Beyond the Cockpit: Daytona 500 Finish Gives Yeley Great Hope For 2013

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_J.J. Yeley has seen it all during his brief Sprint Cup career. In 2006, he was chosen by Joe Gibbs as the successor to the organization’s famed No. 18 Interstate Batteries Chevrolet after the team had parted ways with 2000 champion Bobby Labonte. It seemed like Yeley had a bright career ahead of him, yet just three years later, the Arizona native was out of the sport altogether, sidelined with a neck injury suffered in a Sprint Bandits Series race at Lakeside Speedway in Kansas._

_The road back has been a long and winding one for the now 36-year-old, who bounced from one team to another trying to find the right fit. If the start of the 2013 season is any indication, though he may have found it with Tommy Baldwin Racing. Yeley’s 10th-place finish in the Great American Race was his first top 10 since the 2008 Lenox Industrial Tools 301 in New Hampshire, a consistent run that reconfirmed their status as one of the sport’s top “underdog” organizations. The performance has both driver and team brimming with confidence as they head into the desert this weekend._

NASCAR Fantasy Insider: Are You Ready For Real Racing To Begin?

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Sure, Daytona is a great way to start the season and there always seems to be some kind of drama going on there. But do not fear, fantasy players who may have failed in week one. There are 35 other points races on the schedule and while winning at Daytona is obviously the best way to start a season, it’s not necessarily an indicator of how a driver or team will do the rest of the way. Case in point: the last Daytona 500 winner to win the Sprint Cup title was Jimmie Johnson in 2006, looking to repeat the feat after winning this year.

And while the mainstream media will likely tone down its NASCAR coverage after Daytona, we who follow the sport know that the other races can’t be ignored, so it’s off to Phoenix we go. There was actually snow in the Phoenix area last week, so be careful with those predictions, such as, “it will have to snow in Phoenix before (insert your least favorite driver’s name) wins.”

Frontstretch Fan Q&A: A Changing NASCAR World Of Lawsuits & Stereotypes

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Whew… so, a lot has happened since the last time we talked. It seems like there are a million different storylines with a million different perspectives, and thanks to social media, we’re all talking about them at the same time. Say the words, “Danica”, “Catchfence,” or “Gen-6” and you know exactly what I’m talking about. No doubt, you also have an opinion.

While we can’t possibly cover every single topic there is to tackle in this column, there was no doubt what was on everyone’s minds when I looked at the questions that readers were sending in.

So let’s get started, with your running themes…

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Truckin’ Thursdays: Three Drivers To Watch One Race Into 2013

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Here we go again. Every year around this time, the Camping World Truck Series heads off into Daytona for the season opener, puts on a great race and stops dead in its tracks for several weeks. Once again, the 36-truck field put on an impressive event Friday night only to turn around and take time off until April 6th. That’s right … April 6th! So while we’re on this extended break, I’d like to take some time to look at a few drivers to keep a close eye on this season.

_Author’s Note: Did I miss a driver you think will show up the rest of the field? Let me know on Twitter, Facebook or in the comments below._

Tech Talk: Alan Gustafson Takes The New Car, And Jeff Gordon Back To The Desert

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_Phoenix International Raceway has been a challenging place for Jeff Gordon during his 20-year career. It was where he was able to break through and end a winless drought nearly two years in the making, back in 2011 and where he scored win No. 76, tying Dale Earnhardt in career victories in 2007. Now, the track will pose a different type of challenge for Gordon and others, hosting the first race for the new Generation-6 Cup car with an unrestricted engine. The series heads to the desert Southwest with so many unanswered questions surrounding how the new chassis will handle on those types of speedways. Frontstretch got a few minutes with Alan Gustafson, Gordon’s crew chief to talk about the challenges faced by teams heading into the race, along with a quick look back at Daytona._

Side By Side: Is There a Place in NASCAR for Plates?

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_Welcome back to Side By Side. There are always two sides to every story, and we’re going to bring them both, right here, every week. Two of our staff writers will face off on an important racing question… feel free to tell us what you think in the weekly poll and also in the comments section below!_

*This Week’s Question: In the wake of Saturday’s fan injuries and ongoing complaints about the racing, is it time for NASCAR to reassess whether restrictor plate racing still belongs in the sport?*

Beyond the Cockpit: David Donohue

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_For 45-year old Pennsylvanian David Donohue, his career is at a crossroads. After driving full-time in the Rolex Sports Car Series every year since 2003, Donohue came into the 2013 season without a full-time ride after deciding to leave Action Express Racing at the end of 2012. For Daytona, he signed on to drive the No. 16 Porsche Cayman in the new GX-class for Napleton Racing, a team that normally fields cars in Pirelli World Challenge. Napleton Racing also runs the Cayman Interseries, a spec series where teams buy race-prepped cars with directly from Napleton Porsche and race them on various courses with throwback paint schemes._

_After a special Champions’ photo-op in Gatorade Victory Lane at Daytona, Frontstretch’s own Phil Allaway caught up with the veteran driver._

Top Ten Ways To Celebrate A Daytona 500 Victory: The Jimmie Johnson Edition

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*10.* Wear a multi-colored wig in Victory Lane –oh, wait, already did that.

*9.* Surf on a golf cart–no, damn it, did that, too.

*8.* Surf on the hauler—what do you mean ‘oh, hell, no, not after the golf cart incident?!’

*7.* Do lots of donuts—what do you mean, ‘Jimmie, don’t tear up the car?!’ Um, oops…

NASCAR Writer Power Rankings Poll: Top 15 Heading To Phoenix

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Daytona weekend stole national headlines for a multitude of reasons; both good and bad. Johnny Sauter redeemed himself from last year’s wreck while leading and won the Camping World Truck Series season opener Friday under the lights. Tony Stewart continued his dominance of the Nationwide Series at Daytona with his seventh February victory. However, his victory lane celebration was diminished after a last-lap multi-car wreck sent Kyle Larson’s car into the frontstretch catchfence, ripping a hole in the crossover gate and sending 28 spectators to either the infield care center or medical centers off-property.