XFINITY: Alex Labbe scores first last-place finish on a rough Daytona night for DGM Racing

PHOTO: @dgm_racing

Alex Labbe picked up the 1st last-place finish of his NASCAR XFINITY Series career in Saturday’s Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner 300 at the Daytona International Speedway when his #36 Larue Industrial Snow Blowers Chevrolet was involved in a multi-car accident after 60 of 122 laps.

The finish came in Labbe’s 80th series start. In the XFINITY Series’ last-place rankings, it was the 15th for the ##6, the 340th from a crash, and the 562nd for Chevrolet. Across NASCAR’s top three series, it was the 48th for the #36, the 1,236th from a crash, and the 1,760th for Chevrolet.

One of the strongest talents among NASCAR’s growing Canadian contingent, Labbe enjoyed the best season of his career in 2020. The six-time NASCAR Pinty’s Series winner and 2017 champion began the year with a 10th-place finish at Daytona – his first of five top-ten finishes – and led 19 laps. He continued to excel at both the superspeedways and road courses, taking 9th and 10th in the two Talladega races, then 8th at the inaugural event on the Indianapolis Grand Prix Circuit. His best run yet came in the torrential downpour in downtown Concord, where he ran a career-best 4th. DGM Racing, the Mario Gosselin team for which he races, improved along with him – particularly teammate Josh Williams, who earned another six Top Tens of his own in the #92 Chevrolet. Both would be ones to watch when the 2021 season began at Daytona.

When qualifying was rained out, Labbe secured the 19th starting spot by the rule book, having run 19th fastest of the 44 drivers who took time in opening practice. Missing the cut were part-timer Chris Cockrum, and the new teams fielded for Ronnie Bassett, Jr., Mario Gosselin, Tyler Reddick, and Jordan Anderson. Gosselin, Labbe’s team owner, had attempted to field a fourth DGM Racing car, the #91.

Rolling off 40th and last was Jason White, who hadn’t made any starts in NASCAR’s top three series since the Truck Series at Las Vegas on September 27, 2014. This time around, he drove the former #93 RSS Racing entry, which closed out the 2020 season with back-to-back last-place finishes with Josh Reaume. Now renumbered the #23 under the Reaume Brothers Racing banner, the car was also a blue-and-pink Ford sponsored by A-Game Energy. While just 34th in practice, the team’s 2020 association with RSS kept them in the field as the final starter.

Joining White in the back was 23rd-place Robby Lyons, who pitted his #61 CSM Masonry Toyota during the pace laps, followed by 27th-place starter Matt Mills, who dropped back voluntarily in the #5 J.F. Electric Chevrolet. When the race started, Mills remained in last place, just behind Lyons on the inside line. Mills passed him by Lap 2, and Kyle Weatherman slipped to 39th in Mike Harmon Racing’s #47 Axe Crossbows Chevrolet. Weatherman and Lyons then lost touch with the pack and drafted each other until the caution came out on Lap 4.

For Labbe, trouble found him early. Running in a tight pack of traffic, he broke loose in front of Ty Dillon’s #54 Bass Pro Shops Toyota and spun to the inside of the track. Just like teammate Caesar Bacarella in the 2020 running, Labbe didn’t hit anything, and pitted for fresh tires and adjustments. In doing so, he pitted too soon along with White, and both would drop to the tail end for the restart. The two traded last place until the Lap 8 restart, when Mills reassumed the position, followed by White on Lap 9, and Bacarella on Lap 10.

Bacarella’s #90 AP Sport Regimen Chevrolet was still running in 40th when the caution fell again on Lap 11, this time for still another DGM Racing entry. Josh Williams’ #92 Alloy Employer / Sleep Well Chevrolet slowed down the backstretch with a flat left-rear tire, the driver complaining of a bad vibration. He became the first driver to lose a lap as he made it to pit road, and would incur a pass-through penalty after taking the green. On Lap 14, he rejoined the field two laps down, but still complaining of the vibration. Five circuits later, with the leaders closing fast, Williams spun in Turn 4 and further damaged the right-rear corner, drawing the second caution. Once again, he cleared the “Crash Clock,” and though he doubted his car would make it to the end of Stage 1, he reached the Lap 31 caution without incident.

Williams remained in last place through Stage 2. On Lap 50, he hugged the inside line in Turn 1 to let the leaders go by once again. He remained the only lapped car until Lap 58 when Kyle Weatherman, who had also lost the draft, was passed down the backstretch. This would give Weatherman the Lucky Dog when the caution fell to end the stage two circuits later. When it did, trouble broke out again.

On Lap 60, Brandon Jones, who was among the Top Ten in his #19 Menards / Jeld-Wen Toyota, crossed the nose of Myatt Snider’s #2 Tax Slayer Chevrolet and spun in the tri-oval. Hydroplaning across the wet grass, Jones’ splitter dug in and ripped off, then skated into traffic. Cody Ware jammed on the brakes, but couldn’t avoid skidding his #17 Jacob Construction Chevrolet into Jones. Not far behind was Labbe, who had rebounded from his spin to at one point run in 17th. Ware’s impact knocked Jones into Labbe’s path, destroying the left-front corner. All three drivers climbed out uninjured, their cars done for the night. The three dropped below Williams in the rankings on Lap 66 with Labbe taking over last place.

Rounding out the Bottom Five were 37th-place Jeffrey Earnhardt in the #0 Forever Lawn Chevrolet and 36th-place Michael Annett in the #1 American Heart Association Chevrolet, both also victims of a pileup that sent them into the infield grass. Josh Williams climbed to finish 21st while last-place starter Jason White managed a 10th-place finish – his first top-ten finish in the series since May 4, 2013 at Talladega. His was the first of several strong runs by underdog teams.

