Category: Post-Race Reports

Event: 61st Daytona 500 (Round 1 of 36)
Series: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (2.5-mile oval)
Format: 200 laps, broken into three stages (60 laps/60 laps/80 laps)
Start/Finish: 8th/32nd (Accident, completed 190 of 207 laps)
Point Standing: 21st (21 points, 31 out of first)
Note: Race extended seven laps past its scheduled 200-lap distance due to a green-white-checkered finish.

Race Winner: Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) in overtime
Stage 1 Winner: Kyle Busch of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner: Ryan Blaney of Team Penske (Ford)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-60):
● Aric Almirola started eighth, finished 14th.
● The No. 10 Smithfield Ford driver pitted on lap 16 for fuel only and ran with teammates Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer before the first caution was called on lap 20.
● Almirola restarted in third place, continuing to run near teammates. He pitted for four tires and fuel during a lap-49 caution.
● On the restart, Almirola was forced to the bottom groove without help and fell to 20th place. He raced the Smithfield Ford back to 14th before the stage concluded.
● He noted tight handling conditions but opted to stay out of the pits when Stage 1 ended.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 61-120):

● Started sixth and finished third to collect eight bonus points.
● Almirola drove to fifth place and held the No. 10 Ford Mustang inside the top-five before pitting for fuel on lap 74.
● He darted to third place and led the high line when racing continued.
● Almirola raced in and around third place before finishing third when he crossed the finish line for Stage 2.
● At the end of the stage, crew chief Johnny Klausmeier made the call to stay out of the pits.

Stage 3 Recap (Laps 121-200):

● Started second and finished 32nd.
● Almirola took the lead on the initial restart and raced the No. 24 for the lead until falling back to fifth place on lap 139.
● He continued to race in and around the top-10 before the caution was thrown for an accident at the pit entrance on lap 159.
● Almirola pitted under the caution period for four tires and fuel. He came off pit road in 11th place.
● On lap 190, he raced the No. 10 Smithfield Ford in and around the top-10 until being collected in a multicar accident that ended his day.

Notes:

● Almirola finished third in Stage 2 to earn eight bonus points.
● Denny Hamlin won the Daytona 500 to score his 32nd career Cup Series victory and his second in the Daytona 500. His margin of victory over second-place Kyle Busch was .138 of a second.
● There were 12 caution periods for a total of 47laps.
● Only 14 of the 40 drivers in the Daytona finished on the lead lap.

Aric Almirola, driver of the No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

“Last year, taking the white flag with the lead with emotions high and feeling like you have a great shot to win was worse. Tonight we were about 10th or 12th and with 10 laps to go, a lot can play out and a lot can happen. It didn’t feel like we were as close right there. It’s still disappointing. You never want to come down here and wreck out of the Daytona 500. You want a shot in the final closing laps. Unfortunately, we weren’t in the right position tonight. The racing was actually pretty calm. We saw a lot of teamwork, a lot of people working together. The Gibbs cars were doing a good job together, and all the Fords were doing a good job. Our Mustangs were fast, but we just couldn’t get it going. We didn’t have quite what we had at Talladega, but, all in all, our cars were fast.”

Next Up: 

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Folds of Honor 500 on Sunday, Feb. 24 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The race starts at 2 p.m. EST with live coverage provided by FOX beginning with its prerace show at 1:30 p.m.

Event: 61st Daytona 500 (Round 1 of 36)
Series: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (2.5-mile oval)
Format: 200 laps, broken into three stages (60 laps/60 laps/80 laps)
Start/Finish: 3rd/26th (Accident, completed 194 of 207 laps)
Point Standing: 14th (27 points, 25 out of first)
Note: Race extended seven laps past its scheduled 200-lap distance due to a green-white-checkered finish.

