CUP: Thursday Daytona Notebook

Sprint Cup

CUP: Thursday Daytona Notebook

Questions, questions, questions – gentlemen, start your answers…

Mike Hembree | Posted February 14, 2013 Daytona Beach, FL

Speaking on Thursday at Daytona International Speedway, Mark Martin addressed the subject of drivers fighting. (Photo: Getty Images)

Daytona Media Day Photo Galleries
Album 2
Morning Gallery
Album 1

[Thursday 4:09 pm ET]

TRASHING THE TANDEM – Dale Earnhardt Jr. was one of the most vocal critics of the tandem drafting that dominated races at Daytona and Talladega for a stretch. He hasn't changed his mind. "I hope it's gone," he said Thursday. "I hope we don't do that any more. I don't enjoy doing that. I like taking care of myself, having to worry about what I have to do in a car instead of having to worry about me and somebody else." The front and rear sections of the Gen-6 car will make two-car hookups difficult, although not impossible.

[Thursday 4:02 pm ET]

BEING SOCIAL – Jeff Gordon is among the drivers who have embraced social media. He said Thursday there are numerous advantages to the ever-changing platforms. "You got to laugh at yourself," he said. "Your fans – they're very loyal. They want to be connected to you in a closer way. I think it's a great way to connect with your fans. The sponsors, they enjoy it, as well. Knowing you have that kind of loyal following makes a big difference when you're talking to sponsors, when you're re-upping with sponsors or current sponsors. It's great for everybody as far as I'm concerned. But it opens you up. You got to be a little careful."

For Brad Keselowski, the goal is clear for 2013: win a second consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup Series title. (Photo: Getty Images)

[Thursday 3:39 pm ET]

BRAD LIMITED IN UNLIMITED – Brad Keselowski won't be in Saturday night's Sprint Unlimited race, and he doesn't like it. "I am disappointed," he said. "I think any driver not in a race is disappointed not to be in it. I think it limits some of your ability to win the 500. Not all of it, but some of it. This isn't T-Ball, though. Not everybody plays. We didn't earn our spot, and we don't play. It is pretty simple. This is professional sports, and we need to earn our spot. We spend our time and energy working on what we could do to win the championship, not winning a pole. If I could choose being in the Shootout (the Unlimited) or winning the championship, I would take the damn championship 100 out of 100 days."

[Thursday 2:47 pm ET]

WANNA FIGHT? – Mark Martin, one of the most experienced drivers in NASCAR racing, said Thursday that fights in the sport have their value but that he hasn't had the experience of being involved in one. "You need those," he said. "You've got to have it and we've had a nice little dose of that the last few years. Gosh, it just seems like good times to me. I never have. I don't know. I've been in it a long time, and I'm still a little confused. ... If you feel like fighting, it don't matter what NASCAR's going to do to you. You're still going to do it."

[Thursday 1:22 pm ET]

MORE FOR MONTOYA? – Juan Pablo Montoya has not met expectations in his NASCAR adventures. He came into the sport carrying an impressive Formula One resume, scored a couple of road-course wins, but, along with Earnhardt Ganassi Racing, has stalled. What's next? "We know we have the right tools to make it work," he said. "I think this year we've done enough over the winter that it's going to put us in a better situation." Is it humbling? "It's not humbling. It sucks," Montoya said.

Danica Patrick takes part in Daytona Media Day activities. (Photo: Getty Images)

[Thursday 11:06 am ET]

DANICA TO MAKE CAMEO – It was announced today that Danica Patrick will pilot Turner Scott Motorsports' fourth entry in the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Daytona International Speedway. Patrick, who will be a full-time Rookie of the Year candidate in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2013, will be behind the wheel of the No. 34 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet Camaro in the season-opening DRIVE4COPD 300. Veteran crew chief Mike Greci will be calling the shots from atop the pit box.

[Thursday 10:48 am ET]

10-GALLON? – For those wondering, it was a black-cowboy-hat (not white) for Austin Dillon Thursday. And, no, he doesn't hat-shop with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Different labels, Dillon said.

[Thursday 10:41 am ET]

IT WON'T BE FAST – Brad Keselowski said Thursday he remains on the hunt for a tank. "A man and a tank," he said. "It sounds right." Really, he wants one. Where would he keep it? "In the driveway."

[Thursday 9:45 am ET]

MILLER BRIGHT – Spiffiest new driver's suit award for Media Day goes to Sprint Cup champion Brad Keselowski, resplendent in blue and white. And no Miller. Yet.

Jimmie Johnson addresses reporters during Daytona Media Day. (Photo: Getty Images)

[Thursday 8:46 am ET]

TOUGH SLEDDING – The Gen-6 car offers opportunities for adjustment and speed gains, Jimmie Johnson said, but he added that the “toolbox” is small. “We have far less tools today than at Homestead,” he said. “We still have opportunities to find things, but the reward is so small. You’re finding half a 10th (of a second) at best. You have to stack up four or five things to get an advantage.”

[Thursday 8:29 am ET]

PRETTY OBVIOUS? – Asked if there were early indications that the Ricky Stenhouse Jr.-Danica Patrick romance was taking shape last year, Joey Logano said, “Yes. Ray Charles could see that one coming.”

[Thursday 8:25 am ET]

NASCAR REINSTATES FORMER CREW MEMBER – NASCAR has reinstated former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series crew member Jerome Frey upon his successful completion of NASCAR’s Substance Abuse Policy Road to Recovery Program. Frey had been indefinitely suspended from NASCAR on August 10, 2011 for violating the sanctioning body’s substance abuse policy.

[Thursday 8:20 am ET]

DAYTONA MEDIA DAY ARRIVES – The drivers are here. The television cameras are here. The bright lights are here. It’s Media Day at Daytona. For much of Valentine’s Day, drivers from all three NASCAR series will face hard (and sometimes not-so-hard) questions from news media representatives about Speedweeks and the season to come. It’s time to get rolling…

Mike Hembree is NASCAR Editor for SPEED.com and has been covering motorsports for 31 years. He is a six-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year Award.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mike Hembree

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