The 2014 Daytona 500 Starting Grid, in full - MotorSportsTalk

So, today will mark the 2014 running of the Daytona 500. Here’s the starting grid, and a brief outlook for each of the 43 drivers competing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season opener:

1. Austin Dillon, No. 3 Chevrolet. Rookie and big media story, but a simple top-10 will more than suffice as a realistic result for his debut. Anything more is a bonus.
2. Martin Truex Jr., No. 78 Chevrolet. Will drop to rear with a backup car. Has never won a restrictor-plate race but will enjoy a methodical race as he comes through the field in his Furniture Row Racing debut.
3. Matt Kenseth, No. 20 Toyota. Could well have won his Joe Gibbs Racing debut here last year, and could very easily win his third Daytona 500 on Sunday. If he does, it would be the first under normal race circumstances (2009 rain-shortened, 2012 rain-delayed til Monday).
Kenseth, Kyle Busch, Hamlin. Photo: AP
4. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Toyota. The only thing holding him back from a Daytona Speedweeks sweep is history. Otherwise, the FedEx driver is odds-on favorite.
5. Kasey Kahne, No. 5 Chevrolet. Consistent and under-the-radar, with few true “wow” moments thus far in his Hendrick career. Could make a statement with standout effort.
6. Jeff Gordon, No. 24 Chevrolet. It hasn’t been 10 years since his third and most recent Daytona 500 win, but he could well pull off number four Sunday if he avoids the likely, inevitable “big one” that he’s been caught up in in recent restrictor-plate races.
7. Marcos Ambrose, No. 9 Ford. Wouldn’t it be nice if we were talking about Richard Petty’s race team rather than his comments? If Ambrose runs well Sunday, we might.
8. Kurt Busch, No. 41 Chevrolet. A win on his Stewart-Haas Racing debut would be a mild surprise, given it’s a new fourth team. But Busch is another who’s been too good to have not won the ‘500, and should be in contention until the waning stages.
9. Dale Earnhardt Jr., No. 88 Chevrolet. Big name. Ten years since his last Daytona 500 win. Winless in 2013. A win would provide a nice book-end to Speedweeks after the 3 took pole.
10. Paul Menard, No. 27 Chevrolet. Solid sleeper pick, with RCR engines and a tendency to hang around the lead pack if he avoids being caught up in an accident.
11. Josh Wise, No. 98 Ford. Underfunded Phil Parsons Racing team actually scored a top-10 here with Michael McDowell in 2013, and an encore with Wise would be a great story.
12. Brian Scott, No. 33 Chevrolet. Like Menard, a good sleeper for RCR. But likely to lose fractions of time on pit lane, and it’s only his second career Cup start. Although that worked out rather well for Trevor Bayne in 2011…
13. Aric Almirola, No. 43 Ford. Like Ambrose, would shift the conversation away from Petty’s mouth to his iconic number. But does he have the aggressiveness to contend if he’s in the frame late? Doubtful.
14. Trevor Bayne, No. 21 Ford. The 2011 ‘500 winner is unlikely to repeat. He hasn’t done much in Cup since, and really could just use a solid top-10 or top-15 finish.
15. AJ Allmendinger, No. 47 Chevrolet. New team, new engines, new motivation for the driver who finished third here in 2009. Another sleeper who could overachieve.
16. Kyle Larson, No. 42 Chevrolet. A superstar-in-waiting, but this won’t be his breakout.
17. David Gilliland, No. 38 Ford. Team and driver are sneaky good on restrictor-plate tracks. He could end up in the top-10 late and you’ll ask yourself “where’d he come from?”
18. Landon Cassill, No. 40 Chevrolet. He got hit by a bike, then made the race. Small team seeks to complete the race first, then go from there.
Newman and Dillon. Photo: Getty Images

19. Ryan Newman, No. 31 Chevrolet. Of RCR’s four cars, my likeliest contender. Knows his way to victory lane in the race, has the equipment, has the motivation.
20. Clint Bowyer, No. 15 Toyota. The definite favorite to win if a big one happens off Turn 4 on the last lap, because he’ll somersault or flip his way to victory.
21. Tony Stewart, No. 14 Chevrolet. Would be a sentimental favorite if he pulls it off. Starts from the rear after an engine change.
22. Jamie McMurray, No. 1 Chevrolet. Backup car set for the 2010 ‘500 winner, who has always run well on restrictor-plate tracks.
23. Cole Whitt, No. 26 Toyota. Making the field was his victory, with no owner points on offer.
24. Terry Labonte, No. 32 Ford. Happy to be in for his final ‘500 start, but will only score a result if he stays out of trouble.
25. Greg Biffle, No. 16 Ford. Has had chance to win this race before, but needs that last little bit of luck and/or movement to actually pull it off.
26. Bobby Labonte, No. 52 Chevrolet. Engine change means he’ll go to the rear. James Finch’s team has punched above its weight in restrictor-plate races, so that bodes well for the 2000 Cup champion.
Stenhouse Jr. and Danica. Photo: Getty Images