Brandon Brown was collected in one of the night’s pileups, suffering damage to the right-front corner of his #68 Original Larry’s Hard Lemonade Chevrolet. After running in and around the Top Ten for much of the night, he held onto the outside line in the final laps to come home 6th –tying his best-ever finish at Daytona in 2019.

Brett Moffitt came just a couple moves away from scoring Chris Our his first XFINITY Series win as a team owner, coming home a close runner-up to Austin Cindric in Our Motorsports’ #02 Fr8 Auctions Chevrolet. He did so without a consistent drafting partner after teammate Tyler Reddick was sent home by the rain in a second Our car.

Taking 8th was Brandon Gdovic, who clawed his way from 39th on the grid in Sam Hunt Racing’s #26 Toyota Racing Toyota. The run came in only Gdovic’s 11th series start and his first-ever on the Daytona oval. It was also the first-ever top-ten finish for Sam Hunt Racing in their third year of operations.

The 2020 season saw Joe Graf, Jr. finish last in both XFINITY Series races at Daytona. This year, he and the SS-Green Light Racing team rebounded with an 11th-place finish in the #07 Bucked Up Apparel Chevrolet.

With six laps to go, both Landon Cassill and Tommy Joe Martins were also in the Top 10, only to be collected in the same accident. For Cassill, it was his first start since returning to JD Motorsports in a #4 Chevrolet sponsored by his iRacing backer, Blu-Emu. For Martins and his #44 AAN Adjusters Chevrolet, it was bouncing back from a DNQ in 2020 that began a rollercoaster season. Each fell victim to the same wet grass and splitter damage after contact from Jeb Burton, leaving them 23rd and 24th, respectively.

LASTCAR STATISTICS

*This marked the first last-place finish for the #36 in an XFINITY Series race at Daytona.

*The 60 laps completed by Labbe are the third-most by an XFINITY Series last-placer at Daytona. The record goes to A.J. Allmendinger, who was disqualified after finishing all 100 laps on July 5, 2019, followed by Scott Lagasse, Jr.’s 71 laps before a crash on February 14, 2009.

THE BOTTOM FIVE

40) #36-Alex Labbe / 60 laps / crash

39) #17-Cody Ware / 60 laps / crash

38) #19-Brandon Jones / 60 laps / crash

37) #0-Jeffrey Earnhardt / 74 laps / crash

36) #1-Michael Annett / 74 laps / crash

2021 LASTCAR XFINITY SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) DGM Racing (1)

2021 LASTCAR XFINITY SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Chevrolet (1)

2021 LASTCAR XFINITY SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

TRUCKS: James Buescher’s return to Daytona ends before it can begin

PHOTO: FOX Sports

James Buescher picked up the 2nd last-place finish of his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career in Friday’s NextEra 250 at the Daytona International Speedway when his #44 FHE FracLock Chevrolet was collected in a multi-truck accident without completing any of the 101 laps.

The finish, which came in Buescher’s 121st start, was the second of his career and first since April 2, 2011, 226 races ago. In the Truck Series last-place rankings, it was the 8th for the #44, the 163rd from a crash, and the 400th for Chevrolet. Across NASCAR’s top three series, it was the 62nd for the #44, the 1,235th from a wreck, and the 1,759th for Chevrolet.

It was last October when Buescher, the 2012 Truck Series Champion, made his first start in the division in over five years. The Texan picked up a ride in one of Al Niece’s Chevrolets – the part-time #42 that had started just 7 of the season’s first 20 races. Sponsoring the effort was FHE FracLock, a company specializing in pressure control equipment for wells. With no qualifying, Buescher started just 36th in the field of 37, but climbed to an impressive lead-lap finish in 15th.

The run earned Buescher another ride with Niece for the 2021 opener at Daytona, where this time he would drive the team’s #44, raced for much of last season by Natalie Decker. GR Energy Services and Mobil 1 joined as associate sponsors, buying space on the quarter-panels, plus The Shore Resort & Spa on the rear decklid. 

Buescher was one of the 46 drivers who made up the largest entry list for Daytona’s Truck Series race since 2011. After running 14th-fastest in opening practice, he had a good qualifying lap going when he dipped below the yellow line, disallowing his time. Only his Past Champions’ Provisional kept him in the field, taking the 36th and final spot as a result. The ten drivers who missed the cut were Parker Kligerman, Joe Nemechek, Todd Peck, Spencer Davis, Dawson Cram, Norm Benning, Jesse Iwuji, Ray Ciccarelli, Clay Greenfield, and Tim Viens. Viens was the only driver to not turn a lap in practice after the driveshaft fell from under his #83 Boat Gadget / Barker Construction Chevrolet while the crew pushed him down pit road.

On race night, Buescher was joined at the tail end of the field by 33rd-place starter Derek Kraus, docked for unapproved adjustments on his #19 MHR Shockwave Toyota. Both would roll out ahead of longtime owner-driver Jennifer Jo Cobb, who locked herself in with a sterling 16th-place qualifying run. Debuting a new paint scheme thanks to increased backing from sponsor Fastener Supply Company, Cobb elected to drop back to avoid trouble in the early laps. This strategy would end up putting her in danger much sooner than anyone anticipated.

Just before the start, James Buescher talked with his crew. “We’ve got all our mistakes out of the way – hopefully.” The response: “God, I hope so.”

