Check out the 2015 Budweiser Speedweeks at Daytona schedule

2015 Budweiser Speedweeks schedule

Thursday, Feb. 12
4-6 p.m. ARCA practice

Friday, Feb. 13
9:30-10:30 a.m. ARCA practice
3:30 p.m. ARCA qualifying
5-5:55 p.m. Sprint Unlimited practice
6:30-7:25 p.m. Final Sprint Unlimited practice

Saturday, Feb. 14
10:30 a.m.-12:25 p.m. Sprint Cup practice
1:30-3:25 p.m. Sprint Cup practice
4:15 p.m. ARCA race
8:15 p.m. Sprint Unlimited race

Sunday, Feb. 15
1:30 p.m. Sprint Cup qualifying

Wednesday, Feb. 18
2-2:45 p.m. Sprint Cup practice
3:15-3:55 p.m. Sprint Cup practice

Thursday, Feb. 19
Noon-1:25 p.m. Sprint Cup practice
1:30-2:25 p.m. Truck series practice
3:30-4:55 p.m. Final Truck series practice
7 p.m. Duel 150-mile Sprint Cup qualifying races

Friday, Feb. 20
11 a.m.-12:25 p.m. Sprint Cup practice
12:30-1:55 p.m. Xfinity Series practice
2-3:25 p.m. Sprint Cup practice
3:30-4:25 p.m. Final Xfinity Series practice
4:45 p.m. Truck qualifying
7:30 p.m. Truck series race

Saturday, Feb. 21
10:30-11:55 a.m. Final Sprint Cup practice
12:15 p.m. Xfinity Series qualifying
3:30 p.m. Xfinity Series race

Sunday, Feb. 22
1 p.m. 2015 Daytona 500 



*-All times Eastern
*-Schedule subject to change 

Dover (DE) Police complete investigation of Kurt Busch; AG will decide on charges

Statement from the Dover (Del.) Police Department:

"The Dover Police Department completed the investigation of Kurt Busch a few weeks ago and has since forwarded their findings along with all evidence and statements to the Kent County Attorney General’s Office.  Their office will review the findings of investigation and make a decision whether Mr. Busch will be charged or not."

On Nov. 7, police in Dover, Del., announced they were investigating an allegation of domestic assault involving NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Kurt Busch.

In its statement, the Dover Police Department said it was made aware of the allegation on Nov. 5 but incident allegedly took place over the most recent Dover NASCAR race weekend, which was Sept. 26-28.

The alleged victim is Patricia Driscoll, Busch’s ex-girlfriend and president of the Armed Forces Foundation. She has also sought an order of protection from a Delaware court, a case which is still ongoing.

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2014/11/07/5299133/kurt-busch-under-investigation.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2014/11/07/5299133/kurt-busch-under-investigation.html#storylink=cpy

Daniel Knost will return as Danica Patrick's crew chief this season

   Daniel Knost has lost his 'interim' crew chief title.

   Stewart-Haas Racing officials confirmed on Monday that Knost will serve as Sprint Cup Series driver Danica Patrick's crew chief during the 2015 season.

   Last fall, Patrick's crew chief, Tony Gibson, moved to Kurt Busch's No. 41 team to replace Knost while Knost joined Patrick's No. 10 team. At the time, SHR said Knost's move would be on an interim basis as the organization took some time to determine the best permanent solution. 

   During an appearance at the Go Daddy Bowl on Sunday night in Mobile, Ala., Patrick said Knost was likely just one change on her team. 

   "We worked together a little bit at the end of last season. I think that was a really good thing to do in preparation for 2015," Patrick told AlabamaLive.com. "Everybody at Stewart-Haas has been working very hard to make sure that every team is as good from top to bottom as possible, and we'll probably have some changes for next year within the team, but it's like I said, you never know what you can have until you dare to try something different."

   In three races at the end of the 2014 season working with Knost, Patrick finished 36th, 22nd and 18th.   

RCR loses court fight to prevent Matt McCall from joining Chip Ganassi Racing

   The North Carolina Business Court, a court which hears cases involving complex commercial and corporate law disputes, has denied an attempt by Richard Childress Racing to obtain a temporary restraining order to prevent former employee Matt McCall from joining Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates.

   McCall, who was a team engineer on Sprint Cup driver Ryan Newman's team this past season, is slated to become crew chief for driver Jamie McMurray beginning with the 2015 season.

