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Fairy Tales Do Come True, Just Ask Trevor Bayne, Daytona 500 Winner

By
SM Staff
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Photo Credit: David Yeazell

For Trevor Bayne, fresh off his 20th birthday and in only his second race in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, dreams really do come true.  Bayne became the youngest winner of “The Great American Race”, the Daytona 500.

[media-credit name=”David Yeazell” align=”alignright” width=”281″][/media-credit]”I keep thinking I’m dreaming, I really do,” Bayne said in Victory Lane. “We said a prayer before the race and this just shows how powerful God is and the good job these guys did on this race car. This is just incredible.”

“I drove down here in my F150 and I was planning to drive back, but I think someone else will have to drive it back for me,” Bayne said, acknowledging that he must now do his Daytona 500 duties in New York City as the race winner. “I guess I will have to call someone to get some clothes down here.”

“This is so crazy,” Bayne continued. “I felt a little undeserving, but I’m just glad that I got to be the guy behind the wheel to get the win.”

Bayne’s team owners Eddie and Len Wood were beside themselves after the win. It was so emotional that they both, particularly Eddie Wood, had to stop talking several times to get their tears in check.

“It hasn’t really sunk in yet,” owner Eddie Wood said, with a hitch in his voice. “We’ve struggled just to make the Daytona 500.”

“It’s unbelievable we are sitting here,” Wood continued. “Trevor Bayne did such a good job. Now he is a Daytona 500 winner.”

Donnie Wingo, Bayne’s crew chief, was also elated at his driver and team’s success.

“I couldn’t be happier and the job the kid done today, you couldn’t ask for anything else,” Donnie Wingo, crew chief, said. “At the end, he did what he needed to do.”

“He just might be the next big deal.”

The race not only left Trevor Bayne and his car owners and crew chief shaking in disbelief, but many of the other drivers as well. There were a record 74 lead changes, a record 22 different race leaders, and a record 16 cautions in the event.

“I’ve never run one like that,” veteran Terry Labonte, driver of the No. 32 U.S. Chrome Ford Fusion, said. “It’s a good thing the race wasn’t much longer because we were about done.” Labonte finished the race in the 15th position.

Just as in the Bud Shootout and the Gatorade Duels, this running of the Daytona 500 necessitated a dance partner, with all cars running in the now familiar duo pack. The tandem racing put even more pressure on the spotters, who were not only having to guide their drivers around the track but strategize on the spotter stand as to who to partner up with next.

“It was a pretty crazy day overall,” Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 M&Ms Toyota, said. “Everything was just all over the place and pretty nuts.”

Busch had his own set of challenges, spinning early in the race on lap 4 after getting tagged by his pusher, who was at the time Michael Waltrip.  Busch managed to recover and snag a top-ten finish, scoring in the eighth spot.

Another major factor in the race was engine failure, especially given the hotter ambient temperature at Daytona. Both Kevin Harvick and Richard Childress Racing teammate Jeff Burton lost their engines, an anomaly for sure for ECR engines.

Harvick denied any forewarning of his engine failure, saying “No, it just let loose.”

“I just blew water out of the bottom of the thing,” Harvick continued. “I hadn’t done anything different.”

Burton echoed his teammate’s sentiments about the engine failure.

“We are asking a lot out of the engines here for sure,” Burton said. “These are tough situations. I thought we were well within our limits but maybe not.”

It would not be a Daytona 500 without the “big one” and this was delivered at lap 29 of the race.  Fourteen cars were involved, including three of the Hendrick teammates Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, and Mark Martin, taking them for the most part out of race contention.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr., in the spotlight due to the commemoration of the tenth anniversary of his father’s death at Daytona, also had a good run, at least until the final laps of the race when a crash took him out of contention. Earnhardt came in 24th, after claiming the pole, wrecking in practice, and starting from the rear of the field.

“We run good,” Earnhardt, Jr. said. “I had as much fun as I could under the circumstances. It was wild.”

Carl Edwards took the runner up spot to Bayne’s fairy tale ending.

“Trevor, he did a good job of blocking the bottom,” Edwards said. “All day we waited and waited, trying not to tear up the race car.”

“There at the end, it almost worked out perfectly,” Edwards continued. “We didn’t have a chance to be able to mount up a real charge on him.”

“I think that I can tell you that second place in the Daytona 500 feels way worse than any other position I’ve ever finished in the Daytona 500,” Edwards said. “But that is made better by listening to Trevor and how excited he is. He is really a nice young man, a great guy to represent this sport with this win.”

David Gilliland, veteran Bobby Labonte, and Kurt Busch rounded out the top five in “The Great American Race.” The rest of the top ten included Juan Pablo Montoya in sixth, Regan Smith in seventh, Kyle Busch in eighth, Paul Menard in ninth, and Mark Martin, who rebounded from the big one to finish tenth.

