Pace Laps

*Sprint Cup: Camrys Go Kaput At Daytona* Heading to 50 laps to go in Sunday’s Daytona 500, it wasn’t a question of _if_ Toyota would be the first foreign manufacturer to win the race but _who_ would have the honor of holding the trophy. At one point, the top six drivers were all running Camrys, pulling away from the pack in a rare display of one make’s dominance over the field. Would Matt Kenseth stay on cruise control, dominating the race to the tune of 86 laps led and win the 500 back-to-back? Or how about Kyle Busch, recovering from a jack problem on pit road to run solidly inside the top 5? Could the third man in the Joe Gibbs Racing trio, Denny Hamlin, snooker them both? Or would one of the three Michael Waltrip Racing entries, driven by Mark Martin, Clint Bowyer, or Martin Truex, Jr. take control?

*Sprint Cup: Sandbag Central At The Beach?* No, I’m not talking about the soft stuff your NASCAR favorites will be tanning on the next two days, enjoying a well-deserved break at Daytona before practice starts up midweek. I’m looking at strategy, in particular during Saturday night’s Sprint Unlimited that could cause a different look to Sunday’s Daytona 500.

During this weekend’s race, while Kevin Harvick led the most laps it was clear Matt Kenseth had the fastest car. For most of the first segment, his No. 20 Toyota remained in command up front, blocking any challenges while the field struggled to simply stay attached. But as rivals realized Kenseth was a favorite, they also recognized he suffered from a paralyzing disadvantage: both his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates were sitting in the garage, out of the race and unable to help. That left Harvick and company choosing to railroad past during the third and final segment, booting Kenseth from first place on Lap 62 to the outskirts of the top 10.

*Cup Series: Four Hall Of Fame Classes Showcase An Easy Trend – Winning Races Counts* The fourth Hall of Fame induction, held in Charlotte over the weekend was a smooth transition through every one of NASCAR’s eras, from its humble beginnings racing “stock cars” to the modern, corporate version of growth that led to this building’s construction. You had one of the sport’s earliest champions, Herb Thomas, who earned his spot by taking home the trophy in 1951 and ’53. Then, there was Buck Baker, the sport’s first back-to-back titlist in 1956-’57 who was competitive all the way into the early 1960s.

*Sprint Cup: New Backers Hope To Boost Underdog Organizations* A handful of new sponsors were announced this week for two Sprint Cup teams, both of whom are scrapping to survive towards the back end of the series garage. Tommy Baldwin Racing announced that his No. 36, which will be driven by J.J. Yeley, acquired sponsorship from Golden Corral for the restrictor plate events: four races total at Daytona and Talladega. In addition, Accell Construction has signed on with Yeley for six, including both events at Phoenix, Kansas, and Texas. Finally, United Mining Equipment will sponsor Yeley at both Bristol events and Kentucky Speedway.

*Sprint Cup: Sponsorship Headlines 2013 NASCAR Sprint Media Tour* Last week’s NASCAR Sprint Media Tour Hosted by Charlotte Motor Speedway featured several teams and drivers from NASCAR’s top division, and one common thread in discussions was sponsorship. While several teams added new backers, some high-profile ones still have open races just a month before the season begins with the Sprint Unlimited at Daytona. Tops on the list is perennial Most Popular Driver award winner Dale Earnhardt, Jr., who still has up to 13 unsponsored races.

_Did you see all of the race action this weekend? Or, like a lot of busy fans, did you miss a late-night adventure, a Friday controversy, or a juicy piece of news? If you did, you’ve come to the right place! Each week, The Frontstretch will break down the racing, series by series, to bring you the biggest stories that you need to watch moving forward. Let our experts help you get up to speed for the coming week no matter what series you might have missed, all in this edition of Pace Laps!_

*Sprint Cup: We Can Build On This! NASCAR Unlikely To Make Major Rules Changes After Test* After the three-day Preseason Thunder test session at Daytona International Speedway, NASCAR and the teams who participated found the 2013 cars successful enough that few, if any changes will be made to the superspeedway package before Speedweeks next month.

*Sprint Cup: Title Race Down To Two?* Headed into Martinsville, the question on everyone’s mind was whether either Clint Bowyer or Kasey Kahne could close in on the top three title contenders: point leader Brad Keselowski, Jimmie Johnson, and Denny Hamlin. That question was answered with a fairly convincing “no” on Sunday. Not only did Bowyer and Kahne fail to gain any significant ground on the top spot, but Hamlin saw his Chase hopes plummet when an electrical malfunction cost him 34 laps to Johnson, who won the race from the pole. Hamlin is now fifth on the charts, a dismal 46 markers behind new leader Johnson.