The Morning Warmup: Donald and Dueling in Daytona
The Morning Warmup
February 14, 2020
The Daytona 500 field is set.
By Aaron Bearden (@AaronBearden93)
Editor's note: The newsletter is back to a daily share schedule as of today. Welcome back to racing season.
The Podium: Today's Top Three Stories
P1: Logano, Byron claims Duels in Daytona (NASCAR Cup)
The field for the 2020 Daytona 500 has been set. Joey Logano and William Byron led their respective manufacturers to wins in Thursday’s Bluegreen Vacation Duels at Daytona International Speedway.
Logano’s win came after leading 22 laps and was his first victory with Paul Wolfe as a crew chief. He paced a Ford quarter at the front of the field. Byron was the first of three Chevrolets in the second race, holding off teammate Jimmie Johnson for the win.
Timmy Hill and Reed Sorenson raced their way into the Great American Race as the quickest remaining Open cars, leaving Daniel Suarez, JJ Yeley and Chad Finchum out of the race. Suarez’s run came after he was crashed in a potential transfer position by Ryan Blaney.
Both Blaney and Corey LaJoie will be forced to backup cars after their crashes. The rest of the field will start based on their finishes in Thursday’s race. The Daytona 500 starting lineup can be seen here.
(Source: Reid Spencer/NASCAR.com, Terrin Waack/NASCAR.com., Holly Cain/NASCAR.com)
P2: President Trump to attend the Daytona 500 (NASCAR Cup)
United States President Donald Trump will be among the fans and competitors at Daytona International Speedway for this Sunday’s Daytona 500.
After rumors of Mr. Trump’s potential trip to Daytona persisted throughout the week, the President’s attendance was confirmed on Friday.
“The Daytona 500 is one of the greatest events in sports and the prestigious season-opening event to the NASCAR Cup Series,” track president Chip Wile said in a statement. “Daytona International Speedway has been privileged to have hosted several sitting Presidents of the United States over our history. We’re honored that the President of the United States has chosen to experience the pageantry and excitement of ‘The Great American Race’ by attending Sunday’s 62nd annual Daytona 500.”
President Trump will be the fourth standing president to make a trip to Daytona during their tenure. Ronald Reagan famously attended the 1984 July race at the track, while both George H.W. Bush (1992) and George W. Bush (2004) attended during their terms.
(Source: NASCAR.com)
P3: Red Bull, McLaren share 2020 cars (F1)
Two of Formula One’s top teams revealed their cars for the 2020 season in the days leading up to Valentine’s Day.
Red Bull Racing shared the RB16 car for 2020 on Wednesday, showcasing a machine the team hopes will lift it from third to first in the constructor’s championship.
Max Verstappen and Alexander Albon will be back at Red Bull this season, attempting to lift the team up the standings.
The second major reveal came from McLaren, who showcased its MCL35 on Thursday. The team is looking for more of the same from the car after rising to the top of the midfield in 2019.
(Source: Curt Cavin/IndyCar, Bruce Martin/NBC Sports)
Other News and Notes
On Motorsports Beat
A full-scale breakdown of the Bluegreen Vacations Duels.
Dirt racing seems to be thriving, while grassroots asphalt racing struggles. What can asphalt learn from dirt to improve? We asked relevant drivers at NASCAR Media Day to get their opinion.
The driver market is wide open this year, but Erik Jones hopes to stay put at Joe Gibbs Racing.
NASCAR
FOX Sports has added Tony Stewart and others to it’s Xfinity Series broadcast schedule for 2020. (Jayski)
Also on the FOX group is Matt Yocum, who has spent the better part of two decades covering NASCAR. RACER’s Kelly Crandall shadowed him at the Busch Clash for a story. (Kelly Crandall/RACER)
SportsBusiness Journal reputed Adam Stern shared that attendance-based repercussions could be levied on tracks in 2021. (Adam Stern/Twitter)
The Race Team Alliance has recommended that teams extend the charter agreements through 2024. (Adam Stern/Twitter)
The Cup Series title trophy has been named the Bill France Cup. (Kelly Crandall/RACER)
NASCAR has landed a new telecommunications partner in Verizon. (NASCAR.com)
Speaking of partners, The Athletic’s Jordan Bianchi laid out the changes to the sponsorship model on Thursday. (Jordan Bianchi/The Athletic ($))
Ryan Newman and wife Krissie Newman have elected to amicably separate in 2020. (Dustin Long/NBC Sports)
It’s easy to writer off this weekend’s Daytona 500 practice, but The Athletic’s David Smith explained why it truly matters. (David Smith/The Athletic ($))
Bubba Wallace’s Air Force partnership led him to a unique entrance to Daytona on Thursday. (NASCAR on FOX/Twitter)
Wallace and Ryan Blaney also got to get their Star Wars on in Disney World. (Jerry Jordan/Kickin the Tires)
IndyCar
Will Power led the way in the IndyCar open test at Circuit of the Americas. (IndyCar.com)
The aeroscreen passed its first full-field test with flying colors, but cooling concerns remain. (David Malsher-Lopez/Motorsport)
Alex Palou looked right at home in his first IndyCar test. (Marshall Pruett/RACER)
So too did Supercars ace Scott McLaughlin.
