Junior makes official return
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Dale Earnhardt Jr. took another step toward making 2016 a “distant memory.”
NASCAR’s most popular driver made his official return to racing Saturday by taking part in the first Daytona 500 practice of Speedweeks.
Earnhardt, 42, turned nine laps at Daytona International Speedway in a four-hour session and ranked 11th on the speed chart. He averaged 192.670 mph in his fastest lap in the No. 88 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports.
“Just trying to put as many laps as I can behind me and get further and further into this deal to where the events from last year become more of a distant memory and don’t define me as who I am so much anymore,” Earnhardt said. “It will be good to get in the car and get some good wins and good finishes under our belt this season. That is our plan.”
The practice was Earnhardt’s first stint in the car since a test in January at Phoenix. He missed the final 18 races of 2016 because of a concussion, fueling speculation about his future. But he’s back and eager to move past his medical history.
“To be successful, particularly at Daytona, you have to drive with zero fear and put your car in places on instinct without wondering and guessing about the repercussions,” he said. “I have watched a lot of races, replays and stuff, where we have had success and I remember that feeling of being invincible. Not even thinking about the dangers or the risks that you are taking, you are just doing. That is when you are at your best.
“You have to get into that frame of mind for the race, and I hope to kind of still be that driver that I need to be.”
Team Penske’s Joey Logano was fastest in practice, helping Ford land seven of the top 10 spots in the practice session. Logano’s fast lap was 193.116 mph, just ahead of Aric Almirola and teammate Brad Keselowski.
“So far, it’s been a couple good practices for Penske and Ford, and now we’ll see how the races go,” Logano said, referring to the exhibition Clash scheduled for Saturday night.
The Daytona 500 is snext Sunday, with pole qualifying set for today (Spots 1 and 2).
“In all honesty, I’ve never been that fast in qualifying here in Daytona in my whole career,” Logano said. “I feel like I’ve never had a shot at it, but now I feel like I’m closer than ever. I feel like I’m kind of in new territory, plus I think some of these other guys sandbag a lot , so tomorrow will be the telltale sign.”
Kyle Larson in a Chevrolet was third fastest in practice, followed by Ford driver Ryan Blaney, rookie Daniel Suarez in a Toyota, Kasey Kahne, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Trevor Bayne and Clint Bowyer, who is making his debut as the replacement for retired champion Tony Stewart. Defending series champion Jimmie Johnson was 15th.
Clash postponed
The first official event of Speedweeks was postponed by rain. The rain began during driver introductions Saturday night for the exhibition race. The Clash is the first event leading into the Daytona 500. NASCAR will stage the event at 11:30 a.m. today.