Unofficial Race Results

Daytona 500, Daytona International Speedway

February 20, 2011 – Race 1 of 36

Pos. St. No. Driver Make Pts. Bon. Laps Status
1 31 21 Trevor Bayne Ford 0 0 208 Running
2 12 99 Carl Edwards Ford 42 0 208 Running
3 5 34 David Gilliland Ford 41 0 208 Running
4 6 47 Bobby Labonte Toyota 41 1 208 Running
5 25 22 Kurt Busch Dodge 40 1 208 Running
6 4 42 Juan Montoya Chevrolet 39 1 208 Running
7 27 78 Regan Smith Chevrolet 38 1 208 Running
8 39 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 37 1 208 Running
9 1 27 Paul Menard Chevrolet 36 1 208 Running
10 34 5 Mark Martin Chevrolet 34 0 208 Running
11 35 43 A.J. Allmendinger Ford 34 1 208 Running
12 42 9 Bill Elliott Chevrolet 32 0 208 Running
13 3 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet 31 0 208 Running
14 18 6 David Ragan Ford 31 1 208 Running
15 37 32 Terry Labonte Ford 30 1 208 Running
16 16 7 Robby Gordon Dodge 29 1 208 Running
17 15 33 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 28 1 208 Running
18 2 1 Jamie McMurray Chevrolet 27 1 208 Running
19 29 56 Martin Truex Jr. Toyota 26 1 208 Running
20 36 77 Steve Wallace Toyota 0 0 208 Running
21 38 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota 24 1 208 Running
22 20 39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet 24 2 206 Running
23 11 20 Joey Logano Toyota 21 0 206 Running
24 13 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 21 1 202 Running
25 17 4 Kasey Kahne Toyota 19 0 199 Running
26 21 36 Dave Blaney Chevrolet 19 1 198 In Pit
27 24 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 17 0 189 Running
28 23 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 17 1 173 Running
29 8 2 Brad Keselowski Dodge 16 1 166 Running
30 10 0 David Reutimann Toyota 14 0 164 Running
31 30 83 Brian Vickers Toyota 13 0 160 Running
32 7 38 Travis Kvapil Ford 0 0 153 In Pit
33 33 71 Andy Lally * Chevrolet 11 0 149 Running
34 26 17 Matt Kenseth Ford 10 0 133 Running
35 14 16 Greg Biffle Ford 9 10 126 Running
36 32 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet 9 1 92 Out
37 19 9 Marcos Ambrose Ford 7 0 82 Running
38 40 37 Robert Richardson Jr. Ford 0 0 45 Running
39 22 87 Joe Nemechek Toyota 0 0 29 In Pit
40 9 115 Michael Waltrip Toyota 4 0 28 In Pit
41 41 192 Brian Keselowski* Dodge 3 0 28 Running
42 28 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 3 1 22 Out
43 43 46 J.J. Yeley Chevrolet 1 0 10 Out

Surprising and Not Surprising: Daytona 500

By
SM Staff
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The kickoff race for NASCAR, the Daytona 500, is always one of the biggest and most prestigious races of the season. Here is what was surprising and not surprising from the 53rd running of the Great American Race, the Daytona 500:

[media-credit name=”David Yeazell” align=”alignright” width=”250″][/media-credit]Surprising:  In a race that set the record for lead changes, different leaders, and cautions, the biggest surprise to all, including himself, was Trevor Bayne, channeling his inner David Pearson in the famed Wood Brothers No. 21 car, to take the checkered flag.  Bayne is the second youngest race winner, accomplishing the feat on the second green, white, checkered, even while running low on gas.

Bayne is the tenth different Ford driver to win the Daytona 500.  This was the youngster’s first win in only his second Cup Series start.

Not Surprising:  Carl Edwards, exhibiting great patience, came in the second spot. Edwards, however, took solace in “how nice a guy Trevor is” as he savored his runner up status.

“I don’t know if you guys noticed, but it was pretty wild out there today,” Edwards said. “But I was there at the end and that’s what I had to do.”

Surprising: It was indeed surprising that there were no Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, or Richard Childress Racing representatives in the top five finishing order. The story instead was one of the underdog teams, with the Wood Brothers, Front Row Motorsports and JTG Daugherty instead in the top five.

Not Surprising:   Dale Earnhardt, Jr. had a great day, leading laps and staying competitive.  Unfortunately, as has happened to Junior all too often, he was caught up in a tussle on the final laps, pushing him back to a 24th place finish.

Surprising:   Incredibly surprising was the amount of deal making prior to the race, as well as throughout the race itself. Crew chiefs and spotters were exchanging frequency numbers, and probably cell phone numbers, in the garage area so that they could communicate and work together during the race.  Even on the spotter’s stand, it was “like the New York Stock Exchange,” according to Darrell Waltrip, with deals aplenty being made.

Not Surprising:  All of this deal-making seemed to wreak some degree of havoc on the track, including some tandem drivers causing each other to wreck. Some of the drivers, crew chiefs, and spotters seemed almost lax on their primary responsibilities as they focused instead on coordinating with other drivers and teams.

The best example of this confusion was a radio exchange between Kyle Busch and defending Daytona 500 champion Jamie McMurray, who thought they would be working together until McMurray remembered that he had a deal with his teammate Juan Pablo Montoya.

Surprising:  One of the biggest surprises was the expiration of Team Childress engines. Kevin Harvick was the first to lose his engine, early in the race on lap 22. At about lap 96, teammate Jeff Burton lost his engine.

“We had just a 10 to 15 more degree oil temp that what we have been running,” Harvick said. “We never blow motors. Everybody at ECR does a great job.”

“We are asking a lot out of the engines here for sure,” Burton said. “I am disappointed. Exceptionally disappointed. But I am really proud of everybody.”

