The 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season kicks off on Saturday night with the annual Sprint Unlimited where five Ford drivers – Aric Almirola, Greg Biffle, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – will be looking to win the race for the first time.

THE FIRST TIME…Ford won the Sprint Unlimited was on Feb. 8, 1987 when Bill Elliott captured what was then known as the Busch Clash. The format that year was a single 20-lap run (50 miles) with no pit stop required. Elliott, who started on the pole in his No. 9 Coors Thunderbird after a blind draw, fell back to sixth on the start after Terry Labonte and Ricky Rudd were involved in an accident on the first lap. On the ensuing restart, Elliott steadily reeled in leader Darrell Waltrip and passed him on lap eight. Elliott led the final 13 laps and won with an average speed of 197.802 mph, a record that still stands for the event. A week later, Elliott won his second Daytona 500.

When Ryan Blaney makes his debut in the iconic No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion in the 2015 Daytona 500 and the events leading up to the Great American Race, he will be mindful of his rookie status, but will be looking for ways to get to and stay near the front of the pack.

“I’d like to say being a rookie doesn’t change your thought process but it definitely does,” said the 21-year-old Blaney. “You go through it with every new series you go into. You have to give respect to get it. That’s what I’ve always done.

CHEVROLET ON THE TRACK—DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY:

-- Chevrolet drivers have won 20 of 36 Sprint Unlimited races. Wins by active drivers are:
o Tony Stewart, No. 14 Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet SS, has three (3) wins in the Sprint Unlimited (’01, ’02 & ’07)
o Kevin Harvick, No. 4 Jimmy John’s/Budweiser Chevrolet SS, has visited Victory Lane three (3) times in the Sprint Unlimited (’09, ’10 & ’13)
o Jeff Gordon, No. 24 Drive To End Hunger Chevrolet SS, has two (2) Sprint Unlimited wins (’94 & ’97))
o Dale Earnhardt, Jr., No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet SS, has two (2) trophies from the Sprint Unlimited (’03 & ’08)
o Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet SS, has one (1) Sprint Unlimited win (’05)
o Kurt Busch, No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet SS, has captured the checkered flag in the Sprint Unlimited once (’11)

-- A Chevrolet driver has won seven (7) of the last 10 Sprint Unlimited races

I get it.

Jeff Gordon is a great champion who has represented the sport of NASCAR well for two decades plus.

He was dominant in the late 1990s and into the early 2000s, has four Cup championship trophies as a result, and will desperately be seeking another one in his final full-time year competing for Rick Hendrick in 2015.

He may well win, as he showed in 2014 that he is still fully capable of competing for a championship. If not for some bad luck toward the end of the 2014 Chase, he may well have been there in the end to compete for the title at Homestead.

Hybrids come in all sizes these days, with even large SUVs offering eco-friendly mpg sippers in an effort to draw more buyers.

But one of the key categories for hybrids remains the compact car, and there’s quite a bit of competition in this area from both the U.S. and foreign automakers. One consistent competitor is the Honda Civic, which continues to wage a strong fight in the compact hybrid battlefield.

I recently spent some time in a 2014 Civic hybrid, and I’m back with a full report.

 
Winds of change will be blowing into the Chicago Auto Show. Toyota’s Camry mid-size sedan, the best-selling car in America for the past 13 years, and Corolla compact sedan, the world’s best-selling car of all time, will debut special edition models at next week’s Chicago Auto Show. The debuts will be part of a press conference that will also feature a refreshed Avalon sedan.

Camry Special Edition
When redesigning the Camry for 2015, Toyota went bumper to bumper and floor to roof, changing or re-engineering nearly 2,000 parts. Only the roof remained unchanged, and it capped off the boldest Camry ever. Now, only one year after this major redesign, America’s best-selling car will offer the 2016 Camry Special Edition for owner’s looking for an extra dose of both aggressiveness and technology. Based on the youthful Camry SE, the limited production Camry will add sporty interior and exterior features. In addition to features found on the Camry SE, standard equipment on the Special Edition will include:

· Unique 18-inch alloy wheels with machined face contrasted with gloss black painted accents

· Power tilt/slide moonroof

· Smoked tail lamp treatment

· High contrast blue stitching on the seats, shift boot, and dash

· Exclusive sport appearance seats trimmed with black SofTex® bolsters and blue patterned inserts

· Sport meter cluster with blue details and white background

· Entune Audio Plus

· Available Entune Premium Audio with Navigation and App Suite

· Smart Key with Pushbutton Start

· Qi Wireless Charging

· Two exterior colors: Blizzard Pearl and new Blue Streak Metallic

· Floor mats with logo and unique exterior badge

The Camry Special Edition will be powered by a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine paired with a six speed automatic transmission. Like all Toyota vehicles, the Camry Special Edition will come standard with the Star Safety System. Production of the Camry Special Edition will be limited to approximately 12,000 units and will run from August 2015 to January 2016.

Corolla Special Edition
The iconic Toyota Corolla is the world’s best-selling name plate of all-time with over 40 million sold since 1966. With its all-new 11th generation introduced in 2014, the current Corolla is the roomiest and most fuel-efficient ever. Corolla will add more driving excitement with the launch of the 2016 Corolla Special Edition. Sporty styling features, inside and out, complement a spirited driving experience made possible with steering wheel paddle shifters, rear disc brakes and Sport Driving Mode along with an array of additional standard features. Based on the sporty Corolla S Plus grade, the 2016 Corolla Special Edition will turn heads as it adds:

· Unique 17-inch alloy wheels with gloss black finish

· Black interior with red contrast stitching

· Red accented dash and door trim

· Smart Key System with pushbutton start

· Three colors: exclusive Absolutely Red, Black Sand Pearl and Super White

· Special Edition floor mats with logo and unique exterior badge

Toyota’s Entune Premium Audio with Navigation and App Suite and power tilt/slide moonroof will be available as options. The Corolla Special Edition will be produced between August and December 2015 and will be limited to 8,000 units.

In addition to the Camry and Corolla Special Editions, Toyota will unveil the refreshed 2016 Avalon premium mid-size sedan during a press conference in the Toyota display at Chicago’s McCormick Place on Thursday, Feb. 12 at 2:30 p.m. CST

-- Press release courtesy of Toyota

Trucks are not cheap, for the most part. If you want a powerful ride to get the job done properly, you’re going to have to shell out a pretty penny these days -- regardless of the manufacturer you choose.

But that does not mean trucks have to be out of your range, as most automakers offer a variety of options in their truck lineup. Take for instance the RAM lineup from Chrysler. I recently spent some time with a couple RAM vehicles that perfectly illustrate the choices out there -- First a 2014 RAM 1500 Express regular cab 4x2 ($28,380), then a 2014 RAM 1500 Laramie Limited Edition Crew Cab 4x4 with an EcoDiesel engine ($58,015).

On the heels of the FIAT brand’s return to Super Bowl advertising, FIAT fans can now configure the 2016 Fiat 500X at www.fiatusa.com. Pricing for the all-new crossover, which will arrive in the U.S. market in the second quarter of 2015, starts at $20,000 MSRP.

Entries are now being accepted online in the Mustang 5.0 Fever Sweepstakes Presented by Motorcraft, with a 2016 Mustang GT plus $5,000 in Ford Performance Parts for the winner.
Contestants 18 years or older can enter online for a chance to win at www.Mustang50Fever.com now through 11:59 a.m. ET on Dec. 1, 2015. Entries are limited to one per person.