   In its order issued on Dec. 19, the court ruled, "the Court finds that Plaintiff (RCR) has not
presented sufficient evidence to show that it is likely that it will succeed on the merits of its claims, that Plaintiff will suffer irreparable harm if a temporary restraining order is not entered, or that the issuance of a temporary restraining order is necessary to protect Plaintiff’s rights during the pendency of the litigation."

   In the case, RCR claimed that even though McCall was employed as a team engineer, he “routinely performed the tasks of the crew chief.” When no crew chief position was available in the Cup series with the organization, McCall notified RCR he was resigning at the conclusion of the 2014 season. Days later, McCall accepted the crew chief position with Ganassi.

   RCR claimed McCall’s contract included a clause that he could not work for a competitor in a similar capacity for 12 months and sought a temporary restraining order preventing him from working immediately at Ganassi.

   You can read the court's full opinion here.

Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Cam Newton and others star in new Gatorade commercial

   In 2015, Gatorade is celebrating its 50^th anniversary and kicked off the celebration on Christmas Day with the debut of its new “50” television commercial. 

   The ad celebrates five decades of fueling champions through a montage of 50 iconic sports moments ingrained in the brand and includes athletes like Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth and Cam Newton among many others. Each moment corresponds with a number relevant to Gatorade.

   HINT: Jimmie Johnson is No. 48.

   To watch the "50" commercial go here. You can also find the back story on each of the 50 moments selected.

   

Dr. Jerry Punch to remain with ESPN, covering college basketball and football

   Dr. Jerry Punch, a longtime staple of ESPN's NASCAR coverage, will remain with the network and return to his former role covering college football and basketball. Punch will also serve as a pit reporter on ABC's telecasts of the Indianapolis 500 and other IndyCar Series races.

   “ESPN has been my home for a long time and I’m grateful for the opportunities presented to me to remain part of the team,” said Punch. “I love the passion of college sports and look forward to helping bring those stories to our viewers and to reconnecting with the college coaches and staffs I’ve enjoyed relationships with over the years.”

   Punch has worked with ESPN since 1984 and was a pit reporter and play-by-play announcer on ESPN's NASCAR coverage over the years. ESPN recently completed its final season of live NASCAR race coverage.

   Punch's first game will be Jan. 15 as he calls the Ohio Valley Conference match-up between Murray State and Belmont (Tenn.) on ESPNU.

    In his on-air work, the native of Newton, N.C., has sometimes called on knowledge from his first career as an emergency room physician to explain injuries. He spent 14 years as the director of emergency room services at a Florida hospital and served two terms as chief of staff there. He remains active in the medical profession today.

   After working as a track announcer at Hickory (N.C.) Speedway, Punch made his broadcasting debut on radio for Motor Racing Network at the 1980 Daytona 500. He branched into television in 1982. He is ESPN’s sixth longest-tenured announcer, following Bob Ley, Cliff Drysdale, Chris Berman, Dick Vitale and Mike Patrick. 

'Sprint Experience' pulled from all NASCAR tracks beginning in 2015

   Sprint, which announced earlier this week it would discontinue sponsorship of the Sprint Cup Series at the end of its current contract, will no longer host its 15,000-square-foot Sprint Experience interactive display area at NASCAR tracks, multiple sources confirmed to The Charlotte Observer and ThatsRacin.com.

   The Sprint Experience is a 14,400-square-foot interactive display that brings fans closer to the sport by offering custom interactive games, driver and celebrity appearances, participation in stage games, and the latest handsets and technologies available from Sprint. 

Read more here: http://thatsracinluckydog.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2014-07-01T00:00:00-07:00&updated-max=2014-08-01T00:00:00-07:00&max-results=21#storylink=cpy

   Hospitality industry workers and others associated with transporting and operating the mobile display were informed this week they would not be used next season, sources said.

   Fans took to social media in July to complain when Sprint first failed to bring the display at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Until that race, the Experience had appeared at every race track on the schedule for several seasons.

   At the time, the company said it was "focusing on markets most important to Sprint corporate priorities."

   When asked Thursday for comment on its decision to discontinue the Sprint Experience, spokesperson Kimberly Meesters provided the following statement to The Observer:

   "We will continue to use the NASCAR Sprint Cup sponsorship platform in 2015 and 2016 to drive our business. Every season we evaluate our specific NASCAR programs and adjust as needed. We are finalizing the details of our 2015 plan now and will be ready to kick off the season Feb. 14 for the Sprint Unlimited at Daytona."     

   When asked about Sprint's decision, a NASCAR spokesman declined to comment and deferred to the sanctioning body's statement released Tuesday when Sprint announced it was discontinuing its sponsorship after the 2016 season.