52 will be driven by some of his 2017 roster, including B.J. McLeod, Cody Ware, and Kyle Weatherman, plus road racer John Graham, who eyes his Cup debut. As of this writing, this second Ware car is not entered in the Daytona 500.

#62-Brendan Gaughan
NUMBER CHANGE
On January 8, it was revealed Gaughan and Beard Motorsports will return to run the same four-race restrictor-plate schedule in 2018. Per the paint scheme release on January 10, the team changes car numbers from #75 to the #62 that Gaughan drove for much of his Truck and XFINITY Series careers. The car will also carry sponsorship from the Gaughan family’s South Point Hotel & Casino in a new, more vibrant paint scheme.

#66-Mark Thompson
RETURNING
After last year’s Cup debut, Carl Long’s team Motorsports Business Management returns to action this year. The team has acquired at least one Ford from Richard Petty Motorsports to drive at Daytona. Behind the wheel will be Mark Thompson, who last fall at Talladega made his first Cup start since 1992. Thompson does not have a Charter, and will look to improve on his short run before a crash last fall. Expect Carl Long and Timmy Hill to run the team’s Chevrolets in selected races later this year.

#72-Corey LaJoie
DRIVER AND SPONSOR CHANGE
After a difficult rookie season with BK Racing, Corey LaJoie revealed on January 22 a Chevrolet he would drive in 2018. On February 6, it was revealed that car was TriStar Motorsports’ #72, which he will share with Cole Whitt in 2018. Whitt stated he’s going to scale back to a part-time effort in order to spend more time with his family. LaJoie will drive the #72 at Daytona with sponsorship from Schulter Systems coming over from LaJoie’s time at BK Racing. The team remains locked-in with the leased Charter from Front Row Motorsports.

#88-Alex Bowman
DRIVER CHANGE
Alex Bowman returns to full-time Cup competition, driving in place of the retired Dale Earnhardt, Jr. in the Hendrick Motorsports #88. Bowman, who struggled through two seasons with BK Racing and Tommy Baldwin Racing, enjoyed a breakout performance relieving Earnhardt at Phoenix in 2016, and also finished 3rd in his first Clash appearance last year. On January 30, it was announced that Valvoline will sponsor the #88 team in two races for the next five years.

#92-David Gilliland
NEW TEAM (IN CUP)
On January 17, it was announced that Ricky Benton Racing, a part-time Truck Series team, will attempt to make their Cup debut in the Daytona 500. Selected to drive is David Gilliland, whose plate race expertise includes a pole in the 2007 Daytona 500 and a runner-up at Talladega in 2013. As in Trucks, the team will run a Ford with sponsorship from Black’s Tire and Auto Service and Carquest Auto Parts. They do not have a Charter. The #92 hasn’t started a Cup race since 2011 at Bristol, and hasn’t made the Daytona 500 since that same season, when Brian Keselowski drove a rebuilt Evernham Dodge from 2006.

#95-Kasey Kahne
DRIVER CHANGE
Released by Hendrick Motorsports after six years in the #5 car, Kahne moves over to Leavine Family Racing, replacing Michael McDowell. The team’s Camaro also has a new look this season, the “Lightning McQueen” style yellow numbers replaced by a new font. Sources indicate Kahne was one of many personnel changes at LFR over the offseason. Some of the sponsors which came aboard the previous year, including Procore, have returned for 2018.

#96-D.J. Kennington
RETURNING
Gaunt Brothers Racing broke through last year as the team and Canadian driver D.J. Kennington made their first starts in the Daytona 500. After subsequently failing to qualify at Talladega, GBR scaled back, and Kennington pieced together a partial schedule with Premium Motorsports. Now, for the first time since last fall’s Truck Series round in Mosport, driver and team are back together, and again looking to make the 500. In this announcement, made January 22, they will have to do so as an Open team.

#00-Jeffrey Earnhardt
DRIVER & SPONSOR CHANGE
Cope and his new start-up team, StarCom Racing, return to action in Daytona after starting two races late last year. This time, they have a Charter, as on January 24 it was revealed they have leased the Charter from RCR’s #27 team, formerly driven by Paul Menard. What looked to be Cope’s first appearance as a driver in the Daytona 500 since 2004 changed on January 30, when it was announced that Jeffrey Earnhardt will be coming over from Circle Sport with The Motorsports Group to drive the #00 at Daytona with sponsorship from VRX Simulators. Following the retirement of Dale Earnhardt, Jr. this will mark the 40th straight 500 with an Earnhardt in the field.

