Myatt Snider to run six Xfinity races with Joe Gibbs Racing NASCAR schedule for Daytona International Speedway Dale Earnhardt vs. Daytona: A long and winding road North Wilkesboro Speedway renovations ahead of schedule Kyle Busch to run five Xfinity races for Kaulig Racing

Myatt Snyder is the final driver to compete in a selected number of Xfinity races in the No. 19 car for Joe Gibbs Racing this season.

Snyder will have six races with the team. Ryan Truex (six races), Joe Graf Jr. (five) and Connor Mosack (three) will also be in the #19 JGR Xfinity this year.

Snyder’s first race with the team will be the season opener on Feb. 18 in Dayton. He will also race in Portland (June 3), Charlotte Roval (October 7), Las Vegas (October 14), Martinsville (October 28) and the season finale in Phoenix (November 4).

The deal brings Snyder back to JGR. There he worked in various departments from 2011 to 2015.

“We look forward to having Myatt on our No. 19 team for six races,” said Steve DeSouza, EVP of Xfinity and Development. “Building a driver lineup for this car is an opportunity for JGR to help riders continue to grow in their racing careers and we look forward to seeing Myatt continue to grow.”

Snyder said in a statement from the team: “With six races on our 2023 schedule, I look forward to climbing up to 19th in the TreeTop Toyota GR Supra with Joe Gibbs Racing this year. Having worked with JGR in high school and as a young rider, this is an amazing full circle moment to be back as a rider on the team that taught me so much about racing.

“It’s great to be reunited with (Team Chief) Jason Ratcliffe as we have an amazing history of working together. With many memories and victories in 2013 and 2014 when I worked on the No. 20 Toyota Camry under Jason, the team has always been more of a family relationship to me. I am delighted to be back in the JGR family and look forward to continuing to learn and grow as a driver.”

The Daytona will mark the 100th Xfinity start of Snyder’s career. He has one series win and 21 top 10 finishes. He won the 2018 Craftsman Truck Series Rookie of the Year.

Tree Top will sponsor Snyder in his six races with Joe Gibbs Racing.

Also in the Xfinity series, Gray Golding, who will spend the entire season with SS Green Light Racing, has announced that he will be sponsored by Panini America for several races, including the first Daytona race. Emerling-Gase Motorsports announced that Natalie Decker will work part-time in both the ARCA Menards Series and the Xfinity Series for the team.

The regular season will begin for each of NASCAR’s three major national series – Cup, Xfinity and Craftsman Truck – at Daytona International Speedway.

The weekend will end on February 19 with the Daytona 500, NASCAR’s biggest event and the first points race of the season. Martin Truex Jr. won a no-point clash at the Coliseum on February 5th.

The first race of the Truck Series season is scheduled for February 17, and the first Xfinity race is scheduled for February 18.

The Cup season will be the second for the Next Gen. Key driver changes for the new year include Kyle Bush with Richard Childress Racing, Tyler Reddick with 23XI Racing, Ryan Price at Stewart-Haas Racing and AJ Allmendinger permanently works in Kaulig Racing. Noah Gragson And Ty Gibbs will compete for the title of best rookie of the year.

Daytona International Speedway (Cup, Xfinity and Truck)

Weekend weather

Wednesday: Usually sunny. High 78.

Thursday: Partly cloudy. Maximum 80.

Friday: Partly cloudy. Maximum 81. Light rain possible. Wind 10-20 m/s

Saturday: Sun and clouds mixed. Maximum 67. Wind 15-25 m/s.

Sunday: Partly cloudy, maximum temperature 73. Wind 10-15 m/s.