Not Surprising:  Daytona, infamous for the big one, had one of course.  Early in the race on lap 29, Michael Waltrip, former Daytona 500 winner, got into the back of his teammate David Reutimann and the big one was on.  Fourteen cars were involved in the crash, including the three Hendrick cars of Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, and Mark Martin. Other drivers involved were Joe Nemechek, Andy Lally, Brian Vickers, Marcos Ambrose, Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle, A J Allmendinger, and David Gilliland.

“Our chances to win the Daytona 500 are over,” Jeff Gordon said after the wreck. “It is such a bummer. We had such a fast race car, such a great race team.”

Surprising:  While it is the Daytona 500 and this is the first race of the season, the crowd on hand was healthy and the excitement in the air was palpable.  Hopefully the start is a harbinger for what is in store for NASCAR for the rest of the season.

Not Surprising:  Probably the most moving moment of the race occurred on lap 3, when the track went silent, except for the roar of the engines. The crowd stood as one, holding up three fingers in memory of the Intimidator.  There is no doubt Dale Earnhardt would have like that.

Second Really is the First Loser As Carl Edwards Discovers in the Daytona 500

By
SM Staff
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For the longest time Carl Edwards was considered a menace on the restrictor plate racetracks of Daytona and Talladega.

[media-credit name=”CIA Stock Photo” align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit]Three years ago Edwards started the ‘Big One’ at Talladega and a week later it led to a shoving and choking match between he and Kevin Harvick. Harvick wasn’t pleased with Edwards and called him a pansy. Edwards responded with by leaving a note in Harvick’s plane.

Sunday though, during the 53rd annual Daytona 500 it was Edwards who did everything right and came home second to rookie and Cinderella story Trevor Bayne. To many a second place finish is nothing to sneeze at but in the Daytona 500 it doesn’t mean much.

“I can tell you guys that second place in the Daytona 500 feels ways worse than any other position I’ve ever finished in the Daytona 500,” Edwards said afterwards.

“That is made better by listening to Trevor [Bayne] and how excited he is. He is a really nice young man and a great guy to represent this sport with this win.”

Edwards lead the charge for Roush-Fenway Racing. After Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle were knocked out of the race, Edwards and teammate David Ragan were able to preserve their cars and get to the front of the field for the frantic finish.

Ragan in fact, much like Biffle last year, was leading the Daytona 500 on the first attempt of a Green-White-Checkered finish. On the restart though he changed lanes before the start-finish line and was black-flagged by NASCAR. He finished 14th and said he would be going to NASCAR for clarification of what he did wrong.

Ragan’s mistake and coinciding caution cleared the way for Edwards to get a push from David Ragan all the way to third on the final lap. Coming off turn four Edwards had one chance at Bayne who perfected the block and won the race.

“David [Gilliland] just pushed me and that’s what we needed,” said Edwards.

“All day we waited and waited and tried not to tear up our racecar and there at the end it almost worked out perfectly. Trevor [Bayne] just blocked the bottom and that was a rocket and took off to the finish line and we didn’t have a chance to mount up a real charge on him.”

Edwards will be the point leader heading into the Phoenix International Speedway next weekend, where just three months ago he won. He also won the season ending race a week later to end the 2010 season on a high note. He’s picked right up where he left off.

“If we had gone to the high side I think we would have gone around them if we didn’t get broken up,” said Edwards in talking about he and Gilliland trying to get around Bayne and Bobby Labonte.

“I think I was pretty much in trouble no matter what,” Edwards thought.

“I think the experience of running with the chance to win these races is what I need to break through to the next level and win some of these restrictor plate races. I think I got some of that today.”

Behind Bayne and Edwards came Gilliland to help Ford pull off a 1-2-3 sweep of the Daytona 500. Much talk leading to the big race was how the Ford came had perfected their water-cooling system to help their cars be able to push a little bit longer than everyone else.

The RFR cars were on the top of a few lists to be contenders. Not only were they contenders, no driver using a Ford engine had to leave the race because of a blown engine.

“Doug Yates and those guys build great engines,” said Edwards, also saying the old engines were great as well. “Now that we have this new engine we may have a lot to look forward to.  That was a really good day for the engine. I don’t want to jinx it or anything but I’m really excited to run that engine for the whole year.”

Through all the good though, it won’t stop him though from trying to figure out what he could have done differently to make it three in a row.

“Right now this is going to be a long night for me,” revealed Edwards.

“I’m going to go back motorhome I’m going to watch the replay, I’m gonna think about 100 different things I could have done. I’m gonna think ‘Man, what would it have been like to win the race.’ BUT, when I roll into Phoenix next week I’m going to look at those points and go, ‘Hey, this is OK.’”

Edwards then continued, “We’ll go race the Daytona 500 again next year. There is a very, very bright side to our day today. We are going to have bad days but it’s nice to get out of this one considering the chaos that was going on, it is nice to get out of here with a great points run.”

53rd Daytona 500 Will Go Down As The Best In History

By
SM Staff
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This is the type of race that will bring NASCAR’s ratings back up. Jeff Gordon’s 14 year reign as being the youngest driver ever to win the Daytona 500 was abolished today as Trevor Bayne, who was just making his second career Cup start, held off 2000 Cup Series Champion Bobby Labonte and a furious charge from Carl Edwards and David Gilliland to win the 53rd Daytona 500. Gordon was just 25 when he won back in 1997 and Bayne completely blew that out of the water by 5 years winning it at 20.

