Times wires
Friday, February 25, 2011
After win, Bayne still seeking deals
AVONDALE, Ariz. — Trevor Bayne won the Daytona 500 in one of NASCAR's biggest upsets, but that hasn't sent sponsors knocking down his door. At least not yet.
The 20-year-old was able to add an 18th Sprint Cup race with his winnings from Daytona but would like to run a full schedule. He doesn't have a sponsor for his second-tier Nationwide series car, either.
"Maybe these first seven races we can get some momentum and some companies will want to come on board," Bayne said Friday at Phoenix International Raceway. "Our goal would be to run the full season. … We need some people to come on board."
The youngest driver to win the 500, Bayne said he has had a chaotic week, including calls from President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, TV appearances and meeting actor Pamela Anderson.
Back on track at Phoenix, Bayne hit the Turn 3 wall in practice and had to go to a backup car.
Kyle Busch keeps truck ride smooth
A quick pit stop and some key changes made Kyle Busch a winner with a new truck and a new bride.
Fastest out of the pits on the opening stop — and on the track the rest of the night after a few adjustments — Busch led the final 107 of 150 laps in the first race in his new ride to win a wreck-filled trucks race at Phoenix.
"We made some good changes to our Toyota to where it would pick up some speed and we could really hustle through the corners," said Busch, who was married in the offseason. "So these guys did a great job for me."
Busch dominated the Lucas Oil 150 for his 25th win in 87 truck starts — the fastest to reach that mark in any of NASCAR's top three series.
"He always is the guy to beat in this series," runnerup Clint Bowyer said of Busch.
IndyCar challenge unlikely to draw
Former open-wheel driver AJ Allmendinger said he might be open to racing in IndyCar's season finale in Las Vegas for a chance at $5 million. Allmendinger, who switched to NASCAR in 2008, says driving in the Oct. 16 race is unlikely, but the money would be good incentive. IndyCar will give as many as five qualified drivers from outside the series a chance to earn $5 million if they can win the race. Among other former open-wheel stars now in NASCAR, Juan Montoya said it would be logistically impossible because NASCAR races in Charlotte that weekend, albeit on Saturday (the IndyCar race is Sunday). Tony Stewart said he'd love to try, but it's unlikely because it would take three or four races of preparation to have a chance of winning.
Times wires
Super offer extended to fans
The fans frozen out of the Super Bowl on Feb. 6 in Arlington, Texas, got another offer, but this time not from the NFL. Las Vegas Motor Speedway offered tickets to the March 4-6 NASCAR weekend to fans displaced from Super Bowl XLV because their seats weren't ready. LVMS representatives said 34 took advantage of the offer; those fans will be in a random drawing to win airfare plus three nights at the Stratosphere Hotel, Casino and Tower. The NFL has made increasingly valuable offers to those fans in the weeks since the Super Bowl.
Number of the week
0 Winners in the three major NASCAR series races at Daytona who are leading those series in points; Trevor Bayne (Sprint Cup winner), Tony Stewart (Nationwide) and Michael Waltrip (trucks) have all declared to run for different series titles.