Wednesday, February 15

(All time Eastern)

Garage open

• 13:00 – 22:30 – Cup Series

Activity Tracking

• 20:15 – Cup Qualifier (FS1, Motor Racing Network, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

Thursday, February 16

Garage open

• 9:00 – 18:00 – ARKA
• 10:00 – 19:30 – Craftsman truck series
• 16:00 – 23:00 – Series Cup

Activity Tracking

• 16:05 – 16:55 – ARCA training
• 17:05 – 17:55 – Practice Craftsman Truck Series
• 19:00 – Cup Series 1 qualifying race (60 laps, 150 miles; FS1, Motor Racing Network, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
• 8:45 pm (approx) – Cup Series 2 Qualifier (60 laps, 150 miles; FS1, Motor Racing Network, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

Friday, February 17

Garage open

• 8:00 – 23:45 – Craftsman truck series
• 8:00 – 15:30 – ARKA
• 9:30 – 19:00 – Xfinity Series
• 12:30 – 20:00 – Cup Series

Activity Tracking

• 13:30 – 14:00 – ARCA group qualification
• 15:00-16:30 – Craftsman Truck Series Qualification (FS1)
• 16:35 – 17:25 – Xfinity Series training (FS1)
• 5:35 pm – 6:25 pm Series Cup Practice (FS1, Motor Racing Network, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
• 19:30 – Craftsman Truck Series Race (100 laps, 250 miles; FS1, Motor Racing Network, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

Saturday, February 18

Garage open

• 6:00 – 22:00 – Xfinity Series
• 8:00 – 14:30 – Cup Series
• 10:00 – 17:15 – ARKA

Activity Tracking

• 10:30 – 11:20 – Series Cup Practice (FS1, Motor Racing Network, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
• 11:30 – 13:00 – Xfinity Series Qualifier (FS1)
• 13:30 – ARCA race (80 laps, 200 miles; FS1, Motor Racing Network)
• 5:00 pm Xfinity Series Race (120 laps, 300 miles; FS1, Motor Racing Network, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

Sunday, February 19

Garage open

• 8:00 – 21:30 – Cup Series

Activity Tracking

• 2:30pm Cup Series Race (200 laps, 500 miles; Fox, Motor Racing Network, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

It was late on the evening of February 15, 1998, and Danny “Chocolate” Myers was driving north on Interstate 95, a few hours after the checkered flag of the Daytona 500.

Myers was on his way to North Carolina, but it was a long day that began in the wee hours. By the time he got to Jacksonville, it was clear to him that he needed to get a room for the night and finish the trip the next day.

“I was staying at the Holiday Inn,” Myers said, “I walked in and said, ‘Ma’am, do you have rooms?’ She said yes. She was the first person I saw that day who wasn’t at the racetrack, and I said, “We just won the Daytona 500.” She was the first person I could say that to.”

This was no ordinary message.

It was the car that Myers had been waiting for years, and one Dale Earnhardt, who drove the No. 3 Chevy that Myers filled up almost weekly, was finally able to tell after two decades of suffering and disappointment in the Daytona 500, NASCAR’s premier race. .

Earlier in the day, Earnhardt was the first to take 500 checkered flags, ending a 20-year odyssey. He was the greatest talent of his generation, amassed a fan base of historic proportions and won just about every other important race at Daytona International Speedway, but he failed to complete the Daytona 500.

He did it that February day, and the celebrations that followed were legendary. Victory Lane was flooded with cheers, hugs and champagne. Fans lingered for hours after the checkered flag to soak up the moments. This may have been the peak of Earnhardt’s long and prosperous career.

Earnhardt suffered embarrassing losses in the 500. He led the final lap in 1990 only to have his Chevrolet’s tire blow out on turn three, allowing the upstart Derrick Cope slip past and win. Three years later, he was leading under the white flag, but he was overtaken by the “other” Dale – Jarrett – in victory.

Over the years, Earnhardt has been a solid Daytona winner in everything but the 500 – qualifiers, Xfinity races, International Race of Champions, Clash, Summer Cup race.

That record, Myers told NBC Sports, made failing the 500th run less of a lingering issue.

“We did everything that could be done in Dayton except winning the Daytona 500,” he said. “I think it would be very…