When the green flag dropped, 22nd-place starter Tanner Gray had a problem in the drivetrain, his #15 Ford Performance Ford trailing smoke as the field split him on both sides. Some of these trucks hesitated, not wanting to pass Gray before the line. An accordion effect resulted, and the last few trucks in line piled into each other. Buescher smashed into the rear of 34th-place Gus Dean, whose white #56 Dean Custom Air Chevrolet rammed the penalized Kraus into a spin. NASCAR told Buescher to stop his smoking truck on the apron, which he did just past the starting line. By the time he dropped the window net, the rest of those involved had dropped him to last place. This included Cobb, who dropped back far enough to avoid being collected in the wreck. She finished a solid 18th.

After Cobb passed them, Gray, Kraus, and Dean continued back around the track. Gray pulled behind the wall short of the starting line while Kraus and Dean were put on the “Crash Clock.” Dean suffered the heaviest damage of the two, the nose of his Chevrolet shoved out of alignment, requiring several strips of tape. He made it just one lap, dropping Gray to 35th, before pulling behind the wall, out under the DVP. Kraus continued on with damage to the passenger-side door, and would ultimately be involved in at least two more incidents, leaving him 33rd, also out under the DVP. Gray’s team put the #15 on jack stands and communicated over the radio through the first 30 laps, but ultimately didn’t return to the track. Rounding out the group was Stewart Friesen, whose damaged #52 Halmar International Toyota was collected in a backstretch wreck with five others on Lap 72.

For the second-straight year, both Jordan Anderson and Codie Rohrbaugh figured in the finish of the Daytona race. Anderson was again edged by a ThorSport entry – this time Ben Rhodes, who beat him by .036 second at the stripe. Rohrbaugh, who was drafting with Anderson in the final laps, found his way through the night’s final massive wreck to finish in 8th.

But the night’s biggest star was Cory Roper, who nearly pulled off an upset victory. In both 2019 and 2020, sponsorship issues had forced Roper to scale back his plans to run full-time. Last year, he stopped running altogether at the season’s halfway point. He was particularly strong in both his previous attempts on the Daytona oval. In 2019, he was running 2nd with 23 laps to go when he spun off Turn 4 and slammed the inside wall. In 2020, he dodged a late-race pileup to restart 11th in overtime, then crossed the line in 14th. This time around, he restarted 6th at the end of regulation, then shoved Sheldon Creed to the lead. A daring move exiting the tri-oval got Roper the lead on the final lap, which he held until just yards from the finish line. He held on to finish 3rd – his first top-five finish in just his 28th series start.

LASTCAR STATISTICS

*This marked the second time the #44 finished last in the Truck Series race at Daytona. The first time occurred February 9, 2016, when Tommy Joe Martins’ #44 Diamond Gusset Jeans Chevrolet was involved in a crash after 11 laps.

THE BOTTOM FIVE

36) #44-James Buescher / 0 laps / crash

35) #15-Tanner Gray / 0 laps / drivetrain

34) #56-Gus Dean / 1 lap / dvp

33) #19-Derek Kraus / 56 laps / dvp

32) #52-Stewart Friesen / 71 laps / crash

2021 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Niece Motorsports (1)

2021 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Chevrolet (1)

2021 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

PREVIEW: Record entry lists promise strong fields for Daytona's Truck, XFINITY openers

PHOTO: Norm Benning Racing Facebook

Friday, February 12, 2021

TRUCKS Race 1 of 23

NextEra Energy Resources 250 at Daytona

2020 Last-Place Finisher: Ty Majeski

ENTRY LIST

Qualifying for the season-opening Truck Series race will be quite the show as 46 trucks are entered for 36 spots, meaning ten teams will fail to qualify. It is the largest entry list for this event since 2011, when 46 drivers were also entered.

DRIVER AND NUMBER CHANGE: #1-Team DGR

DRIVER CHANGE: #17-Team DGR

The former DGR-Crosley team – now branded as “Team DGR” – welcomes Rookie of the Year challenger Hailie Deegan to her first full-season effort in NASCAR’s top three series. The ARCA West Series standout was announced as this team’s driver before she even completed her series debut last year at Kansas. She will campaign the #1 in a new third entry to join returning teammates Tanner Gray (#15) and David Gilliland (#17). Gilliland runs Daytona in place of Dylan Lupton, who isn’t entered.

DRIVER CHANGE: #4-Kyle Busch Motorsports

DRIVER CHANGE: #24-GMS Racing

After a difficult rookie season in Cup, John Hunter Nemechek makes his return to the Truck Series, and lands one of the strongest entries in the field – the #4 Toyota from KBM. He takes the place of Raphael Lessard, who moves to GMS Racing this year in the #24 Canac Chevrolet. Lessard himself takes the place of Sam Mayer, who is not entered this week and will share JR Motorsports’ #8 entry in the XFINITY Series later this year (see below).

RETURNING: #6-Norm Benning Racing

Norm Benning returns to the track after he didn’t make the trip west to the 2020 finale in Phoenix, where he still clinched his first LASTCAR Truck Series Championship. He’s since picked up new sponsorship from MDF – A Sign Co. and Brenner Contracting – and his black truck now features a red-and-yellow accent on each door. Thanks to his “Racing With The Ultimate Underdog Campaign,” Benning received several $50 donations from fans to have their names written on decals on his truck's rear deck.

RETURNING: #8-NEMCO Motorsports

NEMCO Motorsports made just six starts in all of last season, and faced a serious setback when Joe Nemechek was involved in a multi-truck accident at Talladega. But the team has rebuilt and returned to the superspeedway, where Nemecehek will again drive his #8 Ford.

