NASCAR Holds 2012 Preseason Test At Daytona International Speedway

Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne wants to be more like Tim Tebow.

Bayne, who already is outspoken about his own religious beliefs, said Friday he admires the Denver Broncos quarterback's faith.

"It's definitely somebody I look up to and I'd like to wear my faith on my sleeve a little bit more like he does," Bayne said during preseason testing at Daytona International Speedway.

In the whirlwind year since Bayne won the Daytona 500, he met Tebow at the ESPY Awards and they've also spoken by phone and exchanged text messages. The two first spoke when Bayne was waiting to make an appearance on the Ellen show after his 500 victory.

"Somebody got him on the phone and we were talking, and he gave me a lot of great advice because he's been through things that I had not yet got to, and now his experience and his advice really helped out," Bayne said.

Bayne, a Pittsburgh Steelers fan, was torn when his favorite team faced Tebow last week. But Bayne isn't conflicted about where he stands on Tebow's character.

"He is everything that says he is, and I think that's what's so awesome because we see so much in our world that's just people talking up a big game," Bayne said. "They talk all this stuff, but they're not really what they say they are. And I think he really is."

Bayne is active in the Christian community and recently attended a conference for young Christians that was attended by 40,000 people.

The event reminded Bayne "that it's not about me, it never has been," he said.

"It's not about what I do here, but it's about what happens for the kingdom," he said. "I think this year I'm a lot more fired up about storing my treasures in heaven instead of here."

There have been some major changes at Earnhardt Ganassi Racing in the offseason, and Jamie McMurray can only hope the result is a season that looks more like 2010 than 2011 for his No. 1 team.

After a thrilling 2010 campaign, in which McMurray won the Daytona 500, the Brickyard 400 and the fall Charlotte race, his team was mostly uncompetitive in 2011. He finished 27th in points and had a career-low four top-10 finishes the entire season.

Team owner Chip Ganassi took action by dismissing competition director Steve Hmiel and team manager Tony Glover and bringing in former Red Bull technical director John Probst.

"The frustrating part is that we won races with the guys that were there before – won some really big races," McMurray said. "But I think the morale in the shop got way down, and everyone you know, you start criticizing everybody, and Chip needed to make a change to get everybody pumped back up."

When McMurray arrived at the team from Roush Fenway Racing, he remembers walking through the shop and seeing many of the employees take a personal stake in the organization's success.

"A guy (would be) grabbing a gas pedal and saying, 'Look, I built this gas pedal, and it's eight grams lighter than we what we had last year,'" McMurray recalled. "Every single person had that mindset in there of being proud of what they had built.

"We lost a little bit of that last year, because we were changing our car so much, it was something different every week."

McMurray said EGR has made its cars "much more adjustable" in the offseason and added the team will be "trying a lot of stuff" at the start of the season.

"I don't think you're going to see just immediate results because it's going to take a little time, and our speedway cars don't seem to be just where they need to be yet," he said. "But from my perspective looking at it, it seems much more organized and everyone seems to be behind us."

Last day of testing at the NASCAR preseason at Daytona International Speedway will feature more chilly temperatures and brisk winds. Skies will be partly to mostly sunny, but for Florida it will be down right chilly

The day starts off in the 40s and only rise into the upper 50s. Then you combine that with gusty winds to near 20-25 mph and it will feel like it is in the 40s or low 50s. At least it will be dry and the cooler temperatures will keep race speeds up.

Conditions in Daytona Beach, FL: Click here for Current Weather Conditions – Look at Doppler Radar | Mobile Friendly Site | Mobile Radar

SATURDAY:
9:00 a.m to 12 p.m ET
Practice Drafting – Mostly sunny – temp: 43-53
1:00 p.m to 5 p.m ET
Practice Drafting – Mostly sunny – temp: 55-60

Please follow me on Twitter @NASCAR_WXMAN for the latest race weather updates and information. Also visit my main weather page.

During the lunch break of Friday's preseason test session at Daytona International Speedway, NASCAR called all of the Sprint Cup Series drivers together for a meeting.

The message: We strongly suggest you guys draft in a pack when practice resumes.

Prior to that point, drivers had only gone on single-car runs or attempted the two-car drafts – a plague which NASCAR is trying to eradicate.

Some of the drivers, such as five-time NASCAR champ Jimmie Johnson, weren't too thrilled about NASCAR's instructions to draft in a pack. Johnson said he "didn't want to take any chances with this car" and said his No. 48 ride was "way too fast" to risk crashing it.