Race Winner: Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) in overtime
Stage 1 Winner: Kyle Busch of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner: Ryan Blaney of Team Penske (Ford)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-60):

● Started third, finished ninth, and collected two bonus points.
● On lap 15, Kevin Harvick brought the No. 4 Busch Beer Car2Can Ford Mustang to pit road for fuel only.
● After a caution, Harvick was the leader on the restart.
● Under caution on lap 51, Harvick pitted for four tires and fuel.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 61-120):

● Started fourth, finished seventh and collected four bonus points.
● On lap 73, Harvick pitted for fuel only.
● At the halfway point, Harvick was eighth.

Stage 3 Recap (Laps 121-200):

● Started fourth and finished 26th.
● With 50 laps to go, Harvick was fifth.
● On lap 163, Harvick pits for two tires and fuel.
● Harvick was in the top-five, but he was caught up in a multicar accident on lap 194 and was unable to finish the race.

Notes:

● Harvick finished ninth in Stage 1 to earn two bonus points and seventh in Stage 2 to earn an additional four bonus points.
● Denny Hamlin won the Daytona 500 to score his 32nd career Cup Series victory and his second at Daytona. His margin of victory over second-place Kyle Busch was .138 of a second.
● There were 12 caution periods for a total of 47 laps.
● Only 14 of the 40 drivers in the Daytona finished on the lead lap.

Next Up:

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Folds of Honor 500 on Sunday, Feb. 24 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The race starts at 2 p.m. EST with live coverage provided by FOX beginning with its prerace show at 1:30 p.m.

Race Name: NASCAR Racing Experience 300 (Race 1 of 33)
Venue: Daytona International Speedway
Series: NASCAR Xfinity Series
Date: February 16, 2019
Results: Chase Briscoe: 12^th | Cole Custer: 14th
Point Standings:
– Chase Briscoe: 14th; trails points leader by 24 points
– Cole Custer: 15th; trails points leader by 28 points

Chase Briscoe / Nutri Chomps Ford Mustang Recap:

– Briscoe qualified 10th and finished Stage 1 in 15th.
– Stages 1 and 2 ran caution-free.
– The Nutri Chomps Ford Mustang finished 12th in Stage 2.
– Briscoe and the No. 98 team started eighth in the final stage after a two-tire stop at the conclusion of Stage 2.
– The No. 98 Ford raced up to the fifth position a caution on lap 80, but dropped out of the top 10 after being shuffled back on the restart.
– The driver of the No. 98 Nutri Chomps Ford tried several times to make a move toward the end of the race, ultimately ending the race in 12th by the checkered flag.

Race Winner: Michael Annett of JR Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Next Up: Rinnai 250 at 2 p.m. Saturday, February 23 from Atlanta (Ga.) televised by Fox Sports 1.

 Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 98 Nutri Chomps Ford Mustang:           

                                        
“It’s always good to start the year off without tearing stuff up. Normally we leave Daytona with a lot of tore up stuff, but finishing with a clean Nutri Chomps Ford Mustang and a top-12 finish just builds momentum and makes it easier on the guys so they don’t have to rebuild a whole bunch of stuff for Talladega. I thought that we had a better car than 12^th, but it was just so easy to get shuffled around. Overall it’s good to put it back in the truck clean, but now it’s on to Atlanta where it’ll be more of how we’ll race all year long and we’ll see what we can do.”

Race Name: NASCAR Racing Experience 300 (Race 1 of 33)
Venue: Daytona International Speedway
Series: NASCAR Xfinity Series
Date: February 16, 2019
Results: Chase Briscoe: 12^th | Cole Custer: 14th
Point Standings:
– Chase Briscoe: 14th; trails points leader by 24 points
– Cole Custer: 15th; trails points leader by 28 points

Cole Custer / Jacob Companies Ford Mustang Recap:

– Custer started 38^th and was forced to change an engine after a mechanical issue suffered during qualifying.
– The No. 00 team raced up to the 14th position as stages 1 and 2 ran caution free.
– The Jacob Companies Ford Mustang started 12th in the final stage.
– Following a fuel only pit stop under caution on lap 71, Custer restarted in the top 10.
– Custer made up ground using the top side and raced up to the eighth position with 33 laps to go.
– Custer tried to race forward at the end, but ultimately lost a few positions in the process and crossed the finish line in the 14th position.