RETURNING: #9-CR7 Motorsports

It was in this race last year that Codie Rohrbaugh nearly pulled a move reminiscent of the late Ron Bouchard, attempting an inside pass from third on race leaders Grant Enfinger and Jordan Anderson. This year, Rohrbaugh and his Grant County Mulch team return with eyes on even more, making their first start since last fall at Martinsville.

TEAM UPDATE: #10-Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing

After years of struggling for funding with her Driven2Honor.org initiative on her trucks, Jennifer Jo Cobb has received full-time backing from Fastener Supply Company, and will debut a new paint scheme this week. FSC joined Cobb’s team at Homestead last year, and remained on board for the rest of the season. 

RETURNING: #12-Young’s Motorsports

DRIVER CHANGE: #02-Young’s Motorsports

After a 25th-place finish in his series debut for GMS Racing last year, Kris Wright has secured a full-time ride with Randy Young’s team, taking the controls of the #02 Chevrolet. First National Bank will sponsor the effort on Friday. Wright takes the place of Tate Fogleman, who moves to Young’s returning #12 team, which will also be a full-time effort this year. Solid Rock Carriers continues their sponsorship of Fogleman.

DRIVER SWAP: #18-Kyle Busch Motorsports

DRIVER CHANGE: #51-Kyle Busch Motorsports

In addition to the arrival of John Hunter Nemechek, KBM has changed their driver lineup in their other two entries. Shaken out of the group is Christian Eckes, formerly of the #18, which now goes to Chandler Smith. Smith, who ran the #51 last year, will hand the wheel to Drew Dollar, fourth in last year’s ARCA Menards Series standings. Dollar’s Truck Series debut will be sponsored by JBL.

DRIVER CHANGE: #23-GMS Racing

DRIVER CHANGE: #45-Niece Motorsports

Chase Purdy and his Bama Buggies sponsorship will move to the frequently unsponsored #23 team at GMS, which Brett Moffitt nearly steered to a championship in 2020 before a late caution at Phoenix. Moffitt, who will go full-time for Our Motorsports in the XFINITY Series (see below), has also signed with Al Niece to replace Trevor Bayne in the #45 Chevrolet. Circle B Diecast will back Moffitt in Daytona.

NEW TEAM: #25-Rackley W.A.R.

RETURNING: #68-Clay Greenfield Motorsports

Following the model of Matthew Kaulig and his Leaf Filter Gutter Protection company in the XFINITY Series, Curtis Sutton at Rackley Roofing has elected to start a team of his own. Partnered with former Truck Series driver Willie Allen, owner of W.A.R. Shocks, Sutton has moved his sponsorship from Clay Greenfield’s #68 team to a new organization called “Rackley W.A.R.” Driving the team’s #25 is veteran Timothy Peters, who finished 7th in a one-off driving Stewart Friesen’s truck in Kansas, and will attempt the full season. Greenfield’s #68 is also entered with Rackley backing them.

RETURNING: #28-FDNY Racing

Jim Rosenblum continues to make ends meet in the Truck Series, one year after the team made seven starts with 60-year-old Bryan Dauzat. Dauzat is again the driver of the red #28, which he steered to an 18th-place finish in this race in 2018.

DRIVER CHANGE: #33-Reaume Brothers Racing

Canadian driver Jason White returns to the scene of his first career top-ten finish, when he scored a 10th-place finish in the 2020 running, and races for the same Reaume Brothers team. He takes the place of Akinori Ogata, who isn’t entered.

RETURNING: #34-Reaume Brothers Racing

MISSING: #00-Reaume Brothers Racing

Joining White on the entry list is teammate Jesse Iwuji, who last ran in the series in Las Vegas last September, and made his first four XFINITY Series starts last year. Iwuji aims to make his first series start at Daytona. Not joining the Reaume effort this week is the #00, which Reaume himself finished last with in each of 2020’s final two races (thus preventing the streak from reaching three). That team is slated to return for the dirt races at Bristol and Knoxville, where Jake Griffin will drive.

TEAM UPDATE: #42-Niece Motorsports

In seven Truck Series starts last year, Carson Hocevar finished inside the Top 20 three times, including a season-best 12th at Dover. He has now landed the ride full-time for 2021, bringing the Al Niece team to three full-time efforts.

RETURNING: #44-Niece Motorsports

Al Niece will also bring back the #44 for Daytona, which 2012 XFINITY Series race winner James Buescher will drive. FHE FracLock will sponsor Buescher, the same company that backed him in his series return last fall at Texas, where he ran a strong 15th.

RETURNING: #49-CMI Motorsports

RETURNING: #83-CMI Motorsports

Despite the team’s original statement to the contrary, Ray Ciccarelli will continue to field his two-truck effort in 2021. Ciccarelli himself will run the #49 with Tim Viens in the #83, the same lineup in CMI’s most recent entries at Martinsville.

DRIVER CHANGE: #56-Hill Motorsports

Gus Dean continues his series of superspeedway stints for Timmy and Tyler Hill’s team, where he ran 26th at Daytona and 30th at Talladega last year. Dean takes Tyler’s place in the #56 Chevrolet.

RETURNING: #75-Henderson Motorsports

Parker Kligerman and the Charlie Henderson team return to action for the first time since last fall at Martinsville, and look to start Daytona for the first time at Daytona since 2018. Kligerman finished 28th that day.

RETURNING: #96-Peck Motorsports

Todd Peck returns to Daytona with his family’s #96 Holla Vodka Chevrolet, which failed to qualify for the 2020 running. Peck seeks his first series start since August 11, 2018 at Michigan, where he ran 26th for Premium Motorsports.

