The Final Word – They are baaack
The long season, well it might have been just three months, of our winter discontent has come to a close. The engines are running, our hopes and dreams have been renewed, and NASCAR keeps trying its damndest to drive us to watching something else. Still, they have yet to turn it into basketball or soccer, so I continue to tune in.
Good to see the slant 3 back on the pole at Daytona. Some are not fond of Austin Dillon taking the sedan out for a ride, but even though I know where such folks are coming from, they are dead wrong. Dale Earnhardt did not want the number retired and his son did not want to carry the number. Earnhardt made it iconic, his best friend paid for its upkeep every year since his loss, and finally after 13 years Richard Childress turns it over to his grandson and keeps it in the family. As for Dillon himself, at 23 he already has a truck and junior circuit championship under his belt. NASCAR does not retire numbers, and I believe the time is right, with the right guy behind the wheel.
Dillon will start next Sunday on point, with new Furniture Row driver Martin Truex Jr right beside him. Under the hood was another Earnhardt-Childress engine. Funny, just seven minutes down I-95 from the Speedway is Furniture Row’s Daytona store. You would almost think they put the place there on purpose.
On Thursday, the rest of the boys and girl make their run for the other 41 spots in the Daytona 500. Last year’s pole sitter, Danica Patrick, was 25th in Sunday’s qualifying. She does not have a secure spot as of yet, though a dozen do.
The two front row cars are locked in, along with the next four best qualifiers. That would include Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards, Ryan Newman, and Brad Keselowski. The best six from 2013 also get a free pass. So, Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr, and Jeff Gordon are in. Finally, the latest former champion not in yet is included, and that would be Tony Stewart.
The first to qualify are the pole sitters, followed by those who finish among the Top 15 in each race on Thursday, then the top four best qualifiers not yet in, followed by the six best from 2013 still on the outside, seven if there is not still a former champion needing a freebie. Six will go home early. Danica Patrick is not a sure thing, but the odds are in her favor.
Looking at qualifying and owner’s points from last season, I would expect Dave Blaney, Alex Bowman, Joe Nemechek, Michael McDowell, Josh Wise, and Morgan Shepherd to be those slated to get the bad news. Something tells me I might be wrong about somebody from that group.
As we go in, I still wonder if NASCAR is about to strip its champion of any relevance in its quest to keep folks watching right to the bitter end. I wonder if those fans upset by the return of the No. 3 will be even more upset after Homestead. I wonder how long SPEED will continue running its race positions by blocking out the right side of the screen instead of its usual crawl, out of the way, across the top. Lord help us if FOX decides to follow their lead or we will wind up just watching 2/3 of the action that remains visible on the left hand of the screen. I wonder if one of the rookies not named Austin or Kyle will be able to make an impact while driving for teams not considered top tier, at least for the moment.
Saturday night introduced us to what NASCAR’s championship game..er..race might eventually look like. Reduce the field to just the contenders, then let ‘er rip. They did manage to rip half of the field out of the event before they were done, with Denny Hamlin emerging as the night’s survivor. It was a nice selection of hors d’oeuvres to go with Thursday’s appetizers, to be followed by Sunday’s main course.
You always hurt the one you love, or so Ricky Stenhouse Jr demonstrated. Nice way to treat your valentine, buddy.
I hear that Richard Petty has received some backlash regarding his recent comments where he stated that Danica would win a race provided everyone else stayed home. Why? Does anyone actually disagree with his comments?
There are those who continue to criticize the Waltrips’ work in the broadcast booth. It is as if they have never even heard of Rusty Wallace or Brad Daugherty.
That was a nice looking pace car leading the way at the Sprint Unlimited last Saturday. Does fire come as part of the basic package or is it optional?
On Sunday, it does not matter how a champion will be declared in the fall. It does not matter if they have 10, 12, 13, 16 or 43 drivers making the Chase. All that matters is that we celebrate the 56th running of the Daytona 500. Enjoy your week, as I certainly will.
Daytona 500: Three Important Questions Answered
With all the rule changes, driver swaps, and format modifications, this has been one of the most hectic off-seasons in recent memory. But, a fresh season of NASCAR awaits as the Daytona 500 draws nearer. Plenty of questions are still buzzing around the heads of many fans. Will Jimmie Johnson win back-to-back Daytona 500s? Will Austin Dillon be a legitimate contender? Will Dale Earnhardt Jr. be a bridesmaid once more? I can tell you without hesitation that the answer to one of those questions is no.
The notion that Jimmie Johnson will win the Daytona 500 is just as preposterously outlandish as predicting Danica Patrick to bring home the Sprint Cup Championship. Regardless of the fact that it’s Jimmie Johnson we’re discussing, his recent record in the Great American Race is abysmal. Other than winning it twice, he crashed and finished 39th in 2007, came home a mediocre 27th in 2008, and finished a lowly 31st in 2009. The succeeding year was not much better as a broken rear axle led to a 35th place finish. Let’s also not forget that the last time a driver won back-to-back 500s was in the mid-90s, and the last time a driver won three in a row at Daytona was in the late 60s. I realize that Jimmie Johnson is one of the sport’s greatest drivers, but the evidence suggests that it’s unlikely he’ll win it again.
One of the top storylines of the off-season was the re-emergence of the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing (RCR) Chevrolet. This historic number hasn’t been used in NASCAR’s premier series since Dale Earnhardt’s tragic death in 2001. Now, Childress’s grandson Austin Dillon will get behind the wheel and attempt to get the 3 car back in victory lane. The craziest part about it is that there is a very real possibility that he will end up there. If testing was any indication, all of the RCR cars showed tremendous speed around the 2.5-mile oval, and Dillon was the fastest of them all. Couple that with the fact that RCR always has a strong restrictor plate package, and we could be reliving 1998 all over again.
As much as fans would adore seeing the No. 3 car back in the winner’s circle at Daytona, they may even be more ecstatic to see Dale Earnhardt Jr. holding the Harley J. Earl trophy. Unlike his Hendrick stalemate Johnson, Junior’s record in the 500 has been pretty solid over the past few years. He’s established himself as a Daytona 500 bridesmaid after finishing second in 2010, 2012, and 2013, and fans are left to question whether or not he’ll win it again.
Feel free to start the party early Dale Jr. fans, because not only will he run up front for the majority of the race, there’s an extremely strong chance he’ll wind up in victory lane. If the fall Talladega race is any indication, the 88 team can produce one heck of a restrictor plate package, and they will bring the best they have for race day. In the closing laps, Junior may methodically slice his way through the field and be the first driver to cross the start/finish line.
Jimmie Johnson won’t win, the No. 3 will be a serious contender, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. won’t be a bridesmaid this year. Right about now, 90 percent of the NASCAR fan base is grinning ear-to-ear, and they should keep grinning, because this is going to be an outstanding opener to an exceptionally exciting NASCAR season.