[media-credit name=”David Yeazell” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]Many records were broken today and I honestly think that it is going to be extremely difficult to even come close to it again. There were a total of 74 lead changes, 22 leaders, and 16 caution flags over the course of 200 laps plus the two green-white-checkered scenarios. As a fan, I loved the race and it was so incredible to see Bayne win. At the same time, I was rooting for Bobby Labonte to get back in victory lane, but I knew that Labonte wouldn’t have pulled a move on a kid like Bayne to win the 500. Labonte finished second to Dale Earnhardt when he won his only 500 back in ’98. Tony Kornheiser would have considered this a fixed finish being the incompetent idiot he is.

This race will set the tone for the entire NASCAR season. All out exciting racing for 36 races of the year. While, I still voice my displeasure with the Chase system, I think the racing was much better than what we saw at last year’s Daytona 500. You have to have a fast car, know which people to draft with, and get lucky at times to pull such a feat off. Congratulations to Trevor Bayne and everyone on the Wood Brothers for an awesome win and the first win for the Wood Brothers since Elliott Sadler won the 2001 Food City 500. Their last win before that was in 1993 with Morgan Shepherd.

Let’s go through a recap of the race. Dale Earnhardt Jr. did win the pole, but after a crash in practice, he started from the rear. Jeff Gordon would start from the pole, but immediately would get passed because his car wasn’t very quick on restarts.

The first yellow flew early after Michael Waltrip spun around Kyle Busch going into Turn 1. Busch and Waltrip were both able to continue.

J.J. Yeley raced his way into the Daytona 500, but sadly only lasted 10 laps because his engine blew and about 12 laps after that incident we saw 2007 winner Kevin Harvick, who had led some laps at that point, lost his engine as well. It was shock to a lot of fans because Harvick won 3 of the 4 races held at Daytona last year, including the Budweiser Shootout.

A 14 car crash on Lap 28 was triggered when Michael Waltrip, yet again, spun out his own driver heading into Turn 3. Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson were among the drivers who suffered heavy damage. Johnson and Gordon finished 27th and 28th, respectively. Johnson has not finished inside the Top 20 in the 500 since his win back in 2006.

Brad Keselowski was later wrecked when he and Robby Gordon got together and that landed Brad in 29th.

A bump from Kurt Busch sent Regan Smith for a ride, but that also involved Ryan Newman, Denny Hamlin, and Clint Bowyer. It was really a tough break for Newman because he did lead the most laps in the race.

The race would come down to a pair of green-white-checkered finishes and David Gilliland got Robby Gordon super sideways, but he saved it. As he found a place back on the track, Ryan Newman was body slammed by A.J. Allmendinger right into Martin Truex Jr.(literally) and Dale Jr. had nowhere to go and spun and hit the outside wall. This eliminates the bogus theory from Tony Kornheiser that NASCAR is fixed.

Trevor Bayne held them off on the final restart to win the race, but you also have to feel for David Ragan, whom at the time was the leader at that first restart, but he didn’t maintain his position until he crossed the start finish line and his chances at winning were ruined. It was great to see Bobby Labonte back up there fighting for a win. Labonte hasn’t had a legitimate shot to win a race since 2005. To make things even better, Labonte and Carl Edwards are tied for the points lead going into Phoenix because Bayne is only earning Nationwide Series points for this season. I don’t think Labonte has led the points since his championship season in 2000.

With that being said, I cannot wait for next weekend’s race in Phoenix. I will be at a hockey tournament on the day before, so I will be able to make the race in time. If you have any questions, please drop me an email at therhino.ryan@gmail.com, Facebook, or my Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/RyanOHaraNASCAR Thank you and congratulations to Trevor Bayne!

Danica Patrick’s ‘Little Victories’ in Strengthening Her NASCAR Career

By
SM Staff
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The words from last year continue on into the 2011 season for Danica Patrick. What she needs are “little victories,” things to remind her that she is progressing in NASCAR and learning more and more each weekend.

In Saturday’s race, she did just that.[media-credit name=”Jared C. Tilton” align=”alignright” width=”217″][/media-credit]

Taking the green flag from the fourth position, she dropped back while others paired up and moved forward with the field. As an inexperienced stock-car driver, the trust veterans had in her drafting skills was weak, most blasting by her within seconds.

Frustration set in. Dropping like a rock to mid-pack, no one looking to pick up and push a driver with only 13 NASCAR races under her belt.

“That just showed me (the two-car draft) is what you gotta do and that’s what they did up front all day.” She said after climbing from her race car, free of any wreckage of the day.

While she finished 14th, a position not representative of how fast and competitive her car was throughout the race, it didn’t all end without a positive.

Almost 30 laps into the DRIVE4COPD 300, skilled veteran Clint Bowyer gave her a shot.

“You look for fast cars,” Bowyer said. “I’m telling you, when you’re racing in that kind of atmosphere, you got to find a fast race car and meet up with it. I knew she had a fast car, and we’d go to the front.”

And he was right. Together they were completing 46 second laps around the two and a half mile oval, blazing fast compared to laps laid down in practice and qualifying.

He pushed her car to the lead, passing cars that led the field through most of the race as they stayed paired up with each other.

With that, she became the first female to lead a lap at Daytona International Speedway in a NASCAR-sanctioned event…a big accomplishment and “little victory” for Danica in the midst of only her second year racing on a partial NASCAR schedule.