MISSING: #97-Diversified Motorsports Enterprises

Robby Lyons and the former JJL Racing team are not entered after the pair finished 29th in the Phoenix finale. Lyons will instead attempt the XFINITY Series race for Motorsports Business Management (see below).

RETURNING: #04-Roper Racing

Owner-driver Cory Roper returns to the Truck Series for the first time since the Daytona Infield Road Course event last August, where he ran 26th, and looks to follow-up his 14th-place finish in this race last year. Alliance Aviation returns as sponsor.

CUP INVADERS: None

Saturday, February 13, 2021

XFINITY Race 1 of 33

Racing Experience 300 at Daytona

2020 Last-Place Finisher: Joe Graf, Jr.

ENTRY LIST

There is also a large influx of XFINITY Series teams in this year’s Daytona entry list – 45 drivers for 36 spots, meaning nine will fail to qualify. It is the largest entry list for this event since 2018, when 46 cars were entered.

RETURNING: #2-Richard Childress Racing

MISSING: #21-Richard Childress Racing

NUMBER CHANGE: #23-Reaume Brothers Racing (former #93-RSS Racing)

Last year, Myatt Snider ran the full season in a combined effort between RCR’s #21 Chevrolet and RSS Racing’s second entry, the #93 Chevrolet. This year, Snider will run full-time in RCR’s returning #2, bringing his TaxSlayer sponsorship with him. The #93 team passed to Josh Reaume late last year, and the Reaume Brothers Racing entry was renumbered to the #23 for 2021. Driving that car this week is Jason White – no, not the Canadian entered in Friday’s Truck Series race, but the Virginian with 209 starts across NASCAR’s top three series, but none since 2014. A-Game is the listed sponsor of White’s pink-and-blue car, which was listed as a Chevrolet but will instead be a Ford.

DRIVER CHANGE: #4-JD Motorsports

DRIVER SWAP: #78-B.J. McLeod Motorsports

TEAM UPDATE: #89-Shepherd Racing Ventures

Last year, Landon Cassill had lost his Cup ride at StarCom Racing, and was helping out Morgan Shepherd’s single-car operation. Shepherd’s team then suspended operations once the pandemic struck in March. While the #89 plans to return without “start-and-parking,” they are not entered this week in Daytona. Cassill has since reunited with Johnny Davis as the full-time driver of the #4 Chevrolet, and carries sponsorship from Blu-Emu, who famously backed him in the iRacing Pro Invitational Series. Cassill takes the place of Jesse Little, who moves to B.J. McLeod’s #78 Chevrolet with sponsorship from Shriners Hospitals 4 Children. Little’s effort is also for the full season, and he takes the place of McLeod himself, who will not run Saturday’s race.

TEAM UPDATE: #6-JD Motorsports

Following his standout performances last year with TikTok as sponsor, Ryan Vargas will run the full season in 2021 and compete for Rookie of the Year. The team is still piecing together sponsorship, but has secured Swann Communications as backer for four races, starting with this Saturday in Daytona.

DRIVER CHANGE: #8-JR Motorsports

DRIVER SWAP: #10-Kaulig Racing

DRIVER SWAP: #18-Joe Gibbs Racing

DRIVER SWAP: #98-Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-Denbeste

With Ross Chastain moving to the Cup Series full-time, Jeb Burton will run the #10 for Matthew Kaulig, moving over from his part-time effort with JR Motorsports to run the series full-time. Burton thus moves out of JR Motorsports’ #8, which this weekend will be driven by Josh Berry in a white variant of the Filter Time paint scheme. Daniel Hemric, who ran the #8 in the 2020 finale at Phoenix, will bring his Poppy Bank sponsorship to Joe Gibbs Racing, and hopes to finally break through with his first series victory in JGR’s flagship #18 Toyota. In so doing, Hemric takes the place of Riley Herbst, who brings his Monster Energy sponsorship to the dominant #98 Ford fielded by Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste. Chase Briscoe, the previous driver of the #98, will now contend for Cup Series Rookie of the Year in SHR’s #14 Ford.

DRIVER AND MANUFACTURER CHANGE: #13-Motorsports Business Management

DRIVER AND MANUFACTURER CHANGE: #66-Motorsports Business Management

While no driver was listed on the preliminary entry list, photos from MBM showed Chad Finchum’s name on the roof rails of their #13, driven last fall by Timmy Hill. Hill moves back to MBM’s #66, replacing Stan Mullis, who isn’t entered. The #66 was not on the preliminary entry list, but was reported by Long to be entered on February 2nd. Both cars are Fords in place of the Toyotas from years past. Finchum’s ride is sponsored by Ted Russell Ford Lincoln. 

RETURNING: #16-Kaulig Racing

Joining Jeb Burton on his own full-time effort for Matthew Kaulig is a returning A.J. Allmendinger, who enjoyed a career renaissance in his part-time campaign last year. Ellsworth Advisors will sponsor Allmendinger, who will look to bounce back from a last-lap wreck with his teammates here last August.

RETURNING: #17-Rick Ware Racing

DRIVER SWAP: #07-SS-Green Light Racing

MISSING: #08-SS-Green Light Racing

Bobby Dotter’s underdog team scales back from two entries to one, moving Joe Graf, Jr. from the shuttered #08 team to the #07. Graf takes the place of David Starr, who isn’t entered this week. SS-Green Light has also partnered with Rick Ware Racing, whose return to the XFINITY Series last fall generated strong runs at both the Charlotte “Roval” and at Martinsville. Cody Ware, who earned his career-best 7th on the Roval, will drive the #17 this week, switched from the Ware team’s Fords to Dotter’s Chevrolet.