Race Winner: Michael Annett of JR Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Next Up: Rinnai 250 at 2 p.m. Saturday, February 23 from Atlanta (Ga.) televised by Fox Sports 1.

Cole Custer, driver of the No. 00 Jacob Companies Ford Mustang:

“We just couldn’t really get a run going. We couldn’t lead very well, so we were kind of a pusher. We kept trying to protect on the top where everybody else was, but we couldn’t really get anyone to work with us. I thought the race was going to play out different, but we came home with a clean Jacob Companies Ford Mustang and we’ll head to Atlanta where our season really starts.”

How did you think the race was going to play out?

“I thought at least by the end it was going to be a little more racey. I thought it’d be a little more two and three wide and be able to pass, but for some reason everyone just wanted to run the top.”

Event: Gander Outdoors Duels
Series: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (2.5-mile oval)
Format: Twin 150-mile qualifying races that set the field for the Daytona 500
Start/Finish: 8th/1st (Running, completed 60 of 60 laps in Duel No. 1)
Duel No. 1 Winner: Kevin Harvick of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)
Duel No. 2 Winner: Joey Logano of Team Penske (Ford)

SHR Finish:        

● Kevin Harvick (Started 8th, Finished 1st/ Running, completed 60 of 60 laps in Duel No. 1)
● Daniel Suárez (Started 11th, Finished 11th / Running, completed 60 of 60 laps in Duel No. 1)
● Clint Bowyer (Started 4th, Finished 2nd / Running, completed 60 of 60 laps in Duel No. 2)
● Aric Almirola (Started 9th, Finished 3rd / Running, completed 60 of 60 laps in Duel No. 2)

Notes:                   

● Kevin Harvick started eighth in Duel No. 1 and was fourth by lap 12.
● The Busch Beer Car2Can Ford Mustang pitted for fuel only on lap 13.
● On lap 16 Harvick moved to first place, and he maintained the lead for the final 44 laps.
● This was Harvick’s second career win in the Gander Outdoors Duels. His first win came in 2013.
● Harvick earned the first win for Ford’s Mustang in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.
● Harvick scored 10 regular-season points.
● Harvick will start third in the Daytona 500. He won the 2007 Daytona 500.
● Drivers earning odd-numbered positions from Sunday’s pole qualifying session were assigned to the first Duel race. Drivers earning even-numbered positions from pole qualifying competed in the second Duel race. The starting positions for each Duel race were based on qualifying times.

Kevin Harvick, Driver of the No. 4 Busch Beer Car2Can Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

“It handled good when we were behind cars. Last week taught us that we needed to have track position. They did a good job on pit road and got on and off pit road, and then we had a couple Ford Mustangs behind us, as well. Ricky (Stenhouse Jr.) and Paul (Menard) worked with us, and we were able to keep the track position, and our cars were fast enough together to keep everyone else back there. I am really proud of everybody on our Busch Beer Ford Mustang. It is a great way to get Mustang into victory lane. I gotta thank everybody from Busch and the great promotion with Car2Can with 40 cool cans that are made of my old cars. It is cool to see those in victory lane.”

Next Up:

The 61st Daytona 500 gets underway at 2:30 p.m. EST on Sunday, Feb. 17, with live coverage provided by FOX beginning with its prerace show at 1 p.m.