But as it turned out, most of the drivers complied with NASCAR's request. After all, this is a test – and officials need to learn whether the adjustments they're making to the cars is working.

"If their reason for asking us to participate is to determine where everything really is at with the package they have brought here...I think we all have to be in," said Jeff Gordon, Johnson's teammate at Hendrick Motorsports. "... They asked a favor our of us, and I think we were happy to do it."

All of the cars escaped the 20-minute spurt of old-school pack racing unscathed except for Jeff Burton, who brushed the wall. Gordon said it was wilder than he expected.

"I think they left a few things out of the instructions on the drafting," Gordon said with a chuckle. "Once we got out there, I thought we were like five (laps) to go in the Daytona 500."

Kurt Busch topped the session with a top average lap speed of 206.058 mph – far above the traditional 200 mph mark NASCAR typically prefers.

But both drivers and NASCAR officials said they were comfortable with the higher speeds, and NASCAR expects the Daytona 500 will see speeds above 200 mph.

To satisfy nervous engine tuners, though, NASCAR is reducing the size of the restrictor plate for Saturday's final test day.

On Kurt Busch's first day at Phoenix Racing, the conversation in the shop began winding down as quitting time approached. It was 3:45 in the afternoon and Busch, team owner James Finch and some of the team's 18 employees had just about run out of business to discuss.

So Busch, taking note of the laid-back atmosphere at his new organization – the opposite of Penske Racing – offered a suggestion.

"I said, 'Where's your beer cooler around here?'" Busch recalled Friday at Daytona International Speedway. "We went and started chit-chatting for the rest of the day about fun stories. That's what this is going to be about for me in 2012."

Fun. Get used to hearing that three-letter word come out of Busch's mouth this season instead of the four-letter words that got him in so much hot water last year.

Despite getting paid waaaay less money than at Penske and now driving for a team that would consider 15th place to be a great day, Busch insists he's extremely happy with his new surroundings.

It sounds like he means it, too.

"The pressure is not there," he said. "... It's not going to take winning to make me happy. Right now, it's just going to the track and having fun."

After his mutual split from Penske, Busch said his original plan was to drive a handful of races for a bunch of different teams. Four races here, five races there. Sprint Cup here, Nationwide there.

He met with Michael Waltrip Racing, dined with Richard Childress at the team owner's winery and had serious talks with Richard Petty Motorsports.

But after he and RPM couldn't work out a deal, Busch ended up at Phoenix Racing – the single-car organization with Hendrick Motorsports equipment.

The shop is 90 minutes from Busch's house – and he makes the drive often – yet he considers the commute to be "therapeutic." The tech-challenged driver figured out how to hook up his Bluetooth and makes calls while driving his pickup truck down I-85.

At the shop, Busch has helped the team prepare the car and noted Phoenix Racing has about one of every part and piece instead of dozens.

Other differences? The pull-down rig at Phoenix is an $80,000 machine, Busch said; at a big team, the machine might cost $250,000 and take 10 people to operate.

During this rebuilding year, Busch realizes he must change his ways – particularly after the races when frustrations peak – and is honest about his shortcomings.

"Well, if I'm going to sit there and tell stories to my grandchildren, this is not what I wanted to tell them," he said. "So in looking at the big picture, I've got to understand what it takes to be a competitive driver and to harness that fire in my belly the right way and to put it together in a 2004-style effort.

"When things are going smooth, this is a tough freight train to stop. When things are going rough, that's what I have to polish up on and knock the rough edges off."

From the sounds of it, he's off to a good start.

Kasey Kahne wants to clear up a misconception some fans might have: He didn't force Hendrick Motorsports to hire his longtime crew chief Kenny Francis.

Rather, he said, Hendrick wanted Francis to stay with Kahne after the driver suggested it.

Kahne and Francis have remained together from their time at Evernham/Gillett/Richard Petty Motorsports to Red Bull Racing to now at Hendrick, where they start anew in 2012.

But while Kahne is happy he and Francis have been able to stay a pair, it wasn't a package deal or something he required of Hendrick.

"I had a question earlier today: 'Was this something you demanded of Kenny Francis be your crew chief?' It really wasn't," Kahne said. "When I was talking to Mr. Hendrick – when we were getting the deal done – I told him, 'Man, Kenny is really good. He should be part of this place. It would be great if he was my crew chief.'

"And they're like, 'Yeah, we're going to look at it. We're going to figure it out.' And from there it was all them wanting Kenny Francis."

Kahne praised the organization for welcoming Francis so quickly and helping him fit in with the other crew chiefs.