RETURNING: #25-ACG Motorsports

Superspeedway specialist Chris Cockrum is back again in the #25 Advanced Communications Group Chevrolet fielded by Jeff Spraker. Cockrum made his only start of the season in this race last year, finishing 34th after a mid-race accident.

DRIVER CHANGE: #26-Sam Hunt Racing

Last year saw Brandon Gdovic return to the XFINITY Series for the first time in four years, when he last raced for Precision Performance Motorsports. He ran the series’ road course races at Indianapolis and the Daytona infield, finishing 12th in the former and 28th in the latter. Though without a superspeedway start in the series, Gdovic has been entered in Sam Hunt’s #26 again this week, taking the place of Mason Diaz, who isn’t entered.

NEW TEAM: #31-Jordan Anderson Racing

On top of his continued full-time Truck Series team, Jordan Anderson will field his own XFINITY car, the #31, with the same sponsorship from Bommarito Automotive Group. In so doing, Anderson will compete for Rookie of the Year in what will be his first XFINITY Series starts since 2017.

MANUFACTURER CHANGE: #39-RSS Racing

After his strongest season yet, where he was a threat to squeeze into the Championship Four, Ryan Sieg made a huge change to his team by switching from his traditional Chevrolet to Ford. Combined with the sale of the second RSS team to Josh Reaume (see above), the team appears even more focused on their flagship entry.

TEAM UPDATE: #47-Mike Harmon Racing

TEAM UPDATE: #74-Mike Harmon Racing

MHR enjoyed their own best season in 2020, and are reaping the rewards. The duo of Kyle Weatherman and Bayley Currey return to this time run the full season, and could be joined by a third teammate later this year. Weatherman’s #47 landed multiple sponsors between Axe Crossbows and Wolfpack Racing, and will carry FeraDyne Outdoors in ten additional races. Currey’s #74 is listed with Running 4 Heroes as sponsor for Daytona with associates including Gresco, Nella's Cottage, and Zagbag Board.

NEW TEAM: #48-Big Machine Records Racing

Following his strong performances in his first-ever XFINITY Series starts on last year’s road courses, Jade Buford landed an XFINITY Series ride. The effort is backed by Big Machine Records, which backed Buford during those races with SS-Green Light Racing. Unable to be cleared for Daytona, however, Buford will hand the wheel this week to Danny Bohn, who will turn double-duty with his Truck Series ride with On Point Motorsports. If he qualifies the Chevrolet, this will be Bohn’s first series start.

DRIVER CHANGE: #52-Jimmy Means Racing

After a difficult season, Kody Vanderwal is out at Jimmy Means’ team, and will not run this weekend. Jumping aboard is Gray Gaulding, who was again strong in his six XFINITY starts with SS-Green Light Racing and Mike Harmon Racing last year. Gaulding, who signed late in the offseason, brings with him much needed sponsorship from Panini America, which also backed his part-time Cup effort last year with Rick Ware Racing.

RETURNING: #54-Joe Gibbs Racing

JGR’s “Cup invader” entry returns to the circuit this week with Ty Dillon, who narrowly failed to qualify for the Daytona 500 last night in a one-off with the Gaunt Brothers. Bass Pro Shops will sponsor this car, too. This same team will see the likes of Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex, Jr., and Ty Gibbs in future races in 2021.

DRIVER CHANGE: #61-Motorsports Business Management / Hattori Racing Enterprises

Robby Lyons moves from the #97 Truck Series team, which isn’t entered this week, to Carl Long’s #61 Toyota Supra, carrying sponsorship from CSM Masonry. Lyons takes the place of J.J. Yeley, who isn’t entered this week, in the same collaborative effort with Shigeaki Hattori of Truck Series team Hattori Racing Enterprises.

NEW TEAM: #77-Bassett Racing

One of the last teams announced for Daytona back on February 2nd was a new entry for brothers Ronnie, Jr. and Dillon Bassett, both frequent one-off starters for DGM Racing in previous seasons. While Ronnie was slated to run the Bassett Gutters & More entry at Daytona, they did not appear on the preliminary entry list. Both have since been added.

DRIVER CHANGE: #90-DGM Racing

Caesar Bacarella continues his trend of running the Florida races for Mario Gosselin as he returns to the #90 Chevrolet, taking the place of Donald Theetge, who isn’t entered.

NEW TEAM: #91-DGM Racing

Mario Gosselin will also drive this week, debuting a new fourth team to go along with Bacarella (#90) and the returning duo of Alex Labbe (#36) and Josh Williams (#92). Gosselin’s car will be sponsored by AP Sport Regimen and Sleep Well.

DRIVER CHANGE: #99-B.J. McLeod Motorsports

B.J. McLeod’s third team, the #99, will again rotate multiple drivers through its lineup in 2021, starting with Stefan Parsons this week in a Chevrolet. Joining Parsons this year will be Vinnie Miller, Mason Massey, and a returning Ryan Ellis, who has six races scheduled this season. Springrates and Sokal Media Group are among the team’s returning sponsors.

TEAM UPDATE: #02-Our Motorsports

Brett Moffitt will run the full season on top of his Truck Series efforts for Al Niece. Moffitt was originally slated to run part-time for Chris Our last year, but ended up starting 29 of the season’s 33 races with seven top-ten finishes and a season-best 5th at Talladega, the team’s lone Top Five.

NEW TEAM: #03-Our Motorsports

The Our team will enter a second car for two-time XFINITY Series Champion Tyler Reddick with Quartz Hill Records as sponsor. If he qualifies, this will be Reddick’s first series start since he clinched his second title at Homestead in 2019. Road racer Andy Lally and ARCA West Series driver Blaine Perkins will also run races in this car, which may also see IndyCar upstart Santino Ferrucci in the mix if the rumors prove true.