27. Danica Patrick, No. 10 Chevrolet. Engine change, and will go to the back. Always a story line, and we’re preparing in advance for the Internet exploding if a last-to-first race happens. Still, restrictor-plate races are her strong suit, and a top-10 is very possible.
28. Casey Mears, No. 13 Chevrolet. Famous name, but little else in the way of luck or past success that portends a big run on Sunday.
29. Alex Bowman, No. 23 Toyota. Literally nothing to lose for the 20-year-old in his Cup debut, in the sport’s biggest race. Bring it home on four wheels, and a possible top-20 beckons.
30. Carl Edwards, No. 99 Ford. Like Roush Fenway teammate Biffle, close but no cigar in terms of Daytona victories. Has had a quiet Speedweeks thus far.
31. Brian Vickers, No. 55 Toyota. A practice crash and bad Duel result have not been what Vickers needed in his return to a full-time Cup ride. Here’s hoping bad luck doesn’t come in threes.
32. Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Chevrolet. The defending race and series champ has had a miserable Speedweeks, and it doesn’t matter. He’ll be coming on through the field.
33. Brad Keselowski, No. 2 Ford. Like JJ in the spot ahead of him, you’d be a fool to bet against hearing from Brad on Sunday. Whether it’s the lead pack or not is still to be determined.
34. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 17 Ford. Danica’s boyfriend needs something else to be remembered for this Speedweeks, other than him crashing into her at the Sprint Unlimited.
35. Joey Logano, No. 22 Ford. Two wrecks thus far this Speedweeks haven’t endeared Logano to the competition. Another case of “here’s to avoiding three.”
36. Michael Annett, No. 7 Chevrolet. He’ll make his Cup debut, and has had thus far an anonymous Speedweeks. Not expecting that to change on Sunday.
37. Kyle Busch, No. 18 Toyota. The lead of the most dangerous late-grid row on the grid. The Truck race winner Friday night hasn’t yet had the marquee win of his 100-plus in his NASCAR career, and is going to factor into win contention.
Harvick and son Keelan. Photo: Getty Images

38. Kevin Harvick, No. 4 Chevrolet. Stewart-Haas debut plus extra motivation after RCR’s hogged the headlines in qualifying equals a hungry, hungry Harvick.
39. Reed Sorenson, No. 36 Chevrolet. He’s back in Cup and he’s with likeable team owner Tommy Baldwin. Otherwise, not much to report here.
40. Justin Allgaier, No. 51 Chevrolet. Like the other rookies, just wants to complete laps and potentially steal a result if he avoids trouble.
41. Parker Kligerman, No. 30 Toyota. Great story, a great interview and due for a bit of luck after his crazy Wednesday and Thursday.
42. Michael Waltrip, No. 66 Toyota. He doesn’t race often, but when he does, he’s the most interesting man to watch in the world of restrictor-plate racing.
43. David Ragan, No. 34 Ford. He won Talladega last year – really! And he almost won the ‘500 a few years ago! You wouldn’t know it by the fact he hasn’t gotten much coverage this month, but another of those “sneaky good spoilers” if his car stays upright.

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LE MANS, France — The V8 engine of the NASCAR Chevrolet Camaro has a distinct growl that cannot go unnoticed even among the most elite sports cars in the world at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

When the Hendrick Motorsports crew fired up the car inside Garage 56, NASCAR chairman Jim France broke into a huge grin and gave a thumbs up.

“The only guy who didn’t cover his ears,” laughed seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson.

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France has been waiting since 1962 – the year his father, NASCAR founder Bill France Sr., brought him to his first 24 Hours of Le Mans – to hear the roar of a stock car at the most prestigious endurance race in the world.

A path finally opened when NASCAR developed its Next Gen car, which debuted last year. France worked out a deal to enter a car in a specialized “Innovative Car” class designed to showcase technology and development. The effort would be part of NASCAR’s 75th celebration and it comes as Le Mans marks its 100th.

Once he had the approval, France persuaded Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet and Goodyear – NASCAR’s winningest team, manufacturer and tire supplier – to build a car capable of running the twice-around-the-clock race.

The race doesn’t start until Saturday, but NASCAR’s arrival has already been wildly embraced and France could not be more thrilled.

“Dad’s vision, to be able to follow it, it took awhile to follow it up, and my goal was to outdo what he accomplished,” France told The Associated Press. “I just hope we don’t fall on our ass.”