Bowyer hung onto the rear of her car for a good few laps before pulling away to cool the car down.

“I was going to push her up to the front, and I did until I got hot and I had to switch,” Bowyer stated.

Its believed that it was a problem between spotters that completely ended the draft between them.

“I was yelling at my spotter, ‘Go find her spotter.’ And I guess he (Patrick’s spotter) didn’t think she needed to be doing that because he wasn’t paying attention.”

That was when Bowyer joked for his spotter to throw her spotter off the stand.

He ended his statements about the pairing with, “She did a good job, today.” Earning respect from veterans is one step in her NASCAR career, a very important one to accomplish to be competitive in future races.

“I really ran up front most of the day. I’m probably not to the point where if I pull out, people are going, ‘OK, she’s going, I’m going.”

She knows the process from rookie to veteran from her IndyCar career, though, the trust factor comes much more into play on a super-speedway where drivers depend on one-another to push them across the finish line.

“That takes a while to earn the trust and respect of the other drivers. I’m not mad at that, it’s just going to take time.”

With a repeat visit scheduled for the July Daytona race, that’s exactly what its going to take: time and effort to make friends within NASCAR outside of her teammates.

Clearly, today many saw her as competitive and as having a fast car, but the trust issue is what it comes down to. Will she spin me out? Will she slow down and send me crashing into the wall?

The questions that may haunt a NASCAR driver as they pull up on an inexperienced driver, or see one appear in their rear-view mirror are never-ending.

While many may have wanted to give her the chance to hit the front of the pack, only a few took the risk.

When it comes down to it, her next race in Daytona will be set up very similar, and if things play out the way they did today, she may be a force to be reckoned with come that night.

Experience. Trust. Confidence. Three things a driver looks for in their “dancing partner,” so while she may have been competitive and fast, it’ll take time for other drivers to see that and grow to a trust-level of pushing her car to the front of the pack.

Dale Earnhardt Sr.; 10 Years Later And The Legend Lives On

By
SM Staff
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Throughout the years, the world of sports and entertainment has seen its share of fallen heroes, those who in one way or another touched the lives of those around them. Whether in person or watching on television , these legends were the backbone of the culture as we grew up. Many times, we watched them while thinking what it would be like to walk in their shoes.

At times, we tried to fulfill our  dreams by mimicking what it was that made them famous. Life has always been about the journey, with the focus being on reaching the final destination,  knowing that we gave it our best.  From time to time, each of one us have experienced life’s many crises from the different changing events and transitions, all unpredictable moments arriving and intruding into our “well groomed” lives.

We didn’t ask for this interference, and sometimes we find ourselves wondering why it has arrived, bringing with it havoc and confusion. Along with the havoc and confusion, there is one hell of an adventure that is waiting to explode right before our very eyes. The journey that Dale Earnhardt Sr. embarked on is one that, even today, is still one the most talked about subjects whenever the word NASCAR is mentioned.

Ralph Dale Earnhardt Sr. was born April 29, 1951. A NASCAR legend to some, but yet to his family, he was a son, father, brother, and also a husband. Earnhardt was the epitome of what NASCAR racing is all about, and whether you loved him or hated him, the legacy he left behind continues to be the topic of discussion when the season begins at Daytona. With a twinkle in his eye, and a devilish grin on his face, Earnhardt pushed and shoved his way into NASCAR super stardom.

Call it what you want—passion, infatuation, enthusiasm, or just a plain and simple love for the sport. Our modern dictionary is full of words that can be used to describe the enormous impact—good or bad—that this one driver alone has had in the NASCAR series. His highly aggressive driving style made him a fan favorite, which was how he earned his nicknames, “Old Iron Head,” “The Man in Black,” and of course the most famous of all, “The Intimidator.”

Excellence and dedication on and off the track were two of his biggest strengths, along with the zeal to be the best driver. He was tenacious when it came to accomplishing the goals that he set before himself, and very seldom did he ever fall short of achieving what most other drivers could only dream of. NASCAR to him was a way of life, as well as a world that he would dominate in his own special way.

Never has a driver come from such a simple lifestyle to steal hearts—as well as crush a few—on his way to becoming one the sport’s most recognizable figures. His popularity wasn’t constrained to just motorsports alone, and his reputation took him beyond the NASCAR walls and into the limelight of everyday sports. Earnhardt was born a legend, and to this day his name is mentioned amongst some of the greatest sports stars from around the world.

Throughout his storybook career, he took every advantage, as well as the gifts that were given to him, in order to give back to the sport and the fans who gave him so much. Earnhardt’s love for the sport allowed him to become one of NASCAR’s most popular ambassadors, even to the point that fans from across the country are always trying to compare him to the next up and coming star.

Earnhardt not only believed in himself, but he also believed in his own abilities by taking many chances other drivers would frown upon. The Intimidator’s greatness was portrayed in those who chose him as their own hero, even though there were fans who couldn’t find it in their hearts to overlook his aggressive driving style. Either way, “The Intimidator” continued to take NASCAR by storm, while catapulting the sport into the homes of motorsports fanatics around the country, because of his uncompromising driving abilities, which were admired by those who witnessed them.