CUP INVADERS: #54-Ty Dillon (technically)

Sunday, February 14, 2021

CUP Race 1 of 36

Daytona 500 at Daytona

2020 Last-Place Finisher: William Byron

For a full breakdown of this Sunday’s competitors, check out our feature from earlier this week.

TODAY IN LASTCAR HISTORY (February 12, 2004): The Gatorade Duel races see Scott Riggs crash his #10 Valvoline Chevrolet after 24 laps of Race 1 and Kevin Lepage blow the engine on his #4 YokeTV.com Chevrolet after seven laps. With just 45 drivers entered for 43 spots, both Riggs and Lepage, the last-place finishers, each make the field. The same thing happened last night as Josh Bilicki and B.J. McLeod were both Chartered entries. 

CUP: Overheating Josh Bilicki loses draft, pulls out of Duel Race 1

PHOTO: David PeQueen, @CarSDS2078

Josh Bilicki finished last in Thursday’s Bluegreen Vacations Duel 1 at the Daytona International Speedway when his #52 Wisconsin Lighting Lab Ford fell out with overheating problems after 14 of 60 laps.

The difficult 2020 season saw Bilicki participate in more NASCAR races than any previous season in his career. He made seven starts in the XFINITY Series for B.J. McLeod Motorsports, the road racer earning his best finishes on the infield road courses at Daytona (12th) and Charlotte (13th). Five more starts came in the Truck Series with Reaume Brothers Racing, capped by a season-best 19th at Texas. He would have finished even better that day had he not been wrecked by Ben Rhodes on the final lap.

Bilicki was busiest in the Cup Series, competing in a career-high 22 of the season’s 36 races – all of them affiliated in some way with Rick Ware Racing. He first drove for Tommy Baldwin Racing, who leased cars from Ware, made two starts for Spire Motorsports (associated with Ware’s merger with Premium Motorsports), and made at least one start in each of Ware’s own three cars. While he finished no better than 25th at both Indianapolis and Kansas, he only failed to finish twice, and completed 88.7% of the laps he attempted.

Late in the offseason, it was reported Bilicki would again driver for Ware – this time in his first attempt to make the Daytona 500. He would drive the #52, a car number that briefly disappeared from the RWR lineup after the Premium merger, replacing the #27 that sponsors had requested at the time. Sponsoring the effort were the Wisconsin Lighting Lab served as primary sponsor, joined by several associates: Palermo’s, Custom Fiberglass Molding, DITEC Marine Products, Junction Fuels, FOX Nation, and longtime backer Insurance King.

Bilicki ran just three laps in Wednesday’s opening practice and ranked next-to-last, just 0.085 second ahead of teammate Cody Ware in the #51 Nurtec ODT Chevrolet. Bilicki then turned the slowest completed lap in qualifying, but ranked 42nd as both Derrike Cope and Noah Gragson, who didn’t run. This put Bilicki 22nd and last on the grid for Race 1.

On race night, Bilicki briefly surrendered the last spot to a penalized Tyler Reddick, whose team changed transmission on the #8 Lenovo Chevrolet. When the green flag dropped, Reddick jumped to the outside lane and began to advance, dropping Bilicki to last. Bilicki slotted in behind Ware on the inside lane, but was immediately losing ground to the pack. By the end of Lap 1, Bilicki was 0.527 second back of Ware and Quin Houff, who formed a trailing three-car pack behind the leaders.

By Lap 3, Bilicki had completely lost the draft, and was 3.051 seconds back of the lead. The driver reported his car was overheating, and soon said “Might have to get a different radiator for Sunday.” By Lap 12, with the race still under green, Bilicki was 33.326 seconds back of the leader, and he went a lap down on the 15th circuit. By then, he’d made a pit stop, but was caught for speeding, and had to serve a pass-through. Now three laps down, he pulled down pit road, then into the garage. He was reported out by NASCAR on Lap 26 due to the overheating issue.

Bilicki was the only driver who failed to finish the race. Cody Ware finished four laps down, the same circuit as Daytona 500 polesitter Alex Bowman. Bowman felt like he had a problem with the engine, but returned to the track with the hood up on pit road. One lap ahead of Bowman was Timmy Hill, whose #66 VSI Racing Ford dropped off the lead lap, then was rolling off pit road as the leaders took the white flag. Quin Houff rounded out the group, two laps down in StarCom Racing’s #00 Mane ‘n Tail Chevrolet.

LASTCAR STATISTICS

*This marked the third straight year that a Rick Ware Racing entry finished last in at least one of the Duel races. In 2019, Cody Ware and B.J. McLeod swept both races while J.J. Yeley’s wreck in the #54 Ford came in Race 2 last year.

*Bilicki is the first driver to finish last in a Duel due to overheating issues since February 16, 2060, when Hermie Sadler’s #00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Ford dropped out after 12 laps of Race 1.

THE BOTTOM FIVE

22) #52-Josh Bilicki / 14 laps / overheating

21) #51-Cody Ware / 56 laps / running

20) #48-Alex Bowman / 56 laps / running

19) #66-Timmy Hill / 57 laps / running

18) #00-Quin Houff / 58 laps / running

CUP: B.J. McLeod spins out of danger, pulls out early in Duel Race 2

PHOTO: David PeQueen, @CarSDS2078

B.J. McLeod finished last in Thursday’s (and Friday’s) Bluegreen Vacations Duel 2 at the Daytona International Speedway when his #78 NASCAR Heat 5 Ford fell out with crash damage after 35 of 63 laps.

