DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Jimmie Johnson sped away from the field after a restart with six laps left in Sunday’s Daytona 500 and held off a charging Dale Earnhardt Jr. to win the 55th running of the Great American Race at Daytona International Speedway.

The victory was the 61st of Johnson’s career in his 400th start in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and his second win in NASCAR’s most prestigious race.

Earnhardt finished second for the third time in the last four Daytona 500s. Mark Martin ran third, followed by defending series champion Brad Keselowski and Ryan Newman. Greg Biffle ran sixth and Regan Smith seventh.

Polesitter Danica Patrick came home eighth, the best-ever finish by a woman in the Daytona 500.

With tandem racing all but absent in the points race for the new Gen-6 race cars, passing was difficult and track position paramount.

“You can’t ride and wait for things to happen,” Johnson said. “You have to race all day long and fight for track position. This race car, this Lowe’s Chevrolet was so good. (Crew chief) Chad Knaus and all of Hendrick Motorsports had me a fast car, and I could really stay up front all day long. I had a lot of confidence in the final few laps leading the train, (because) I knew just how fast the car was.”

Earnhardt got a strong push from Martin on the last lap, but couldn’t catch Johnson off the final corner.

“I couldn’t have done much without Mark helping me here at the end,” said Earnhardt, who was fourth at the white flag. “I was hoping he was thinking what I was thinking as we come off of Turn 2 on that last lap. I felt like we needed to make the move a little earlier than off (Turn) 4.

“I kept backing up, backing up, trying not to let guys get racing behind us too much. If somebody ducked out of line a couple rows behind Mark, I was going to have a gap, (and) me and Mark could take off, not get hung up with those guys. Once we come off of 2, mashed the gas, got a run on Danica, side-drafted her a little bit.

“I don’t know why them guys didn’t pull down in front of me besides Jimmie, but we got through 3 and 4 with a pretty good run. Once we come to Turn 4, we kind of run out of steam, didn’t have enough to get a run on Jimmie.”

After a restart on Lap 182, following the fifth caution of the race for Jeff Burton’s hard contact with the outside wall at the entrance to the tri-oval, Keselowski and Johnson ran side-by-side at the front of the pack, trading the lead as their respective lanes gained momentum.

A caution for debris on Lap 192 set up the six-lap dash to the finish with Johnson in the lead in the outside lane.

Patrick made history when she led the field to green from the pole position. On Lap 90, she reached another milestone. Surging to the lead after a restart, she paced the field on Laps 90 and 91, and, in doing so, became the first female driver to lead a lap in the Daytona 500 and the first female to lead a green-flag Lap in the Cup series.

(Janet Guthrie led Laps 43 through 47 under caution in the Nov. 20, 1977, Los Angeles Times 500 at Ontario Motor Speedway, the only five laps she led in 33 career Cup starts.)

Later in the race, Patrick led three more laps, for a total of five, to tie Guthrie’s five.

Despite the success, Patrick was reluctant to reset expectations for her rookie season in the Cup series.

“I think that would be unwise to sort of start telling myself that top 10 is where we need to be every week,” said Patrick, who was third with one lap left but fell to eighth in the last-lap scramble. “I think that’s setting up for failure. The list of drivers in the Cup series is deep. This is a unique track. These (restrictor-plate) tracks are different and unique. (It’s) a lot about the car.

“I mean, you have to be smart enough to do the right thing at the right time, but it’s very much about the car. I feel like I’m still sticking to ‘Let’s see how these first five races go,’ where we go to a bunch of different kinds of tracks, see where we settle in, start to establish goals from there on out.”

The Toyota Camrys of Joe Gibbs Racing were running 1-2-3 as the race neared the three-quarter mark, with Matt Kenseth pacing Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch. On Lap 150, however, Kenseth, who led four times for a race-high 86 laps, brought his car to pit road, having felt a vibration in the drive train. Busch parked his car two laps later, with a blown engine.

That left Hamlin at the point as the field ran single-file behind him, in a lull before the late-race pyrotechnics.

A nine-car accident on Lap 138, thinned an already depleted field. With most cars running single-file around the top of the track, Keselowski tapped David Reutimann and dropped abruptly to the apron in Turn 1.

That triggered a melee as cars checked up behind Keselowski. Carl Edwards was a victim of the accident, as ill fortune at Daytona continued to haunt the driver who already had wrecked four cars at Daytona this year.

Other casualties included 2011 Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne and Ricky Stenhouse Jr., making his first start as a full-time Cup driver in the No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford Fusion.

The first major wreck of the race — on Lap 33 as the double-file lead pack of cars exited the tri-oval — dashed the hopes of former Daytona 500 winners Kevin Harvick and Jamie McMurray, as well as those of pre-race favorites Tony Stewart and Kasey Kahne.