Here, There, Gone 😮‍💨🔊🔊🔊 pic.twitter.com/2QFmdZPMXt

— NASCARG56 (@nascarg56) June 8, 2023

The car is in a class of its own and not racing anyone else in the 62-car field. But the lineup of 2010 Le Mans winner Mike Rockenfeller, 2009 Formula One champion Jenson Button and Johnson has been fast enough; Rockenfeller put down a qualifying lap that was faster than every car in the GTE AM class by a full three seconds.

The Hendrick Motorsports crew won its class in the pit stop competition and finished fifth overall as the only team using a manual jack against teams exclusively using air jacks. Rick Hendrick said he could not be prouder of the showing his organization has made even before race day.

“When we said we’re gonna do it, I said, ‘Look, we can’t do this half-assed. I want to be as sharp as anybody out there,” Hendrick told AP. “I don’t want to be any less than any other team here. And just to see the reaction from the crowd, people are so excited about this car. My granddaughter has been sending me all these TikTok things that fans are making about NASCAR being at Le Mans.”

This isn’t NASCAR’s first attempt to run Le Mans. The late France Sr. brokered a deal in 1976, as America celebrated its bicentennial, to bring two cars to compete in the Grand International class and NASCAR selected the teams. Herschel McGriff and his son, Doug, drove a Wedge-powered, Olympia Beer-sponsored Dodge Charger, and Junie Donlavey piloted a Ford Torino shared by Richard Brooks and Dick Hutcherson.

#NASCAR is here. pic.twitter.com/Wu3Wu7B9UG

— Hendrick Motorsports (@TeamHendrick) June 7, 2023

Neither car came close to finishing the race. McGriff, now 95 and inducted into NASCAR’s Hall of Fame in January, is in Le Mans as France’s guest, clad head-to-toe in the noticeable Garage 56 uniforms.

“I threw a lot of hints that I would like to come. And I’ve been treated as royalty,” McGriff said. “This is unbelievable to me. I recognize nothing but I’m anxious to see everything. I’ve been watching and seeing pictures and I can certainly see the fans love their NASCAR.”

The goal is to finish the full race Sunday and, just maybe, beat cars from other classes. Should they pull off the feat, the driver trio wants its own podium celebration.

“I think people will talk about this car for a long, long time,” said Rockenfeller, who along with sports car driver Jordan Taylor did much of the development alongside crew chief Chad Knaus and Greg Ives, a former crew chief who stepped into a projects role at Hendrick this year.

Have you ever seen a NASCAR driver change? The cars have no doors, so they climb through the window. Not as easy as they make it look!@TeamHendrick @nascarg56 #LeMansCentenary #WEC pic.twitter.com/GA3yubN24H

— 24 Hours of Le Mans (@24hoursoflemans) June 7, 2023

“When we started with the Cup car, we felt already there was so much potential,” Rockenfeller said. “And then we tweaked it. And we go faster, and faster, at Le Mans on the SIM. But you never know until you hit the real track, and to be actually faster than the SIM. Everybody in the paddock, all the drivers, they come up and they are, ‘Wow, this is so cool,’ and they were impressed by the pit stops. We’ve overachieved, almost, and now of course the goal is to run for 24 hours.”

The car completed a full 24-hour test at Sebring, Florida, earlier this year, Knaus said, and is capable of finishing the race. Button believes NASCAR will leave a lasting impression no matter what happens.

“If you haven’t seen this car live yet, it’s an absolute beast,” Button said. “When you see and hear it go by, it just puts a massive smile on your face.”

For Hendrick, the effort is the first in his newfound embrace of racing outside NASCAR, the stock car series founded long ago in the American South. Aside from the Le Mans project, he will own the Indy car that Kyle Larson drives for Arrow McLaren in next year’s Indianapolis 500 and it will be sponsored by his automotive company.

“If you’d have told me I’d be racing at Le Mans and Indianapolis within the same year, I’d never have believed you,” Hendrick told AP. “But we’re doing both and we’re going to do it right.”

Le Mans 24 Hour Race - Car Parade — *Fans gather around the NASCAR Next Gen Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 that is the Garage 56 entry for the 100th 24 Hours of Le Mans at the Circuit de la Sarthe (Chris Graythen/Getty Images).*

General Motors is celebrating the achievement with a 2024 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Garage 56 Edition and only 56 will be available to collectors later this year.

“Even though Chevrolet has been racing since its inception in 1911, we’ve never done anything quite like Garage 56,” said GM President Mark Reuss. “A NASCAR stock car running at Le Mans is something fans doubted they would see again.”

The race hasn’t even started yet, but Hendrick has enjoyed it so much that he doesn’t want the project to end.

“It’s like a shame to go through all this and do all this, and then Sunday it’s done,” Hendrick said. “It’s just really special to be here.”