Event:  Gander Outdoors Duel
Series:  Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location:  Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (2.5-mile oval)
Format:  Twin 150-mile qualifying races that set the field for the Daytona 500
Start/Finish:  11th/11th (Running, completed 60 of 60 laps in Duel No. 1)
Duel No. 1 Winner:  Kevin Harvick of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)
Duel No. 2 Winner:  Joey Logano of Team Penske (Ford)

SHR Finish:        

●  Kevin Harvick (Started 8th, Finished 1st/ Running, completed 60 of 60 laps in Duel No. 1)
●  Daniel Suárez (Started 11th, Finished 11th / Running, completed 60 of 60 laps in Duel No. 1)
●  Clint Bowyer (Started 4th, Finished 2nd / Running, completed 60 of 60 laps in Duel No. 2)
●  Aric Almirola (Started 9th, Finished 3rd / Running, completed 60 of 60 laps in Duel No. 2)

Notes:                   

●  Suárez started his Duel from the 11th position and ended the 60-lap race in the same position.
●  Suárez began the race running the low line, and eventually moved to the top when drivers lined up single file after five laps.
●  Suárez made a fuel-only pit stop on lap 12, joining 11 other drivers.
●  Moved up to sixth on lap 16 when second group of drivers pitted together.
●  Ran as high as fifth before the caution flag waved on lap 27.
●  “Very, very tight when I’m on the bottom,” said Suárez on lap 34 when he was running 12th.
●  With 10 laps to go, made a mover underneath Bubba Wallace, but lost lead draft.” Finished the race comfortably in 11th.
●  Suárez will start 23rd in the Daytona 500. His best Daytona 500 finish is 29th (2017).
●  Drivers earning odd-numbered positions from Sunday’s pole qualifying session were assigned to the first Duel race. Drivers earning even-numbered positions from pole qualifying competed in the second Duel race. The starting positions for each Duel race were based on qualifying times.

Daniel Suárez, Driver of the No. 41 Haas Automation Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

“I feel like our Haas Automation Mustang has good speed. It is a little different than our Clash car and we will work on it and try to tune up for Sunday. It was okay in traffic. I feel like we need to make a couple adjustments with the handling of the car to be able to be a little bit better. We just have to keep working on it. It was the very first time I have been in the draft with this racecar, so we have to work on that a little bit.”

Next Up:

The 61st Daytona 500 gets underway at 2:30 p.m. EST on Sunday, Feb. 17, with live coverage provided by FOX beginning with its pre-race show at 1 p.m.

Event: Gander Outdoors Duels
Series: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (2.5-mile oval)
Format: Twin 150-mile qualifying races that set the field for the Daytona 500
Start/Finish:  4^th/2^nd (Running, completed 60 of 60 laps in Duel No. 2)

Duel No. 1 Winner:  Kevin Harvick of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)
Duel No. 2 Winner:  Joey Logano of Team Penske (Ford)

SHR Finish:

● Kevin Harvick (Started 8th, Finished 1st/ Running, completed 60 of 60 laps in Duel No. 1)
● Daniel Suárez (Started 11th, Finished 11th / Running, completed 60 of 60 laps in Duel No. 1)
● Clint Bowyer (Started 4th, Finished 2nd / Running, completed 60 of 60 laps in Duel No. 2)
● Aric Almirola (Started 9th, Finished 3rd / Running, completed 60 of 60 laps in Duel No. 2)

Notes:                                   

● Clint Bowyer will start sixth in Sunday’s 61st Daytona 500. His best Daytona 500 finish is fourth, earned twice (2009 and 2010).
● Bowyer started fourth in the second Duel and moved to third at the drop of the green flag.
● He inherited the lead during the only pit cycle at lap 13 and never relinquished it until the final lap when Joey Logan passed him for the victory.
● Bowyer led twice for a race-high 41 laps in his Duel race.
● This was Bowyer’s third runner-up finish in 14 career Duel starts.
● Bowyer scored nine regular-season points.
● In the first Duel, SHR teammate Kevin Harvick earned the first win for Ford’s Mustang in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.
● SHR collectively scored three top-five finishes in the Gander Outdoors Duels.
● Of the 120 laps available between the two Duel races, Harvick and Bowyer combined to lead 85 laps (70.8 percent).
● Drivers earning odd-numbered positions from Sunday’s pole qualifying session were assigned to the first Duel race. Drivers earning even-numbered positions from pole qualifying competed in the second Duel race. The starting positions for each Duel race were based on qualifying times.