As the field stacked up toward Turn 1, Kyle Busch tagged the back of Kahne’s car, turning Kahne into Juan Pablo Montoya’s Chevrolet SS and igniting a nine-car incident that also damaged the cars of Keselowski, Kurt Busch and Casey Mears.

Keselowski suffered damage to the both sides of his Ford, pinballing off both Montoya and Harvick, but was able to continue. Kurt Busch lost a lap on pit road with the nose of his Chevy caved in from contact during the wreck. Casey Mears, who had qualified 17th, also sustained significant damage.

Note: Other drivers who have won their 400th Cup starts include Lee Petty, Richard Petty, David Pearson, Dave Marci’s and Dale Earnhardt.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Tony Stewart won Saturday’s DRIVE4COPD 300 at Daytona International Speedway, but the elation of his victory disappeared in the wake of a heart-stopping wreck that saw Kyle Larson’s car demolished after flying into the crossover gate that provides access from the asphalt to the main grandstand.

As Stewart dodged the crash and crossed the finish line, the front clip of Larson’s car sheared off , ripping the engine out of its compartment. The front suspension and engine ended up on the walkway at the bottom of the stands.

A tire from Larson’s car also flew into the grandstands.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnHRCeUcDL4

Regan Smith led as the cars approached the checkered flag, but Smith tried to block Brad Keselowski, who was running second, and turned across the nose of Keselowski’s car.

There were no immediate reports as to the extent of injuries, but emergency medical personnel arrived on the scene with stretchers and removed one spectator who was tightly strapped to the gurney. Other fans appeared to be receiving treatment at the scene.

The emergency in the grandstand tempered Stewart’s fifth victory in his last six February races at Daytona and the 11th Nationwide Series win of his career.

“Fortunately, with the way the event’s equipped up, there were plenty of emergency workers ready to go, and they jumped in on it pretty quickly,” NASCAR president Mike Helton told ESPN. “And right now, it’s just a function of trying to determine what all damage is done.

“They’re moving folks, as we’ve seen, to care centers and taking some folks over to Halifax Medical (Center), so we’ll be able to update later on, but right now, all we know is everybody’s working real hard on determining what all happened.”

Larson climbed from his car almost immediately and was evaluated and released from the infield care center.

Drivers, Larson included, were more concerned with the safety of the fans than the outcome of the race.

“The important thing is what’s going on on the frontstretch right now,” Stewart said after climbing from his car. “We’ve always known since racing was started this is a dangerous sport. But it’s hard. We assume that risk. It’s hard when the fans get caught up in it.

“As much as we want to celebrate right now, as much as this is a big deal to us, I’m more worried about the drivers and fans in the stands right now. I could see it all in the mirror and it didn’t look good from where I was either.”

Smith said he wasn’t about to surrender the victory to Keselowski 200 yards from the finish line.

“We made a move to try and win the race,” Keselowski said. “We were in the catbird seat. Regan was in a good spot. He was first and I was second, and we were pushing. I kind of had the run and the move to win the race, and Regan obviously tried to block it, and that’s understandable.

Sam Hornish Jr. crossed the stripe in second place, followed by rookie Alex Bowman, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Parker Kligerman.

The last-lap wreck wasn’t the only serious incident of the event. A 13-car wreck in Turns 1 and 2, triggered by contact between the No. 43 Ford Mustang of Michael Annett and the No. 3 Chevrolet Camaro of Austin Dillon — both championship hopefuls — stopped the race after 116 laps and set up the finish.

Annett was transported to Halifax Health Medical Center. Richard Petty Motorsports later reported that Annett, whose car slammed the outside wall nose-first, was treated for bruising on his chest and received a CT scan. He remains in the hospital for further observation.

Say goodbye to the Car of Tomorrow and hello to Gen-6.

NASCAR’s new car for its premier series has probably been more publicized  than   any one of its previous five generations of cars.

Unlike the COT, which was used from 2007-12, NASCAR and the original  equipment   manufacturers (OEMs) incorporated brand identity to the Gen-6,  allowing them   to resemble the models of the Chevrolet SS, Ford Fusion and  Toyota Camry   passenger cars.

Here are a few features of the Gen-6:

-The total weight of the Gen-6 is 150 pounds less than the COT. Furthermore, the length of the new car is 2.3 inches shorter but has 3 inches more width    than the previous one.

-Paint scheme changes include: driver’s last name on windshield, sponsor on roof and step and repeat designs behind the number of the car.

-Each manufacturer — Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota — will now run unique  panels that better represent their production counterparts.

-NASCAR added roof structure for increased driver safety, and the hood and  decklid have been made of carbon fiber. The hood tether squares are no longer visible as they were on the previous car.