"I think together, we should all be able to grow more than where we've been in the past, for sure," Kahne said.

Clint Bowyer told a funny story on Thursday night about his first-ever win, and I wanted to share it with you. At a fan forum after the first day of NASCAR preseason testing at Daytona International Speedway, Bowyer was asked to tell fans about the time he won his first race.

Bowyer said he was leading a Street Stock race in Junction City, Kan. and was closing in on a victory when something unfortunate happened.

I'll let him tell the rest:

"It was the first race ever where I had control of the race and it was mine. A caution came out with five to go, and this guy who was the track champion came up and ran into me. I hadn't even been racing this guy! And he came up and drilled me in the left rear and knocked my left rear tire down.

"It was probably the craftiest thing I've ever seen, because I'm done. I mean, I've got a flat tire. Well, the track owner was there and he let me come in and put a new tire on, and he let me get my position back in the lead, and I went on to win the race.

"Well, there was a hell of a fight (afterward). The fans were fighting, the pits were fighting – and here I was, smiling like crazy with the trophy. So that was my first win. I'll never forget it."

Colder air will arrive the last two days of the NASCAR preseason at Daytona International Speedway. The sun will continue to shine all through the end of the week. Temperatures will be cold – at least by Florida standards – as highs will be in the upper 50s to near 60 both today and Saturday.

Conditions in Daytona Beach, FL: Click here for Current Weather Conditions – Look at Doppler Radar | Mobile Friendly Site | Mobile Radar

FRIDAY:
9:00 a.m to 12 p.m ET
Practice Drafting – Mostly sunny – temp: 48-54
1:00 p.m to 5 p.m ET
Practice Drafting – Mostly sunny – temp: 54-58

SATURDAY:
9:00 a.m to 12 p.m ET
Practice Drafting – Mostly sunny – temp: 50-55
1:00 p.m to 5 p.m ET
Practice Drafting – Mostly sunny – temp: 55-60

Please follow me on Twitter @NASCAR_WXMAN for the latest race weather updates and information. Also visit my main weather page.

Tyrann Mathieu, the fierce football player for LSU, gained notoriety this season as the "honey badger."

The honey badger – as you may have learned in the famous YouTube video (below) about the animal – takes what it wants. And it don't care.

On Thursday at Daytona International Speedway, new Sprint Cup Series driver Danica Patrick announced she wants to be NASCAR's version of the honey badger.

"The honey badger doesn't give a crap; he takes what he wants," Patrick said. "That's how I'm going to be this year – like a honey badger."

Patrick acknowledged her honey badger moniker would be "a little diluted" since that's kind of already Mathieu's thing. But she's so pumped about the concept that she even has a honey badger photo as the background of her cell phone.

"It's a mindset," she said. "It takes what it wants."

Actually, it sounds like Patrick loves the YouTube video as much as the honey badger's attitude itself.

"The video is great!" she said. "He eats a poisonous snake and he falls asleep and wakes right back up. The video is funny, so I encourage you all to watch that."

Haven't seen it yet? We'll save you the trouble. Here it is:

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series cars took to the Daytona International Speedway track on Thursday for a preseason test – and Chad Knaus wasn't there.

In fact, he wasn't even in the country.

The five-time champion crew chief for driver Jimmie Johnson decided to take a vacation to Africa and miss the three-day Daytona 500 preparation, leaving car chief Ron Malec and engineer Greg Ives to run the test in his absence.

"Chad's basically on vacation, I guess," said Steve Letarte, Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s crew chief. "We all take vacations. I took one in December; he's taking one now. It's a long year, and it's hard to fit one in."

Letarte, who is paired with Knaus in Hendrick Motorsports' No. 48/88 shop, said he's "taking a few more trips down to the 48" to check on the team but isn't concerned about his fellow crew chief's absence.

"(Malec and Ives) are more than capable of running this test," Letarte said.

Johnson told the Associated Press this is Knaus' first real vacation in nearly a decade.

"Chad had such a great opportunity to go on a great vacation and really do something for himself," Johnson told the AP. "When he asked me what my opinion was, I was like `Buddy, if upper management clears it, I think you have to do it.' I took that vacation and it was good for me. He needs that. So I am real happy he is taking the time."

Said Letarte: "It's important to unplug. I think it's good for everybody to recharge their batteries. ... There's really nothing to read into it."

Matt Kenseth had no idea attending a '70s-themed New Year's Eve party on Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s property would be so expensive.

