Daytona Beach, FL - After some driver feedback from the season-opening Busch Clash, NASCAR made a safety change to the Daytona International Speedway's Road Course on the backstretch to prevent cars from getting into the grass and spraying dirt onto the racing surface and other cars.
Russell Branham, Director, Track Communciations, Southeast Region said in a press release:
NASCAR has tweaked the Daytona International Speedway Road Course’s bus stop chicane before this weekend’s national series tripleheader, following driver feedback from the season-opening Busch Clash.
The sanctioning body added rumble strips to the Turn 9 and Turn 10 chicane on the backstretch to prevent cars from getting into the grass and spraying dirt onto the racing surface and other cars.
The rumble strips will be the same as the front chicane. The one to the driver’s right on entry is approximately 36 feet long, and the other is approximately 30 feet long.
Such as several drivers broached the idea to NASCAR leadership, with Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr., Joey Logano, Kyle Larson and Chase Briscoe among the group contributing specific ideas.
“It looked like a good fix to me in short order,” said Alan Gustafson, crew chief for Chase Elliott. “Should be good. I don’t really have any issues with guys straightening that bus stop. That’s their job. That’s what they’re supposed to do. Just the dirt was a problem.”
Elliott will attempt to win his third straight NASCAR Cup Series road-course race in Sunday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 253 at Daytona (3 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). He will start on the pole with Daytona 500 champion Michael McDowell next to him on the front row.
Elliott won last year’s inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race on the course layout, and he nearly won the Busch Clash event, too. An aggressive move for the win resulted in both Elliott and race leader Ryan Blaney spinning out of contention, allowing Busch to drive by for the win.
A limited number of tickets are still available with kids starting at only $10. Kids 12 and under are FREE on Friday and Saturday in select sections. To be a part of the action, fans can visit www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or call 1-800-PITSHOP.
The O’Reilly Auto Parts 253 is set for Sunday at 3 p.m. ET. The weekend kicks off tomorrow (Friday, Feb. 19) with the BrakeBest Select 159 At DAYTONA presented by O’Reilly Auto Parts for the Camping World Trucks, which is set for 7:30 p.m. Saturday’s SuperStart 188 At DAYTONA presented by O’Reilly Auto Parts for the Xfinity Series gets the green flag at 5 p.m. ET.
All events will be conducted in accordance with enhanced safety protocols and procedures to provide a safe environment for guests, NASCAR competitors, employees and the local community. All guests will be screened before entering the facility and will be required to wear face coverings while maintaining six feet social distancing throughout their visit.
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