The word “quit” was never found in his vocabulary, nor could anyone quench the fire that burned deep within his heart to always be the best. Many drivers who come through the series leave some sort of footprint for the next generation driver to follow. These special sets of prints have yet to be followed though because of the legacy hidden deep within the soles, which Earnhardt’s accomplishments made him one of NASCAR’s most decorated drivers. All you had to do is put an ear to them, and almost magically you could listen to history being spoken in a small, still voice.

On a warm, sunlit day back on Feb. 18, 2001, Dale Earnhardt Sr. would buckle himself into his famous black, grey, and red No. 3 Goodwrench-sponsored Chevrolet, just as he had done many times during his 22-year legendary career. Earnhardt had the look of a proud father, knowing that his son Dale Jr. would also be in the starting field. The elder Earnhardt’s life had really taken a turn for the better; The Intimidator was ready to make history, but not the kind that he and Teresa ever thought imaginable.

This would be the last of their customary kiss before each race, because her life too would be changed forever before the end of the day. The green flag waved to start the 43rd running of the Great American race, along with being the biggest audience to ever see a NASCAR race, the fans would also witness one of the biggest blows to a modern day sports hero.

Who could ever forget the words of Mike Helton: “This has to be one of the toughest announcements that I have personally had to make. After the accident in turn four of the Daytona 500, we have lost Dale Earnhardt.” He was gone in the twinkling of an eye doing what he loved best, driving a race car. We all waited for him to walk away and wave to the crowd that he was alright, but instead to the shock of all who witnessed it, this was one that not even “The Intimidator” and “The Man in Black” would be able to survive.

Daytona had taken the sport’s biggest hero, on the first race of what was to be the beginning of NASCAR finally making it to the national spotlight. I guess God had better plans for him, or maybe he just wanted Dale all to himself. Earnhardt would go down as one of Daytona’s biggest heroes, while being honored with a statue out front holding his most prized possession.

His infamous black and red paint scheme with the white No. 3 is still to this day, one of the most famous cars in all of NASCAR history. Death is eminent in any sport, especially when you take into consideration how dangerous NASCAR racing is, because of the high speeds these 3,500-pound cars travel. When the Grim Reaper comes knocking at your door, there is no escaping his deadly grip, since he has no respect for who is next on the list.

Earnhardt never reached his final destination; instead he continued his journey looking down from the heavens above. Legends never rest in peace, instead they keep giving as long as the fans are willing to remember.

NASCAR Drivers and Teams Guardian Angels for Paralyzed Veterans of America

By
SM Staff
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NASCAR Kurt Busch, Martin Truex, Jr., A J Allmendinger, Brad Keselowski and team owners Richard Petty and Roger Penske are used to competing out on the race track.  But this weekend they were deemed guardian angels instead to the Paralyzed Veterans of America.

“Honestly, these NASCAR drives and owners are guardian angels,” Randy Pleva, a paralyzed veteran from West Virginia and a volunteer leader with the PVA, said. “We know we can count on them and I know that they just won’t wash their hands of us ever.”

[media-credit id=11 align=”alignright” width=”240″][/media-credit]The new Paralyzed Veterans of America initiative, supported by NASCAR, is called ‘Mission Able’.  This effort will focus on bringing awareness to the needs of veterans who have served their country but have returned home with some sort of disability due to a war injury.

Kurt Busch, who has participating in a karting race, The King’s Cup, to benefit PVA shared why he was involved with the organization.

“I’ve been working with some military groups this year,” Busch said. “It’s a mind blowing experience to see what these men and women have been through. To have Penske Racing teamed up with PVA means so much.”

“This is my first year with PVA,” Martin Truex, Jr., driver of the No. 56 Toyota for Michael Waltrip Racing, said. “The things the military does for us, it goes unsaid how much we appreciate it.”

“They make the ultimate sacrifice for us to do the things we love,” Truex, Jr. continued. “We wouldn’t be here racing in the greatest country in the world. This is just a small thing that we can do that, when they come back from battle, there is someone battling to take care of them.”

One of the longest partners on the PVA team, at least on the NASCAR driver’s side, A J Allmendinger, was glad to have some new teammates in assisting the organization. Allmendinger donated space for the PVA logo on his Rolex car when he raced at Daytona to call attention to the new PVA program ‘Mission Able.’

“For me, it’s just an honor to be a part of the PVA,” Allmendinger said. “Every year I’ve gotten to run the PVA paint scheme during the Fourth of July.  That is a big honor.”

“The PVA has been a big part of the King and I’ve been honored to work with the great people of the PVA,” Allmendinger continued. “What they do for this country, you can’t even put into words. When they come back, we’ve got to take care of them.”

Brad Keselowski is also in tune with the needs of paralyzed veterans.  His new foundation has focused on wounded warriors and those who have sacrificed.

“If you look back to the history of NASCAR, a lot of it was started by folks that had served,” Keselowski said. “So NASCAR has a long, storied tradition of being involved with the military. Today this announcement is their next evolution and I’m proud to be a part of it.”

Keselowski also shared a personal story of a friend who was wounded by and IED.

“You see how real it is,” Keselowski said. “And you wonder who will be taking care of him. It’s very special what the PVA does.”

“It’s a pleasure for me to be here today,” Roger Penske, team owner and new PVA partner, said. “The men and women who serve our country are a big family as is the NASCAR family.”

Fellow team owner, Richard Petty, a long time supporter of PVA also weighed in on why he feels so passionately about this organization and ‘Mission Able.’