Kenseth grew mutton chop sideburns and a fu manchu mustache as part of his outfit for the '70s bash, and it was greeted with much enthusiasm by host Earnhardt Jr. (who was dressed as Evel Knievel).

Earnhardt Jr. thought Kenseth's facial hair was far out and immediately began a campaign for Kenseth to keep it. He ultimately bet $2,500 that the Roush Fenway Racing driver couldn't keep his beard through this week's NASCAR test at Daytona International Speedway.

"He kept upping the money and upping the money until finally I said, 'OK,'" Kenseth said.

Kenseth double-checked his calendar to see if he had any preseason photo shoots lined up and thought he was in the clear. But he wasn't.

Roush Fenway's public relations department called him after the bet to tell him there was a photo shoot and interview on his calendar – which required him to shave.

"I guess I lost," Kenseth said.

But here's the kicker: Kenseth hasn't paid up yet, and Earnhardt Jr. told the NASCAR media he wants the money.

"Y'all can remind him that he owes me $2,500," a smiling Earnhardt Jr. said. "... We actually sent a few texts back and forth to confirm the bet – and he shaved his beard. You guys can remind him I told him to go to the bank, but maybe he forgot. I want my $2,500."

Kenseth responded by telling reporters, "I'll try to scrounge it up somewhere, I guess," but lamented the party host's sober-ish state.

"Back when he was younger, he would have had enough beers in him that he wouldn't have remembered that," Kenseth said.

(Photo via @matt_kenseth17 Twitter account)

By now, you've likely heard NASCAR is currently conducting a preseason test at Daytona International Speedway. But not everyone may understand the importance of the test, so let's take a moment to explain.

This three-day test for the Sprint Cup Series is absolutely crucial to help NASCAR break up the two-car drafts at restrictor-plate tracks and restore pack racing to the Daytona 500.

"The fans have spoken: 'We don't like tandems!'" team owner Michael Waltrip said in a booming voice. "Well, I don't like it either. (Tandem racing) is harder than normal. ... So let's get 'em unhooked. But here's the challenge: They're so much faster."

One car pushing another car has proven to be far faster than racing in a big pack (which was the traditional Daytona racing style until last season). So as long as drivers can hook up into a two-car draft, they'll do it.

But NASCAR, realizing fans preferred the packs over the pairs, began to take steps to break up the tandem racing. That's what this test is all about.

Can NASCAR take steps to break up the pairings with mechanical adjustments? If so, how? Officials have a couple ideas they're trying at Daytona.

• Smaller radiator. When one car is pushing another, there's very little air flowing to cool the water in the radiator – and thus the car could overheat if it pushes for too long. And if the car overheats, it will lose water and eventually cause the engine to blow up.

NASCAR has mandated smaller radiators and overflow tanks, and also moved the location of the radiator inlet – where the air goes to cool the water – closer to the center of the front bumper (previously, it was easy for the pushing car to duck out of line and get air to the radiator).

• Smaller rear spoiler, larger restrictor plate. If NASCAR can make the drivers less comfortable and increase the speeds to where the cars don't handle as well while pushing, it might help in breaking up the two-car drafts. Daytona International Speedway was repaved before last year's Daytona 500, and the smooth surface feels like driving down a new highway – no bumps, tons of grip. It's almost too easy for the drivers to push each other around the track.

So now for the big question: Will the changes work? No one knows yet, but we'll find out starting this afternoon when the cars start drafting practice.

Waltrip said he's heard cars at the proving grounds tested the rules package and still were able to push for multiple laps. So unless NASCAR tightens the rules even more, drivers may still end up in pairs during the race.

But driver Joey Logano said he didn't believe cars could push long enough during the race to make tandem drafting worthwhile under the new rules and added, "It's going to to be close if we can do it for a lap."

If that's the case, fans might see a pack race for most of the Daytona 500, a scramble for position in the final 10 laps and then pairs racing at the white flag.

Both Waltrip and Logano agreed that no matter what NASCAR does, the finish of the Daytona 500 will still be determined by a two-car draft.

After all, they said, who cares if a driver blows his motor coming to the finish line? The race would be over. And Waltrip said he believes NASCAR is OK with the cars pushing for a lap because it would set up a great finish.

But the semi-retired driver also said fans and media need to figure out what they really want at Daytona.

"What you guys want (pack racing), you had it once – and you didn't like it," Waltrip said. "So what the hell are you writing now? I mean, it's true. We've had the long lines of cars, we've had the big packs (and people said), 'We've got to break up these big packs!'

"Now we have the tandems and it's like, 'That's stupid, we've got to get rid of that!' I get it, but eventually, you're going to have tried and experienced every form of it, and you're going to have to settle on one."