The 2020 season saw B.J. McLeod bring his growing XFINITY Series team, B.J. McLeod Motorsports, into the Cup Series for the first time. Leasing cars from Rick Ware Racing, who he drove for in many of his first series starts, McLeod debuted his #78 Christensen Arms Chevrolet in the series return at Darlington. One of his best runs came just four rounds later at Bristol, where he was challenging for a Top 25 when he was collected in a wreck between leaders Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin. Further sponsorship came from Axele.com, which came as Vic Keller eyed starting a Cup team of his own.

Over the offseason, McLeod announced that he would once again run his #78 in Cup for 2021, but this time under a new banner – Live Fast Motorsports. He also had a new business partner in Matt Tifft, the former Front Row Motorsports driver whose racing career had been on hiatus since a seizure suffered at Martinsville in 2019. The team would run Fords instead of the Chevrolets from a year earlier, and had welcomed the video game NASCAR Heat 5 as one of their inaugural sponsors for the Daytona 500. Also unlike in 2020, the team would have a guaranteed starting spot as they acquired Go FAS Racing’s Charter from the #32 team. The Archie St. Hilaire owned program has scaled back to a part-time operation for 2021.

In opening practice, McLeod ran 41st of the 44 entrants, then ran 38th in qualifying with a lap of 180.054mph. This put him 19th on the grid for Race 2 of the Duels.

The final two starters in Race 2 each failed to complete a lap in qualifying. Taking 21st was Derrike Cope, competing in the Duels for the first time since 2011, driving a second StarCom Racing entry with one of Rick Ware Racing’s Charters. Cope’s #15 Jacob Companies Chevrolet had electrical issues, and pulled out of line to replace the battery. As for 22nd-place Noah Gragson, the #62 Beard Oil Distributing Chevrolet didn’t make it to the grid, having failed pre-qualifying inspection three times. On the night of the race, they’d be joined by 20th-place Joey Gase, who dropped to the rear for unapproved adjustments on the #53 Page Construction / FOX Nation Ford.

When engines fired following a lengthy rain delay, Kaz Grala was late rolling off pit road in his #16 Hyper Ice Chevrolet due to radio issues, requiring the team switch helmets. Cope, meanwhile, was dealing with fog on the inside of his windshield, which cleared up on the first pace lap. By the time the field addressed the starter’s stand, Cope was alongside McLeod. Cope ran the high lane with McLeod down low, and remained side-by-side through Turns 1 and 2. Cope pulled ahead down the backstretch, but McLeod caught and passed him the next time by.

On Lap 3, Cope moved to the high lane while McLeod hitched a draft on the inside line. At that point, Cope said “We’re off the ground a bit,” and like Bilicki in Race 1 gradually lost touch with the pack. By Lap 6, he was 1.839 seconds back of McLeod, and by Lap 15 was completely by himself, in danger of losing a lap. The spotter advised Cope to stay low, letting the field race by two-wide to his outside down the backstretch. He was two down by Lap 33, when he pitted by himself, then incurred a pass-through penalty for speeding in Sections 11 and 12. He was now three laps down when an accident changed the last-place battle.

McLeod had pitted around the same time as Cope, and had just been overtaken by the leaders. Coming off Turn 2 on Lap 37, Chase Briscoe’s #14 High Point Ford broke loose off Turn 2, triggering a multi-car pileup that collected fellow rookies Kaz Grala and the #38 Speedy Cash Ford of Anthony Alfredo. McLeod, some distance behind the wreck, spun out off the exit of Turn 2. While his car appeared to avoid serious damage, the driver reported he was worried about the engine temperature, so the team pushed the #78 behind the wall on Lap 39. McLeod took last from Cope on Lap 40, and was declared out along with Alfredo with 17 laps to go. Cope climbed to 17th by the finish, and slowed on the apron of the backstretch on the final lap, dropping him a fourth lap down.

The rest of the Bottom Five was filled by the night’s second wreck on Lap 57, when Brad Keselowski’s #2 Discount Tire Ford made contact with Garrett Smithley’s #13 Trophy Tractor Ford. The two collided near the entrance of Turn 1, collecting Gragson’s #62, plus Ross Chastain in the #42 Clover Chevrolet and outside-polesitter William Byron in the #24 Axalta Chevrolet. Byron, Chastain, and Gragson rounded out the Bottom Five. Gragson and Smithley joined Timmy Hill and Ty Dillon from Race 1 as the four drivers who won't be in the Daytona 500 field. 

Two teams particularly surprised in this second qualifying race. Bubba Wallace came within a few seconds of scoring the win in the new 23XI Racing entry, his #23 Doordash Toyota passed in the tri-oval by Austin Dillon. Like Wallace, Corey LaJoie was in and among the leaders for much of the race, giving a fine showing for Spire Motorsports’ new second entry, the #7 Youtheory Chevrolet. LaJoie crossed the line in 7th – his first finish better than 16th in the Duels.

LASTCAR STATISTICS

*This was McLeod’s second last-place finish in the Duels. He finished last in Race 2 on February 14, 2019 while driving Rick Ware Racing’s #51 Jacob Companies Chevrolet, three laps down at the finish.

*This marked the first last-place finish for the #78 in the Duel races.

THE BOTTOM FIVE

22) #78-B.J. McLeod / 35 laps / crash

21) #38-Anthony Alfredo / 35 laps / crash

20) #42-Ross Chastain / 56 laps / crash

19) #24-William Byron / 56 laps / crash

18) #62-Noah Gragson / 56 laps / crash