“It is the right thing to do,” Petty said. “We need to help however we can to raise money and awareness so that our military and veterans can live the lives they deserve.”

For PVA, they again reiterated how much the NASCAR partnership has meant to their organization.

“We are pleased to have these NASCAR drivers supporting our mission,” Bill Lawson, National President of PVA, said. “With their help, we will be able to continue changing the lives of our wounded heroes.”

Tony Stewart Edges Clint Bowyer for One, Two KHI Nationwide Punch at Daytona

By
SM Staff
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[media-credit id=22 align=”alignright” width=”246″][/media-credit]In the third closest finish in Nationwide racing history at Daytona, Tony Stewart edged out Kevin Harvick Inc. teammate Clint Bowyer by .007 seconds to win the DRIVE4COPD 300.

This is Stewart’s 10th NASCAR Nationwide victory in 91 races and his sixth victory at Daytona International Speedway.

“Wow is the first thing,” Stewart said simply when asked about his win. “We got to the front pretty early and once we got to Clint (Bowyer), we knew we would be a pretty potent combination.”

“We knew it was going to be between the KHI cars and the Gibbs cars,” Stewart continued. “We were sacrificing the speed to get air in the grille. You didn’t really know which strategy was best”

“We had the caution and the flat tire,” Stewart said. “I didn’t realize we had as many cars a lap down, but that is what saved us.”

Clint Bowyer, behind the wheel of the No. 33 Rheem Heating Cooling Chevrolet, came up just short of accomplishing the victory. Bowyer, who posted his 10th top-10 finish at Daytona, started the race from the pole.

“A lot of work goes into these race cars for this place,” Bowyer said. “Hats off to these guys for sitting on the pole and I had a car capable of being up front and winning the race.”

“The race was a little bit slow,” Bowyer said. “But then I found my dancing partner and we were able to make some ground and have some fun with the No. 18 and the No. 20.”

Bowyer said that he was glad to see Dale Earnhardt, Jr. at the front in his Chevrolet and the two were able to work their way toward the front. Earnhardt, Jr. finished in the fourth position.

“What do you do?” Bowyer said, reliving the end of the race. “I tried to block and then all hell broke loose. Awesome ending and that’s the thing that’s so much fun about this place. No matter what the race is, the ending is always great.”

Bowyer also worked with JR Motorsports driver Danica Patrick during the race, at one point pushing her to the front. Patrick finished the race in her No. 7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet in the 14th position.

“Why not put her in the show?” Bowyer said of his push. “She did a good job today.”

One of the best finishes was for young driver Landon Cassill, piloting the No. 1 Phoenix Construction Chevy. Cassill managed to finish in the third position right behind both of the KHI teammates.

“It was just a crazy day,” Cassill said. “We didn’t draft at all in practice today, so it was a learn on the fly deal.”

“Towards the end there Tony got lined up behind me on the restart and pushed me through,” Cassill continued. “I just followed directions and when we had to swap with two to go, I was just glad to push him.”

“James Finch gave me this race as a gift pretty much for running his Cup car last year,” Cassill said.  “I wouldn’t be here without James Finch. He got me back in the sport.”

NASCAR confirmed that Cassill is now the official points leader, by just two points over Reed Sorenson,in the Nationwide Series. Ironically, the driver shared that he does not even have a ride lined up for the next race of the season.

“I don’t have a ride next week, so I’m just going to bask in this for the next seven days,” Cassill said of his points lead. “But if I don’t get a ride, Reed (Sorenson) will be back in the lead.”

The potential points leader, Reed Sorenson, driver of the No. 32 Dollar General Chevy, scored a top five finish. Sorenson thought this was “pretty good”, especially since he was racing against so many Cup drivers.

“The 4 and the 1 came down and we had to check up,” Sorenson said of the last lap of his race. “That pretty much ended our run. We were coming and we were going to have a shot to at least finish second or third or fourth there.”

“This is my first time racing and it’s pretty much what I expected,” Sorenson said of the new racing style. “I guess we’re going to have to get used to it.”

Jason Leffler, Kyle Busch, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., Michael Waltrip, and Trevor Bayne rounded out the top ten for the DRIVE4COPD 300.

