2010 Daytona Preseason Thunder Fan Fest

The NASCAR Preseason Thunder Fan Fest took place over the weekend at Daytona International Speedway! Many of the big names in NASCAR sat down with fans for Q & A’s in the fan forums, autograph sessions and much more at Daytona International Speedway!

Photo Credit: Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR

With the Hershey’s Milk  & Milkshakes Speedweeks and the 52nd annual Daytona 500 quickly approaching as well as the 2010 season, Daytona International Speedway played host to the annual Preseason Thunder Fan Fest which gives fan a chance to meet their favorite drivers and get pumped for the upcoming season to get underway. Drivers from all three of NASCAR’s top touring national series were present and ready to talk 2010.

Like most drivers will tell you, their dream is to win at Daytona.

“This is big,” four-time and reigning Camping World Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday Jr. said. “My dream was to come to Daytona to win a race at Daytona. I don’t care if it’s on a bicycle. I’m going to still try to win a race here.”

“Our best truck we’ve had for a super speedway is a backup after we found the wind tunnel loads, after we went down the straight line and did some straight line testing, and we’re going off that. We’ve got a couple trucks that we wind tunnelled and learned a bunch. So I’m looking forward to it. (Todd) Bodine might be pushing me around here at Daytona this year.”

Photo Credit: Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR

Hornaday also discussed looking forward to the upcoming season.

“The venues and tracks we’re going to this year, the new teams coming in, some of the new sponsors, you’ll see some neat colors on my truck this year I’m looking forward to. It’s truck racing. We just got done doing a great commercial. NASCAR is definitely behind the Truck Series 125 percent. I’m looking forward to 2010. I think we’ve got some great things coming,” he said.

Jeff Gordon was asked questions from everything from his daughter liking Sesame Street to whether there will be any changes on his team for the upcoming season and even how long Gordon plans to run in the series.

“You know, as far as the team is concerned, we had a good year,” Gordon said.

“I mean, we finished third in the points. It’s not like we need to reinvent the wheel here. But we’ve also been getting our butts kicked by our teammate one, now two, and you’ve got to look at the other competitors out there, as well. You never know what they can create and come up with over the off-season. So all we can do is focus on the things that we feel like we can do better.”

Photo Credit: Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR

“I feel like Steve and I can in-race communicate — our in-race communication can be better. I feel like we started off a lot of races this year as one of the best cars, but I don’t feel like we maintained that throughout the season or throughout the race and to the finish, and I feel like a lot of that is just information I’m giving him and some of that interaction.”

“I think we’re going to make a few pit crew changes. I don’t know all the details. Maybe Jon Edwards knows, but Steve can certainly be the guy to ask there. And then I think also just really looking at engineering and how we’re utilizing it, what we can do better with it. I think you always look at your cars and how you can try to improve them. We’re so limited in what we can do now.”

And to how long he intends to drive?

“As long as I’m healthy, I wanted to do this for a long time. Mark Martin certainly is an inspiration to all. He’s so competitive at his age, and his physical fitness, I think, has played a big role in that. But I think it depends on how long Rick wants to keep me in the car and the sponsors want to sponsor the car, and as long as I can stay healthy, then I’ll keep doing it.”

Gordon’s Hendrick teammate, Mark Martin also attended the Preseason Thunder activities saying he’s been enjoying the off-season.

“It’s been just really great, Martin said. “I really had a special time with family and friends, no big spectacular trips or anything like that. But it was probably the best holiday that I’ve had in as long as I can remember. A lot of family together, and we spent most of the time in Florida.  It was good.”

Photo Credit: Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR

Kurt Busch fielded questions such as getting started with his newly-appointed crew chief, Steve Addington, and his new team mate, Brad Keselowski.

“I’m sure he’ll call me Kyle plenty of times,” said Busch making a reference to the fact Addington was once the crew chief for his younger brother, Kyle. “It’s just fun the whole time when you’re merging a new relationship and keeping things honest, keeping things fun, and yet learning from each other. And this year going into it reminds me a little bit of the year when I got Jimmy Fennig as my crew chief back in 2002. I didn’t know very much then; Fennig knew everything. I feel like I know enough now, but I feel like Steve Addington is going to add that much more to our program.”

Photo Credit: Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR

And on teammate, Brad Keselowski.

“Yeah, he’s an on-the-gas fellow,” Busch said. “He likes to know what’s going on with the team at all times. He’s definitely driving the car to the best of his ability every lap. Sometimes when he steps over the boundary he learns pretty quick on what to do different next time. It’s just great. It’s always easier to rein somebody back when they’re riding too hard than it is to smack them on the behind and tell them to go faster. So Brad is one of those guys where you want to rein him back, but not too often, because you’ve got to let him go out there, find success, find trouble, and you learn from it all in the end.”