The Gen-6 cars should run better at mile-and-a-half tracks and provide drivers more mechanical grip and less aero dependency, which likely will set up closer, more exciting races.

The body styles of the Gen-6 car don’t fit that well for tandem and bump drafting at superspeedways in Daytona and Talladega.

Nobody ever really liked the clunky fifth-generation car that was built with safety in mind following the death of icon Dale Earnhardt Sr. No one has died since his crash on the final lap of the Daytona 500 in 2001.

The rumor mill was buzzing full steam for most of 2012 regarding the unknown fate of one of Florida’s longest running tracks, Orlando Speedworld.  The rumors spanned the usual suspects a large plot of mostly undeveloped land can be used for; building a new residential subdivision, opening a regional distribution center for major retailers and many other tall tales.  The rumors got so out of hand that people far outside automotive culture were calling me telling me the “news” they heard about “that track in Orlando.”

The thought of losing a Florida racing landmark left many of us with heavy hearts, and for good reason.  Orlando Speedworld has been in Hollywood movies, hosted some of the largest events in drag racing, and is by far the most geographically perfect venue for racing events in Florida.  The location is perfect for visitors traveling from near and far with great weather year round and an endless amount of attractions in the area entertaining fans well beyond just the racing events.

Today NDIMA is proud to announce that Orlando Speedworld is under new management and WILL REMAIN OPEN for years to come.  Ozzy & Maria Moya (Lakeland Dragstrip) have stepped in to carry on the legend that is Orlando Speedworld.  Orlando Speedworld is NDIMA’s new home track and we are anxious to get things rolling making full use of the facilities.  Our opening weekend features the figure 8 track for the first edition of NDIMAdrift.  Orlando Speedworld is where much of Florida’s flourishing drifting scene started.  Drifters found great success racing through the banked corners testing the limits of speed sliding thru the turns while perfecting their craft and entertaining fans.  NDIMAdrift kicks off March 3, 2013 at Orlando Speedworld.

The drag strip is receiving some much needed refurbishing in the coming weeks in preparation for NDIMA’s first drag event of 2013.  NDIMAdrag will soon be re-introducing our new home track with a blowout pitting fire breathing domestics vs the most finely tuned imports Florida has to offer.  Orlando Speedworld is bringing fans a taste of the glory days with an event for everyone featuring epic battles on the drag strip, elite displays in the car show and a time attack on the figure eight track.

This is THE EVENT to kick off racing season and we can’t express how happy we are to bring NDIMA to Orlando.  Requests have poured in thru our website and Facebook pages to bring the event to a more central location and here you have it.  When the news hit that Orlando Speedworld was back in action we jumped at the chance to bring NDIMA to such a perfect location, rich with drag racing history and loyal racers.

We’ll see you March 3, 2013 for NDIMAdrift at Orlando Speedworld followed by NDIMAdrag in mid April.  It’s time to dust off all those projects you put off during the holidays and get out there and enjoy the beautiful spring weather in Orlando!!.

Palm Beach Driving Club PRO and Jupiter, Fla. Local Claims Victory to  Two Prestigious 24 Hour Endurance Races.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – January 29, 2013 - If opening the 2013 sports car racing season with a victory in one 24-hour race is not enough, bring home a second! Shane Lewis drove to back-to-back victories in two of the world’s premier endurance races in the first month of the new year: the January 11-12 Dunlop 24H of DUBAI and January 26-27 51st Running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona. While the Jupiter, Fla.-resident has long been considered one of the sport’s top endurance racers, his remarkable performance in the first two major races of the year has turned heads of even the most jaded motorsport follower. The two events accounted for Lewis’ 34th and 35th career 24-hour race starts.

In addition to his successful racing career, Lewis is the Club Pro for the Palm Beach Driving Club at Palm Beach International Raceway in Jupiter, FL.

Two weeks ago, Lewis traveled to the Middle East to take a victory in the region’s premier sports car race, the 24H of DUBAI. The success, driving a Lotus Evora GT4 for Cor Euser Racing 1, was Lewis’ first in that 24-hour race. The Dubai SP3-GT4 class win came on the heels of setting the fastest time for the new GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series GX-class during “The Road Before the Rolex 24″ open test here at Daytona International Speedway (DIS), January 4-6. That set the former Daytona Endurance Series Champion up for a sweep of the first two major milestones of the season. While Lewis came narrowly close to winning the pole position in Dubai he accomplished the feat at Daytona. The multi-time GRAND-AM and ALMS class winner would not only capture the inaugural pole position for the class – his first for the Rolex 24 – but the No. 16 Napleton Porsche Cayman he drove was the clear benchmark in the division.

