DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – With NASCAR’s charter system in full effect this weekend at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, eight teams are vying for spots in next Sunday’s Daytona 500.
When qualifying ended Sunday afternoon, Wood Brother Racing’s Ryan Blaney and BK Racing’s Matt DiBenedetto were able to breathe a little easier knowing they had earned one of the coveted four spots for The Great American Race.
With 36 charters being assessed to teams that fit the criteria and the starting field downsized to just 40 starters, qualifying would become more intense for the “open” teams who have to secure their entry by qualifying speed.
If you looked at practice results Saturday, it would be hard to bet against rookie Ryan Blaney and his No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford. The team lived up to their expectations Sunday making it through the two rounds of qualifying and seventh fastest overall.
“It is nice to be locked into the race,” said Blaney. “The biggest relief for us is to know you are locked in and are good to be able to race in the 500. That kind of lets us go race on Thursday a little bit more than we would have instead of playing it conservative if we weren’t locked in. It is nice to have such a fast car and be locked into the race. It is a load off our shoulders for sure. I think anytime you can make it to the last round you feel good about the speed of your race car. I think our speed is pretty good. We definitely aren’t the fastest but we have good speed and I think we will dial it in and be good for the 500.”
DiBenedetto who gave up his regular No. 83 BK Racing Toyota seat to Michael Waltrip in a one-race deal landed 29th fastest overall. ESPN’s Bob Pockrass tweeted that DiBenedetto has a TRD motor under in his No. 93 Toyota Camry, but he’ll revert back to the Triad engines for the 200-lap race, when teams are allowed to change engines before the race.
“I’ll definitely be able to sleep well this week,” the 24-year-old said. “I was just nervous leading into it because obviously it’s much nicer to qualify straight into the 500 instead of having to worry about racing your way in the Duels. I’m just happy to be a part of it. Our lap was good enough. I think we beat (Michael) McDowell by a couple hundredths but when you’re at Daytona man every little tiny thing that you do and massage on the car counts. And that’s why these guys stayed here until 9:30 last night. I’m super excited and excited to run in my first Daytona 500. That’s something I’ve dreamed of since I was five so I mean for the day to actually be coming up it’s such a neat time in my life.”
No matter what happens on Thursday, BK Racing has opened the eyes of their competitors. The team owned by successful entrepreneur Ron Devine purchased cars and equipment from the now defunct Michael Waltrip Racing – which seems to have paid off.
Drivers Josh Wise, Reed Sorenson, Robert Richardson Jr., David Gilliland, Cole Whitt and Michael McDowell will race for one spot available in each of the Can-Am qualifying duels Thursday night at Daytona.
Should Blaney or DiBenedetto secure that top spot in the qualifying races, Robert Richardson Jr., and Cole Whitt would likely make the Daytona 500 based on their qualifying speed.
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01.