Brad Keselowski made an appearance at Preseason Thunder. Here’s what he had to say about taking over the #12 ride at Penske Racing.

Photo Credit: Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR

“I see the right things coming together,’ Keselowski said. “I see the passion from Mr. Penske that it takes to turn things around on the 12 team. We’ve made some key changes already and starting to build depth. Hired a lot of people, crazy amount of people, really good ones, too, from Jay Guy and Paul Wolfe to crew chief my cup car and Nationwide car and Steve Addington. Even though Steve is not on my team, naturally the things that are learned on Kurt’s car and Sam’s car are going to apply to my car and make it better. Bringing in a lot of new ideas, a lot of fresh faces and that’s carrying over into the shop to where — we flew down on the plane, Kurt and Sam and I, and we were talking about the different vibe that’s already through the shop with the crew chiefs plugging away and working together. Those things are very beneficial, and we’ll have to see where it leads, but I believe in it.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. also took the time to meet with fans and media to talk about taking a new direction for the upcoming season.

“We’ve made a lot of changes in the off-season with our personnel and changing the entire culture in the shop,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “I hope that those things are really going to improve our team and get us where we need to be competitively.”

“We have everything there mechanically to get it done, and we have great people within the organization. So there’s three guys that made the Chase, and we didn’t, so there’s — we have to get out there and prove ourselves. I don’t really know if I can get more detailed than that, but we’re just going to go out there and try our hardest and be ruthless from the first lap to the last.”

Photo Credit: Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR

Preseason Thunder Schedule

Friday January 15th:
8:00am-9:00pm Richard Petty Driving Experience on track
10:00am-4:00pm: Blood Drive (outside Tunnel 4)
3:00pm: Tunnels open to guests
3:00pm: Sprint FANZONE opens
3:00pm: Online Auction begins
3pm-6:00pm: DAYTONA 500 EXPERIENCE Pit Stop Challenge
3pm-10:00pm: DJ ReRun at Sprint FANZONE Main Stage
Driver Groups:
Group A- Mark Martin, Paul Menard, Ron Hornaday Jr.,
Group B- Jeff Gordon, Joey Logano, Travis Kvapil, Todd Bodine
Group C- Dale Earnhardt Jr, Kelly Bires, Michael Annett
Group D- Ryan Newman, Matt Kenseth, AJ Allmendinger
6:00pm-6:45pm: Group A: Fan Forums- Main Stage
Group B: Autograph Session
7:00pm-7:45pm Group B: Fan Forums- Main Stage
Group C: Autograph Session
8pm- 8:45pm Group C: Fan Forums- Main Stage
Group D: Autograph Session
9pm-9:45pm Group D: Fan Forums- Main Stage
Group A: Autograph Session
10:00pm: Gates close to guests

Saturday January 16th:
8:00am-9pm: Richard Petty Driving Experience on track
10:00am-4:00pm: Blood Drive (outside Tunnel 4)
9:00am: Tunnels open to guests
9:00am: Sprint FANZONE opens
9:00am-12:00pm: DAYTONA 500 EXPERIENCE Pit Stop Challenge
9:00am-8:00pm DJ ReRun at Sprint FANZONE Main Stage
1st Session Driver Groups:
Group A: David Reutimann, Trevor Bayne, Scott Speed
Group B: Clint Bowyer, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Colin Braun
Group C: Martin Truex Jr., Kevin Harvick, David Ragan (2pm-4pm)
12:00pm-12:45pm: Group A: Fan Forums- Main Stage
Group B: Autograph Session
1:00pm-1:45pm: Group B: Fan Forums- Main Stage
2:00pm- 2:45pm: Group C: Autograph Session
3:00pm-3:45pm: Group C: Fan Forums- Main Stage
Group A: Autograph Session
2nd Session Driver Groups:
Group A: Kurt Busch, Mike Skinner, David Ragan (4pm-6pm)
Group B: Sam Hornish, Jr, Brad Keselowski, Kevin Conway
4:00pm-4:45pm: Group A: Fan Forums- Main Stage
5:00pm-5:45pm: Group B: Autograph Session
6:00pm- 6:45pm: Group B: Fan Forums- Main Stage
7:00pm-7:45pm Group A: Autograph Session
8:00pm Gates close to guests

Tickets are on sale for all upcoming activities at Daytona International Speedway: Fresh From Florida 200, Rolex 24, Daytona 500 Qualifying, Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200, Budweiser Shootout, Gatorade Duel, NextEra Energy Resources 250, Camping World 300 and the Daytona 500.

For ticket information, call or go to www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com