Their Porsche Cayman S sporting the “Hippie” livery made famous by the 1970 Porsche 917 L, Lewis and teammates David Donohue, Nelson Canache and Dr. Jim Norman completed 635 laps of the 3.56-mile, 12-turn racecourse in dominating fashion. Except for a few short stints in second-place, the Napleton Racing machine led the majority of the twice-around-the-clock event. Prior to darkness falling on the track, the mid-engine machine held a nine-lap lead. However, some ill-timed on-track spins and penalties while Lewis was not in the car forced delays and added suspense. The time lost dropped their class lead to only two laps. However, smart driving and pit strategy in the second-half of the race allowed the car to hold that gap and never be seriously threatened again.

Proving that he is among the elite of the sport in outright speed as well racecraft, Lewis set the fastest race lap in the GX class (one-minute, 55.269-seconds) to go-along with the pole position lap (1:54.606) he earned on Thursday.

In his career, Lewis has piloted every major class of sports car from prototype to touring car in 24-hour races. He has made three starts at the “grandfather” of all endurance races, the 24 Hours of Le Mans (1999, 2000, 2003) leading his class in 2003 and he has 16 starts at North America’s only professional 24-hour race, theRolex 24 At Daytona (1997-’02, ’04-’13) earning his first win in the 2013 GX class. Lewis has five starts at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring (’04, ’05, ’10-’12) winning his class in ’10 and taking podium finishes in ’04 and ’11. He has had two starts in the DUBAI 24 Hour (’12, ’13) winning in 2013. Other endurance race starts include six Petit Le Mans (’98-’01, ’03, ’10) and seven 12 Hours of Sebring (1997-’98, 2000-’03, ’10).

Quotes

Shane Lewis 

On the emotion of taking back-to-back 24-hour race wins: “Never in your dreams could you imagine winning two major 24-hour races all in the same month. It’s almost indescribable, actually. The magnitude of this will take a while to set in. I didn’t really get to celebrate Dubai because I needed to prep for Daytona right away. I am already thinking forward to what can be done in the rest of 2013 but I also want to make sure I take the time to let all of this sink in and enjoy it. Only problem now is I want this to be the norm! Winning just makes you want to win more. It’s addictive but what a great thing to be hooked on!”

On putting into perspective the immensity of winning his first Rolex 24: “I have won so many races at Daytona through my career but never the 24 [Hour]. I was very close and have had the victory taken from me in the very last hour before but this time it’s for real. I am still a little overwhelmed. We led for so many hours in this race and I so wanted to believe we were going to win. I wouldn’t let that thought into my mind just in case something went wrong. I am so proud to have been a part of this team and want to thank Napleton and my-co-drivers David, Jim and Nelson. It hasn’t settled in that we actually won it yet. If I keep looking at this Rolex watch long enough maybe it will finally set in.”

On the overall performance of the car and Napleton team: “We all came to Daytona thinking the Mazda would be the one to beat. They had three factory cars and we were just hoping to fight for or podium originally. Then after Test Days we knew we had a good package. The Napleton team wanted this win as bad as I did and prepared well for it. They built an amazing car. This Cayman is one that the team and Porsche should be very proud of.”

On the physical and mental challenge of racing 48 hours: “There is a huge mental part of racing in two big 24-hour races in the same month to go along with the physical preparation. You have to train physically hard before the events and that’s especially tough during the holidays that lead into these races. You also have to be ready mentally for all the ups and downs that go with so many hours and days of endurance races. Recovery from the first event was probably as important as the preparation before hand. I stayed an extra day in Dubai to just rest before flying back to the USA. Rest, rehydration and proper nutrition was a key as well. OK, OK. I did celebrate with a major ice cream dessert after Dubai but other than that it was right back to work.”

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 27, 2013) – Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates was clearly the team to beat throughout the 51st running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona. A couple teams, however, came close to doing just that over the final few hours of the twice-around-the-clock race around the 3.56-mile Daytona International Speedway road course.

In the end, however, the No. 01 TELMEX/Target BMW/Riley team of Scott Pruett, Memo Rojas, Juan Pablo Montoya and Charlie Kimball gave CGRFS its fifth victory in 10 attempts at the Rolex 24. In the process, Pruett joined Hurley Haywood – who served as the event’s grand marshal – as the only drivers to claim five overall Rolex 24 victories.

“It’s just an incredible day all the way around, winning with these guys, winning with Chip, with TELMEX and with BMW,” Pruett said. “Then at the end of it, having gotten to know Hurley real well over the years by racing with him and just as a friend – and to have him there at the end – was pretty special. It was a very special thing.”

With its victory CGRFS has an early lead in the North American Endurance Championship presented by VISITFLORIDA.com. The NAEC is a three-race competition that includes the Rolex 24 at Daytona, Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen and the Super Weekend at the Brickyard at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.