Clint Bowyer, driver of the No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Mobil 1 Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing:

WHAT COULD YOU HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY AT THE END? “I don’t know. I guess I could have gone down there and blocked a little bit, but when you are leading the train, you can’t see the runs that are coming behind you. All you can do is hear your spotter telling you that they are coming, but I can’t tell if he pulls out, how fast they are coming or anything else. They came with a big run, and by the time he got to me, I could have gone down there and blocked it and gotten myself wrecked. It was just one of those things. I thought we would still be able to connect and get back up through ‘em. It is what it is. We will start up front for the 500, which is the goal, and the car is still in one piece. The Mustangs are fast. That is two Mustangs winning both Duels, and we did all the right things. Like I said, if that was the Daytona 500 I would have pulled down there and blocked him and tried to do whatever, but he had a massive run. We will just get regrouped and talk about it and get a little better communication there. It wasn’t anybody’s fault, it is just once they pull out like that you can’t tell how fast they are getting on you until they pull out, and he was going pretty fast.”

Next Up:

The 61st Daytona 500 gets underway at 2:30 p.m. EST on Sunday, Feb. 17, with live coverage provided by FOX beginning with its prerace show at 1 p.m.

Event: Gander RV Duels at Daytona
Series: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (2.5-mile oval)
Format: Twin 150-mile qualifying races that set the field for the Daytona 500
Start/Finish: 9th/3rd(Running, completed 60 of 60 laps)

Duel No. 1 Winner: Kevin Harvick of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)
Duel No. 2 Winner: Joey Logano of Team Penske (Ford)

SHR Finish:
● Kevin Harvick (Started 8th, Finished 1st/ Running, completed 60 of 60 laps in Duel No. 1)
● Daniel Suárez (Started 11th, Finished 11th/ Running, completed 60 of 60 laps in Duel No. 1)
● Clint Bowyer (Started 4th, Finished 2nd/ Running, completed 60 of 60 laps in Duel No. 2)
● Aric Almirola (Started 9th, Finished 3rd/ Running, completed 60 of 60 laps in Duel No. 2)

Notes:
● Aric Almirola started Duel No. 2 from ninth place and quickly raced to eighth.
● He pitted on lap 13 for fuel and ran in third place when green-flag pit stops cycled through.
● On the final lap, the No. 22 car made a move to break up the field. Almirola fell back to fifth, but he raced his way back to third before crossing the finish line.
● Almirola will start eighth in the Daytona 500. His best Daytona 500 finish is fourth (2017).
● Stewart-Haas Racing scored three top-three finishes in the Gander RV Duels at Daytona.
● Almirola scored eight regular-season points.
● This was Almirola’s best career finish in the Duel races. His previous best Duel result was fifth in 2009, his first Duel race.
● Drivers earning odd-numbered positions from Sunday’s pole qualifying session were assigned to the first Duel race. Drivers earning even-numbered positions from pole qualifying competed in the second Duel race. The starting positions for each Duel race were based on qualifying times.

Aric Almirola, diver of the No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:
“Our Smithfield Ford Mustang drove great tonight. I knew Joey was going to try to make a move at some point, but I didn’t know if it was going to be on the front or backstretch. We were able to finish third to put us in a decent starting position for the Daytona 500.”

Next Up:
The 61st running of the Daytona 500 starts at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 17, with live coverage provided by FOX beginning with its prerace show at 1 p.m.

