Speedweeks 2011: Day Three

Day three of Speedweeks 2011 was a calm one, with just qualifying taking place for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Only the top two qualifiers along with the three top go or go homers are lcoked into the Daytona 500. Dale Earnhardt Jr. took the pole, while his teammate Jeff Gordon took the outside front row. Bill Elliott, Travis Kvapil, and Joe Nemechek were the 3 go or go homers that locked themsleves into the race. All other teams must race through the Gaterade Duels to find out their starting position for the Great American race.

Also, in an effort to minimize the two car drafting, NASCAR sent out a bulletin to the teams for what needs to be changed by the next practice session Wednsesday. Here is part of the release that ESPN.com had on their website.


NASCAR officials announced two technical changes Sunday evening aimed at preventing the sustained two-car drafts that dominated Saturday night's Budweiser Shootout at Daytona. Robin Pemberton, NASCAR's vice president of competition, said the body issued a bulletin to race teams with the following specifications:
" The maximum size for the air inlet for the cooling system will be 2½ inches tall by 20 inches wide.
" The pressure release valve on the water system will be set at 33 pounds per square inch.
The intent is to set up the cars so they can't push each other in two-car tandems for extended runs without overheating. Teams try to line up drafting partners at Daytona and Talladega so they can overcome the limitations of the restrictor plates used to keep speeds down at those two tracks. "That will bring down the temperatures so the teams can't run at 290 or 300 degrees [without overheating] on the extended push of 30 or 40 laps," Pemberton said. "This will put [the water temperature in the engines] back in the 250-degree range." Several drivers, crew chiefs and team executives expected NASCAR to control the pressure relief valve. Jamie McMurray, who finished second to Kurt Busch in the Shootout, said many cars had valves that allowed the temperature up to 300 degrees before boiling over. That allowed the second car in the two-car draft to push longer without overheating -- some for more than a dozen laps -- under Saturday's cooler outdoor temperatures. The weather is expected to be warmer for Thursday's qualifying races and the Daytona 500.

Other than those two headlines, there was not many major headlines throughout the day.

Speedweeks 2011: Day 2

Day two of Daytona Speedweeks saw two different races on the new Daytona surface, the ARCA race and the Budweiser Shootout. The ARCA race was won by Bobby Gerhart. This was his 7th win at Daytona.

The Budweiser Shootout was a very different race to say the least. The two car break aways made the race ridiculous(whether for the good or the bad). After a close 3 wide finish, Kurt Busch was deemed the winner of the race after Denny Hamlin was black flagged for passing below the double yellow line. Hamlin said he went below the line so he wouldn't flip Ryan Newman. There were a record number of lead changes in the race.

The two Daytona 500 practice sessions were won by Mark Martin, however speeds were not very high compared to Budweiser Shootout practice. This was a result of just single car runs for qualifying practice.

Other news included an announcement that Jay Guy will be the crew chief for the 71 team and that NASCAR will not make a restrictor plate change as of now, but did make cooling packages for cars different to try and minimize the two car drafting. After the Shootout, it is uncertain what NASCAR will do.

Speedweeks Day 1 News And Notes

February 11th, 2011: The cars hit the track for the first real practice session of 2011 today, showing off new paint schemes and new team combinations. The 1st practice of the Budweiser Shootout belonged to one of those new crew chief and driver combinations - Steve Letarte and Dale Earnhardt Jr. The team posted a speed of 199.862 mph. The second practice was led by Joey Logano at a blistering pace, 203.087 mph. No word yet on any restrictor plate size changes, although Dale Earnhardt Jr. believes that if the plates are to be made bigger, then the two car draft would not be as easy to form.

For the Budweiser Shootout selection show, Dale Earnhardt Jr. drew the number 1 spot. Stewart, Edwards, Hamlin, and Kahne round out the top 5.

There were also many news stories that broke out throughout the first day of on track activities. Here is a short run down:

- NASCAR will go to fuel injection at the beginning of the 2012 season, however it will just be in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. NASCAR has partnership with Freescale Semiconductor and McLaren Electronic Systems to develop and integrate the fuel injection systems. NASCAR says that they are currently working on a new engine package for the Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series.

- Jeff Burton's contract with RCR is up after the season, however Burton made it clear that a deal is almost done that would keep him with the team for 3 more years. Caterpillar is expected to return with Burton.

- NASCAR announced that it has placed Michael Annett, driver of the #62 car in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, on probation until Dec. 31, 2011. Annett violated Section 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing) of the 2011 NASCAR Rule Book. The violation occurred Feb. 6. In addition to the steps already underway by Rusty Wallace Racing, Annett will be evaluated by a certified substance abuse professional at NASCAR's discretion and will be subject to random alcohol and drug testing.(NASCAR PR)

Stay tuned each day of the 2011 Speedweeks for more news updates.