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  (Photo Credit : Review Journal of Las Vegas) McDowell Wins BIG As much as I love American stock car racing, there are races that are so bland we may never mention them again in a social setting. Other events stand out in our hearts and we talk about them every chance we get. This year's running of the 'Great American Race' is a story that we will always remember.  Expect to see videos of McDowell cheering with the fans at the start finish line, and the wild last lap of the 2021 Daytona 500 forever.  He's done it. It took him a long time, but Michael McDowell has won at NASCAR's greatest stage. While the race itself is being labeled as an underdog win, a small amount of research is all it takes to realize that the pieces have been there for the #34 team to get this win for some time now. Ford has shown consistent speed on the large tracks for years. Front Row Motorsports has won and recorded several top 5's at Daytona and Talladega in the current generation car...

  (Photo Source : Twitter.com/Team_FRM)

It’s been a long 98 days since the last time we went Cup Series racing, but the moment we’ve all been waiting for is finally here.  On Sunday, 40 drivers will kick off the Daytona 500, and with it the 2021 NASCAR season.  Fear not, StatChat will be here to guide you all along the way.   Daytona International Speedway may be the most famous track in NASCAR.  The first ever Daytona 500 was won by Lee Petty in 1959, and has been the season opener since 1982.  It is a 2.5 mile high-speed tri-oval.   The race will be 200 laps long (for a total of 500 miles), with stage breaks occurring at 65 – 130 – 200.  The fuel window is approximately 38-42 laps.   This is the first race of the season.   Top 5 Career Average Finishers at Daytona: Bubba Wallace 14.86 over 7 races Austin Dillon 15.53 over 15 races Denny Hamlin 16.33 over 30 races Alex Bowman 16.67 over 9 races Christopher...

 

  (Photo Source : Twitter.com/DAYTONA)

(Photo Source: Twitter.com/NASCAR)     Last  week it was announced that Ty Dillon would be joining Gaunt Brothers Racing to attempt to make this year’s Daytona 500. My initial thoughts were that this could be a great opportunity for Dillon. After all, we all know any opportunity can lead to another, and any opportunity in NASCAR to race in the Daytona 500 is huge. We all know anyone has a chance at Daytona. I’m also a big fan of the “little guy”. Gaunt Brothers Racing is absolutely that. They’re a Toyota team with no factory support. Daniel Suarez drove for Gaunt Brothers Racing last season and you may remember that they failed to qualify for the Daytona 500. They did qualify and compete in the remaining 35 races last year. This season the team is looking to take a step back. Jenna Fryer of the Associated Press has reported they're looking to run 10 races this season.  I’m hopeful that means that Ty Dillon can make the most of Daytona and drive however many races Gau...

 Bob Pockrass of Fox Sports broke the news this morning that NASCAR Xfinity Series Champion Austin Cindric is expected to attempt to qualify for the 2021 Daytona 500 under the Team Penske banner. According to the announcement, the car will be numbered 33 and is likely to include additional races for the young driver from Columbus, Ohio. It was announced earlier this year that Cindric would take over for Matt Dibenedetto in the #21 Ford Mustang in 2022 season as a full-time rookie.  No details on sponsorship were available at the time of the post. Miles Stanley will be the crew chief. 

 It was announced this morning that retired driver Jamie McMurray will return to the wheel of a NASCAR Cup Series race car after being away from the sport for 2 years. The Joplin Missouri native is a past champion of both Daytona's Rolex 24 hour endurance race as well as the Daytona 500. He also has past victories in the summer race at Daytona and victories at Talladega making him a favorite for the win every time he is on the high banks. McMurray will be driving in the #77 Chevrolet Camaro and it will be sponsored by Advent Health. While on paper this is a Spire entry, it was reported by Fox Sports' Bob Pockrass that the ride will be prepared by Chip Ganassi Racing, the team McMurray raced for in the majority of his Cup Series Starts.  In a release, McMurray commented with the following. “It doesn’t get any better than the Daytona 500, and I am so excited to have the opportunity, thanks to AdventHealth, to run this race one more time. I have enjoyed my time out of the c...

 Catchfence.com is reporting  that the #62 Chevrolet from Bear Motorsports that was recently vacated when Brendan Gaughan retired will be driven by NASCAR Xfinity star Noah Gragson. The driver will participate in his first ever NASCAR Cup Series event in the 2021 Daytona 500. Details on sponsorship or future schedule were not made available and the team did not confirm this at the time of the report. Follow Racing Refresh for further updates on this story.