There's lots of sunshine to start the NASCAR preseason at Daytona International Speedway. The sun will continue to shine all through the end of the week. It will turn colder by Friday and Saturday, so speeds might be up for the morning sessions on those days.

Conditions in Daytona Beach, FL: Click here for Current Weather Conditions – Look at Doppler Radar | Mobile Friendly Site | Mobile Radar

THURSDAY:
9:00 a.m to 12 p.m ET
Practice – Mostly sunny – temp: 65-70
1:00 p.m to 5 p.m ET
Practice Drafting – Mostly sunny – temp: mid 70s

FRIDAY:
9:00 a.m to 12 p.m ET
Practice Drafting – Mostly sunny – temp: 45-50
1:00 p.m to 5 p.m ET
Practice Drafting – Mostly sunny – temp: 53-58

SATURDAY:
9:00 a.m to 12 p.m ET
Practice Drafting – Mostly sunny – temp: 50-55
1:00 p.m to 5 p.m ET
Practice Drafting – Mostly sunny – temp: 55-60

Please follow me on Twitter @NASCAR_WXMAN for the latest race weather updates and information. Also visit my main weather page.

When Greg Zipadelli left Joe Gibbs Racing to become Stewart-Haas Racing's competition director, he speculated the departure would be a blessing in disguise for driver Joey Logano.

After all, Zipadelli's move meant there was one less attachment to Tony Stewart's NASCAR championship tenure in JGR's No. 20 car – and that might just allow Logano to "blossom," Zipadelli said.

"There was an amazing amount of weight on him to try and fill those shoes, and those are shoes that just don't get filled," Zipadelli said at the time. "As long as I was there and my group was there, there was still something about that. ... He's got a great opportunity to prove himself with a completely different level of expectations."

On Wednesday, I asked Logano if he thought Zipadelli's assertion was accurate. Did Logano feel more comfortable with new crew chief Jason Ratcliff?

"I definitely feel like it's my team now," Logano said. "With Jason there, I can voice my opinion and I think we're all really working together very well. We value each other's opinion a lot. What we've done and the accomplishments each other has, we respect that a lot.

"I think it's going to be a very positive change for us – and I think it's going to be a positive change for Zip, too. You know, every once in awhile you've got to kind of hit the reset button and go at it again."

This is a crucial season for Logano to prove he can win and contend at the Sprint Cup level. The 21-year-old finished 24th in the point standings last year after placing 16th in 2010. He must show some improvement in what will be his fourth full-time NASCAR season.

When it comes to NASCAR, everything is new for Clint Bowyer in 2012.

Bowyer has a new team (Michael Waltrip Racing), a new manufacturer (Toyota), a new car number (15) and a new crew chief (Brian Pattie) – among other changes.

So the former Richard Childress Racing driver knows it's possible there could be an adjustment period at the start of the Sprint Cup Series season while he gets up to speed with MWR.

But while he's prepared for the chance a slow start could happen, he refuses to believe it's a given.

"I think you account for (a transition period), but you never expect it," Bowyer said Wednesday at Daytona International Speedway. "The minute you expect it, you've let your guard down and you've built in an excuse. I hate excuses. If you have excuses, you're just weak."

To hear Bowyer tell it, the 32-year-old wants to skip the driver/crew chief pleasantries that come with a new relationship and move straight into the honest communication.

"The romance has got to be over," he said. "It's gotta be into the marriage. The first date has got to get behind you pretty quick and you've got to get down to (figuring out) if you can live with each other or not."

Bowyer is optimistic on the other side of the honeymoon phase is a relationship that will be both healthy and long-term.

"I love Pattie, he's so much fun," Bowyer said. "He's just like me – very outgoing, very outspoken. So far, so good. If we can get the performance side of it down, I'm telling you, we're going to have a lot of fun with this team."

Bowyer said much of his new pit crew was hired from Red Bull Racing after that organization folded – the Red Bull guys just won the Phoenix race in November – and said MWR was able to cherry-pick the best available talent from race teams that didn't survive the winter.

He's also heartened by a reunion with former RCR competition director Scott Miller ("He's my common ground," Bowyer said) and MWR's hiring of Mark Martin to driver for the team part-time.

Bowyer laughed when he recalled the night MWR co-owner Rob Kauffman called him with a question.

"Rob asked me, 'What do you think about adding Mark Martin to the team?'" Bowyer said, chuckling. "I'm like, 'Are you kidding me? That'd be awesome!'"