Event: Advance Auto Parts Clash (non-points race)
Series: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (2.5-mile oval)
Format: 75 laps, broken into two segments of 25 laps and 50 laps
Start/Finish: 6th/12th (Running, completed 59 of 59 laps)
Race Winner: Jimmie Johnson of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)

SHR Finish:      

● Aric Almirola (Started 18th, Finished 8th/ Running, completed 59 of 59 laps)
● Daniel Suárez (Started 10th, Finished 10th/ Running, completed 58 of 59 laps)
● Kevin Harvick (Started 6th, Finished 12th/ Running, completed 57 of 59 laps)
● Clint Bowyer (Started 15th, Finished 16th/ Accident, completed 55 of 59 laps)

Notes:               

● Aric Almirola started in 18th and drove to 16th by lap seven.
● Inclement weather postponed the race on lap eight. Almirola pitted for four tires and fuel under caution when racing resumed.
● The No. 10 Prime Fresh Smithfield Ford came to the pits on lap 24 for fuel only before the competition caution came out on lap 25.
● Almirola was caught speeding while exiting pit road and brought the No. 10 Ford Mustang back to the pits for fresh new tires.
● On lap 40, the second caution for rain postponed the race with Almirola in 18th place.
● When racing continued, the Ford Mustang driver stalked the field in and around the 17th position until a multicar accident on lap 57 involving 17 of the 20 cars brought out the final caution of the race.
● Inclement weather continued to dampen the racing surface while under caution, ultimately ending the race early.
● This was Almirola’s fourth career Clash appearance. His best finish was sixth in 2013.
● Jimmie Johnson won the Clash to score his second career Clash victory. His first Clash win came in 2005.
● The field was comprised of 2018 pole winners, former Clash winners, former Daytona 500 pole winners and 2018 playoff participants. A random draw determined starting positions.

Next Up: 

The Gander RV Duel – twin 150-mile races that will set the rest of the Daytona 500 field – takes place at 7 p.m. EST on Thursday, Feb. 14 with live coverage on FS1. Speedweeks at Daytona then culminates with the 61st running of the Daytona 500 at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 17, with live coverage provided by FOX beginning with its prerace show at 1 p.m.

Event: Advance Auto Parts Clash (non-points race)
Series: Monster EnergyNASCAR Cup Series
Location: Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (2.5-mile oval)
Format: 75 laps, broken into two segments of 25 laps and 50 laps
Start/Finish: 6th/12th (Running, completed 57 of 59 laps)
Race Winner: Jimmie Johnson of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Note: Rain cut the race 16 laps short of its scheduled 75-lap distance

SHR Finish:        

● Aric Almirola (Started 18th, Finished 8th / Running, completed 59 of 59 laps)
● Daniel Suárez (Started 10th, Finished 10th / Running, completed 58 of 59 laps)
● Kevin Harvick (Started 6th, Finished 12th / Running, completed 57 of 59 laps)
● Clint Bowyer (Started 15th, Finished 16th / Accident, completed 55 of 59 laps)

Notes:                   

● Kevin Harvick started sixth but fell back to 16th by lap five.
● The Busch Beer Car2Can Ford Mustang pitted under caution on lap 11 for four tires and fuel. Harvick restarted 19th.
● With most of the field pitting, Harvick finished the first segment in fourth place.
● On lap 28, under caution, Harvick pitted for four tires, fuel and tape on the grill. He restarted 13th.
● Harvick was caught up in a multicar accident on lap 55. He drove his car to pit lane for repairs and then completed another lap before rain halted the event for good.
●  Jimmie Johnson won the Clash to score his second career Clash victory. His first Clash win came in 2005.
●  The 20-car field was comprised of 2018 pole winners, former Clash winners, former Daytona 500 pole winners and 2018 playoff participants.
●  A random draw determined the starting grid.

Kevin Harvick, Driver of the No. 4 Busch Beer Car2Can Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

“It was an adventurous day. We got hung out in the beginning and went to the back and tried to make something happen. Everybody was in a single-file line and didn’t really want to race much. We had ourselves positioned in the outside line headed in the right direction, and they all crashed when they decided to start racing for the first time.”

Next Up:

The Gander RV Duel – twin 150-mile races that will set the rest of the Daytona 500 field – takes place at 7 p.m. EST on Thursday, Feb. 14 with live coverage on FS1. Speedweeks at Daytona then culminates with the 61st running of the Daytona 500 at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 17, with live coverage provided by FOX beginning with its prerace show at 1 p.m.