MISSING: Landon Cassill, David Starr
Setting aside Dale Earnhardt, Jr.’s retirement and Matt Kenseth electing to miss his first Daytona 500 since 1999, Cassill and Starr are two drivers from the 2017 Cup finale at Homestead not entered in this year’s Daytona 500. While Starr has since landed an XFINITY Series ride with Jimmy Means Racing, Cassill lost his ride in the Front Row Motorsports #34 to Michael McDowell, and has yet to be picked up.

STATUS UNKNOWN: #23 & #83-BK Racing
BK Racing’s financial troubles caught up to them over the offseason. The Open team, #83, isn't entered, and the #23 is entered with driver and sponsor to be announced. The Charter for the #23 still remains with team owner Ron Devine, pending a hearing to take place on February 15. (UPDATE FEB. 9: The #23 is at the track, all white without any primary or associate sponsora, and  word is Gray Gaulding will drive.)

CLOSED: #27-Richard Childress Racing
Richard Childress announced he would not be fielding the #27 Chevrolet that Paul Menard drove from 2011-2017. Menard and his sponsor have moved to Wood Brothers Racing while the Charter has been leased to StarCom Racing.

CLOSED: #77-Furniture Row Racing
The second FRR team closed at the end of the 2017 season, and its Charter was sold to #37-JTG Daugherty Racing. Erik Jones now drives the #20 from Joe Gibbs Racing.

LASTCAR STAT OF THE WEEK
Only one time in NASCAR history has the last-place finisher of a points race fallen out because of a “battery” issue. It happened on July 1, 2000, when the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series raced at the Milwaukee Mile for the Sears DieHard 200. Finishing last that day was Bonham, Texas native B.A. Wilson, who pulled off the track after 33 laps in his #73 Sonntag Redi-Mix Chevrolet.

#JD70: The Busch Clash of '79

J.D. McDuffie's 1979 Oldsmobile
PHOTO: Dave Westerman & Larry Harrell

LASTCAR.info will be making a few changes this season, including “Entry List Storylines,” which returns this Friday with a new format.

The biggest change will be to “Throwback Thursday,” which will end this July in order to allow more time to promote my new book, J.D.: The Life and Death of a Forgotten NASCAR Legend. From now until the July 15 release, the segment will move to Wednesdays, and will focus on McDuffie’s career at each track on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series circuit, both past and present. Included will be pictures and information that didn’t quite make the cut into my book.

Today’s feature will be one of the shortest, as it involves a race where McDuffie made just one start, but an important one nonetheless. It’s perhaps appropriate that this series starts with one of the biggest accomplishments of McDuffie’s career: making the inaugural running of what is now the Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona.

Back then, the “Busch Clash of ’79,” as it was known, was invite-only, restricted to only the pole winners of the previous season. McDuffie’s lightning-quick lap at Dover the previous September made him the ninth and final driver to make the cut. Cale Yarborough, just coming off his third-consecutive Winston Cup, had scored a series-leading eight, including the last three poles in a row. David Pearson’s Wood Brothers Mercury picked up another seven. Buddy Baker, who went on to dominate much of that SpeedWeeks, qualified by taking just one – 1978’s spring race at Dover.

McDuffie always preferred racing Chevrolets, but this time around, crew chief Jimmy Byrd prepared him an Oldsmobile, which at the time had become the go-to car for many teams on superspeedways. The car would also run Goodyear tires – the McCreary tires he ran at Dover the previous year weren’t strong enough to run at Daytona. In fact, they weren’t really meant for Dover, either, and fell apart so quickly that it contributed to his disappointing 33rd-place finish. Qualifying wouldn’t be an issue for The Clash, as the nine competitors drew for position by reaching into an ice bucket for numbered cans of Busch Beer. He drew the fifth spot.

The first iteration of the Clash was a literal sprint race – just twenty laps with the winner earning $50,000. Unfortunately, McDuffie never contended. He slipped out of the inside line before the leaders entered Turn 1, and had lost touch with the draft down the backstretch. He ended up pulling off the track with three laps to go. Though citing engine trouble, the true culprit had been a burned-out bearing.

That day, McDuffie became the first driver ever to fail to finish the Busch Clash. It remains the only time car #70 has ever started the event (including this year). But he took home $10,000 for his effort, nearly twice as much money he’d earned from any one race the previous season. He’d earn another $4,470 the following week, when he finished 25th in the Daytona 500.