CUP: Saturday Daytona Notebook (UPDATE 9)

Sprint Cup

CUP: Saturday Daytona Notebook (UPDATE 9)

Tony Stewart wins the DRIVE4COPD 300 at Daytona International Speedway after a huge last lap crash...

Tom Jensen | Posted February 23, 2013 Daytona Beach, FL

The DRIVE4COPD 300 at Daytona International Speedway ends after a huge last lap crash. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

Other Speedweeks 2013 Notebooks
FRIDAY, FEB. 22
THURSDAY, FEB. 21
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 20
TUESDAY, FEB. 19
MONDAY, FEB. 18
SUNDAY, FEB. 17
SATURDAY, FEB. 16
FRIDAY, FEB. 15
THURSDAY, FEB. 14

VIDEO: Press Conference

VIDEO: Halifax Medical Report

RESULTS: DRIVE4COPD 300

PHOTOS: Massive Last Lap Crash

VIDEO SPEED Center Report

[SATURDAY 5:24 pm ET]

PHOTOS DRIVE4COPD 300

[SATURDAY 4:04 pm ET]

THE END — A horrific pileup at the end of the race sees Kyle Larson’s car go into the catchfence, the entire nose sheared off and the engine into the fencing. Tony Stewart wins over Sam Hornish Jr., Alex Bowman, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Parker Kligerman.

VIDEO: The Big One

[SATURDAY 3:38 pm ET]

THE BIG ONE — On Lap 115, the field gets wadded up in Turn 3. Kasey Kahne, Johanna Long, Mike Bliss, Jamie Dick, Jason White, Danny Efland, Austin Dillon and Michael Annett are involved. The race is red-flagged with four laps to go. The accident began when Annett drifted up and into Dillon, with Annett going head on into the wall.

VIDEO: Mechanical Woes

[SATURDAY 3:14 pm ET]

BUSCH BLUES — Kyle Busch makes it 2 DNFs for the Busch brothers, as the motor overheats in his Toyota. Up to this point, he has led 22 laps, most of anyone.

VIDEO: Kurt Busch Cuts The Grass

11 cars are twisted up in a wreck during the NASCAR Nationwide Series DRIVE4COPD 300 at Daytona International Speedway. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

[SATURDAY 2:37 pm ET]

MOWING THE LAWN — Mike Wallace, Kurt Busch, Joe Nemechek and Reed Sorenson went spinning on the frontstretch on Lap 63 of the DRIVE4COPD 300 at Daytona International Speedway to bring out another caution. It looked like Busch got the worst of it, his Phoenix Racing Chevrolet needing lengthy repairs on pit road.

[SATURDAY 2:35 pm ET]

VIDEO: Smith Spins, Danica Out

[SATURDAY 2:08 pm ET]

DANICA DONE — Danica Patrick’s hope for a good finish in the DRIVE4COPD 300 at Daytona International Speedway ends after just 31 laps when the engine in her Turner Motorsports Chevrolet overheats. Her day is done and the best she can finish is 36th in the 40-car field.

[SATURDAY 1:58 pm ET]

PHOTOS: Daytona 500 Final Practice

[SATURDAY 1:43 pm ET]

I’M BAD, I’M NATIONWIDE — The DRIVE4COPD 300 at Daytona International Speedway kicked off the NASCAR Nationwide Series and it took just seven laps before Scott Lagasse Jr. pulled down on the frontstretch trioval. Lagasse clipped Trevor Bayne’s nose and spun to bring out the first caution. Miraculously, Lagasse’s mid-pack pirouette didn’t snare anyone else. Danica Patrick led over Elliott Sadler and Austin Dillon.

[SATURDAY Noon ET]

THAT’S A WRAP — The final “Happy Hour” Daytona 500 practice is now in the books. The next time the NASCAR Sprint Cup cars will be on the track will be during tomorrow’s race, which will be live on FOX, starting at 1 p.m. ET.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. held on to the fastest speed at 198.582 miles per hour, followed by David Gilliland, Clint Bowyer, Marcos Ambrose and Aric Almirola. All told, 33 cars took to the 2.5-mile track.

Kurt Busch ran 27 laps in the Happy Hour session, trying to get the handling sorted out on his No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet. That tied him with Ryan Newman for the most laps any driver ran during Happy Hour. “We made improvements with handling and on the power side of things,” said Busch. “It’s a little crisper.” Busch could be one of the dark horse threats to win the Daytona 500.

Speaking of which, on Sunday Kevin Harvick will attempt to be the first driver in history to win the Sprint Unlimited, a Budweiser Duel 150 qualifying race and the Daytona 500 in the same Speedweeks.

Scott Speed’s No. 95 Leavine Family Racing Ford Fusion will be sponsored by DISH Network during the Daytona 500. Remember when DISH Network used to sponsor Hall of Fame Racing?

[SATURDAY 11 am ET]

Cars collide during the NASCAR Nationwide Series DRIVE4COPD 300 at Daytona International Speedway. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

ALMOST THERE — Thirty minutes into Happy Hour and 32 cars have set times, with no one running more than 15 laps. So far, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is fastest at 198.582 miles per hour. Then it’s David Gilliland, Clint Bowyer, Marcos Ambrose and Aric Almirola.

[SATURDAY 10:27 am ET]

HAPPY HOUR — Good morning, race fans! The final Daytona 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup practice takes place today from 10:30 a.m. until noon ET and will be televised live on SPEED . Don’t expect to see a lot of cars out on the track, though. With passing much more difficult in the new Generation-6 cars, it isn’t as easy as it used to be to go from the back of the pack to the front, so few drivers are going to chance getting into a Happy Hour crash and having to start the Daytona 500 at the back of the field in a backup car.

Stewart-Haas Racing teammates Tony Stewart and Danica Patrick are among those sitting out the session.

RAY RAY IN DA’ HOUSE — Ray Lewis, longtime linebacker for the Super Bowl-winning Baltimore Ravens will wave the green flag as the honorary starter of tomorrow’s Daytona 500. Lewis is a two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

Tom Jensen is the Editor in Chief of SPEED.com, Senior NASCAR Editor at RACER and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. You can follow him online at twitter.com/tomjensen100.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tom Jensen

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