F1
The Chinese Grand Prix has been postponed due to the coronavirus. (F1.com)
Renault is entering a big year… But is it make or break? F1.com’s Lawrence Barretto reviewed the organization. (Lawrence Barretto/F1.com)
He also pondered how far McLaren can climb. (Lawrence Barretto/F1.com)
The Race’s Gary Anderson found the new McLaren disappointing.
Sports Cars
Rebellion is pulling out of motorsport after the 24 Hours of Le Mans. (Stephen Kilbey/RACER)
Peugeuot claims that the withdrawal will have no effect on its WEC plans, though. (Stephen Kilbey/RACER)
Le Mans and WEC are on the bucket list for Jimmie Johnson. (John Dagyss/Sportscar365)
Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus has set a timeline for its 007 Le Mans Hypercar. (Daniel Lloyd/Sportscar365)
AF Corse has had its class win in the 4 Hours of Shanghai reinstated after an appeal. (Stephen Kilbey/RACER)
There are 29 cars on the entry list for the Sebring WEC test. (Stephen Kilbey/RACER)
Dirt
The USAC Sprint Car Series opener at Ocala was rained out on Thursday. (USACRacing.com)
The latest guest on the “Rip the Fence” podcast? None other than Jeff Gordon.
Short Tracks
Wednesday’s Tour-Type Modified feature may have truly been a dead heat, though a winner was crowned. (Matt Weaver/Short Track Scene)
Patrick Emerling made Thursday’s race a little less stressful. (Paul Lambert/Short Track Scene)
Brad May claimed his second Super Late Model win of the week with the days winding down. (Davey Segal/Short Track Scene)
Other:
Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Development is returning with a Formula 4 program. (RACER)
MotoGP is awaiting Coronavirus developments before making a call on March’s Thai Grand Prix. (Simon Patterson/The Race)
BMW has confirmed a privateer ART entry in DTM for Robert Kubica. (Jake Kilshaw/Sportscar365)
Former IndyCar competitor Mario Dominguez will make an appearance in the Jaguar I-PACE eTrophy’s VIP car. (Jake Kilshaw/e-Racing365)
Rubens Barichello will return to Australia for a pair of S5000 races this year. (Andrew van Leeuwen/Motorsport)
Jack Perkins will partner with Will Davison for Supercars endurance races this year. (Andrew van Leeuwen/Motorsport)
Jack le Brocq’s Ford Mustang for 2020 has been unveiled. (Andrew van Leeuwen/Motorsport)
Thank You
It's here! After a lengthy offseason, I've been at Daytona Beach all week for the Daytona 500. I'm happy to get back for another year, and couldn't have done it without you.
As always, a special shoutout to our top Patrons. They are: Jory Fleischauer, David Colyer, Nathan K. Thomas, Karen L. Springer, Tyler Sorenson, Aedan McHugh, Dustin Tanner, Pat Richardson, Seth Whitesel, Matt Call, Jeff Smith, Contessa Nyree, Spencer Pullins, Aaron Peach, Kathleen O'Kelley, John Enyart, Buzz Baylis, Gail Delaney, Sally Wichert, Neil K. McMillan, Allison Bodiford, ML Stofer, Sharon Eddy, Ben Donovan, Hannah Landvater, Cadence Smith, Hannah Anderson, Mary Dzuro, Andy Merritt, Michael Gaffney, Matthew Luxford, Mike Selby, Joanna Strohn, David Vrabel, Billy Rowlee, John R. Wilson, Nathan A. Ulery, Tara McCook, Benjamin & Lorelei Bayless, Chuck Rogers, Robert Yoki, Jeff Brown, Michael S. Lee, Sue Parzych, Bob Johnson, Sven Kutner, Davis Warren, Steve Luvender, Patrick DeCola, Paula Buck, John Wimmer, and Mitch Wright.
Days until the Daytona 500: 2.
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