NASCAR media day, where everyone is a winner

NASCAR Daytona 500 Media Day was held Thursday. (Photo: Greg Engle)
NASCAR Daytona 500 Media Day was held Thursday. (Photo: Greg Engle)
NASCAR Daytona 500 Media Day was held Thursday. (Photo: Greg Engle)

It’s an event that’s an annual tradition akin to Columbus or Presidents Day to everyone else. To those of us who work in NASCAR whether it’s as a driver or a media person, the annual Daytona 500 media day always takes place on the Thursday prior to the non-points race once known as the Bud Shootout, but now called the Sprint Unlimited. Thursday, Valentine’s Day, was that day this year.

Media Day at Daytona brings together all drivers from all three series. Not only do they meet with the media in what can be best described as controlled chaos, but it’s a chance for NASCAR to take the official headshots fans will see throughout the season and put together all the stats prior to the green flag a week later at the big race the Daytona 500.

The theme is upbeat; all the drivers are positive and usually no real big news comes out during the day. Most of the news talked about by drivers involved the new Gen 6 cars; of course everyone is ‘excited’ to get racing in them. Danica Patrick let the news slip that she will race in the Nationwide Series race at Daytona for Turner-Scott Motorsports. That was the dominate news of the morning. MORE>>>

Greg Engle
About Greg Engle 7421 Articles
Greg is a published award winning sportswriter who spent 23 years combined active and active reserve military service, much of that in and around the Special Operations community. Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.