Unofficial Race Results

DRIVE4COPD 300, Daytona Int’l Speedway

February 19, 2011 – Race 1 of 34

Pos. St. No. Driver Make Pts. Bon. Laps Status
1 – 4 Tony Stewart Chevrolet 0 0 120 Running
2 – 33 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 0 0 120 Running
3 – 1 Landon Cassill Chevrolet 41 0 120 Running
4 – 5 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 0 0 120 Running
5 – 32 Reed Sorenson Chevrolet 39 0 120 Running
6 – 30 Jason Leffler Chevrolet 38 0 120 Running
7 – 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 0 0 120 Running
8 – 6 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Ford 36 0 120 Running
9 – 99 Michael Waltrip Toyota 0 0 120 Running
10 – 16 Trevor Bayne Ford 35 1 120 Running
11 – 38 Kasey Kahne Chevrolet 0 0 120 Running
12 – 20 Joey Logano Toyota 0 0 120 Running
13 – 19 Mike Bliss Chevrolet 31 0 120 Running
14 – 7 Danica Patrick Chevrolet 31 1 120 Running
15 – 87 Joe Nemechek Toyota 29 0 120 Running
16 – 51 Jeremy Clements Chevrolet 28 0 120 Running
17 – 52 Bobby Santos Chevrolet 27 0 120 Running
18 – 15 Todd Bodine Toyota 0 0 120 Running
19 – 88 Aric Almirola Chevrolet 25 0 120 Running
20 – 66 Steve Wallace Toyota 24 0 118 Running
21 – 5 David Starr Chevrolet 0 0 118 Running
22 – 70 Shelby Howard Chevrolet 22 0 118 Running
23 – 81 Donnie Neuenberger Dodge 21 0 118 Running
24 – 141 Patrick Sheltra Ford 20 0 118 Running
25 – 28 Derrike Cope Chevrolet 19 0 118 Running
26 – 89 Morgan Shepherd Chevrolet 18 0 117 Running
27 – 31 Justin Allgaier Chevrolet 17 0 116 Running
28 – 9 Kenny Wallace Toyota 16 0 115 Running
29 – 60 Carl Edwards Ford 0 0 107 Running
30 – 22 Brad Keselowski Dodge 0 0 105 Running
31 – 39 Josh Wise Ford 13 0 103 Running
32 – 23 Robert Richardson Jr. Dodge 12 0 103 In Pit
33 – 14 Eric McClure Chevrolet 11 0 95 Running
34 – 11 Brian Scott Toyota 10 0 70 In Pit
35 – 40 Scott Wimmer Chevrolet 9 0 57 Out
36 – 12 Sam Hornish Jr. Dodge 8 0 53 In Pit
37 – 1 Mike Wallace Chevrolet 8 1 51 Running
38 – 2 Elliott Sadler Chevrolet 6 0 45 Running
39 – 62 Michael Annett Toyota 5 0 26 In Pit
40 – 44 Jeff Green Chevrolet 4 0 18 In Pit
41 – 24 Kevin Lepage Ford 3 0 12 In Pit
42 – 27 J.R. Fitzpatrick Ford 2 0 10 In Pit
43 – 25 Kelly Bires Ford 1 0 5 In Pit

Jeff Gordon Spotter Jeff Dickerson Is Home With Hendrick Motorsports

By
SM Staff
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In the early part of the 2010 season, Jeff Dickerson was on the spotter’s stand for driver Kyle Busch, a former Hendrick Motorsport team member.  But a change was made midway in the season and Dickerson returned home to HMS to spot for four-time champion Jeff Gordon.

[media-credit id=22 align=”alignright” width=”267″][/media-credit]Dickerson is most excited to be reunited with crew chief Alan Gustafson, Busch’s former crew chief while at Hendrick.  Gustafson was part of the major crew chief swap at Hendrick Motorsports, moving from the pit box of Mark Martin to Jeff Gordon.

“Alan Gustafson is one of my true loves in that garage,” Dickerson said.  “He is responsible for my success in this sport as much as anybody.  So to be reunited with him and those guys, it’s kind of like going home.”

“It didn’t really take much to get re-acclimated with those guys because those relationships never really ended,” Dickerson continued.  “That’s really just been a lot of fun.”

“Alan and I approach the race the same,” Dickerson said.  “He taught me everything I know.”

As far as working with driver Jeff Gordon, Dickerson is feeling equally at home on the spotter’s stand.

“Everything’s been good,” Dickerson said. “I’m obviously excited as everybody to get a chance at that championship.  But we have to close some races out.”

“Last year, we were so close to winning some races and we couldn’t close them out.  Hopefully we can get that monkey off our back.”

Dickerson said that his transition to Gordon was made most easy by the driver himself.

“Jeff basically said for me to do my deal and he would figure it out,” Dickerson said.  “When they came and got me Jeff was looking for something different so he has done a really good job adapting to me.  He’s really made a nice soft landing for me.”

“Any feedback that he has for me is in real time,” Dickerson continued.  “He is very open as far as feedback from me as far as what he needs to be doing.  No one is worried about hurting anyone’s feelings.  We’re just always trying to learn.”

As at home with Jeff Gordon that Dickerson feels, he is definitely not feeling comfortable quite yet with the style of racing that has presented itself so far at Daytona.

“We’re all still learning about this tandem racing,” Dickerson said.  “I’m as curious as anybody how this is going to go with 43 of us out there.  The cars on the race track are also still trying to figure that out.”

Dickerson is also trying to figure out just how to make the appropriate deals up on the spotters’ stand that will most benefit his driver and team.

“In the past, it was let’s make a deal, but you knew you were going to get screwed,” Dickerson said.  “If it was one big pack, you could jump in and jump out and everything was great.”

“But now when you make a deal with someone, you sit in tandem and it’s a deal,” Dickerson continued.  “Now you need somebody more than you needed them before.”

Dickerson described the spotters’ stand at Daytona as basically a “train wreck” given this new style of racing.

“You’re running around making deals with whoever the guy is that’s ahead or behind or who is lined up behind you,” Dickerson said.  “We’re all running into each other just trying to adapt.”

Dickerson also predicted that the partnerships that are formed in the Daytona 500 will last throughout most of the race.  This very situation occurred in Gordon’s duel, where he worked with young Trevor Bayne throughout, only to get caught up in a wreck at the end of the race.

“I think Trevor Bayne did a great job,” Dickerson said.  “Can you only imagine being that old and having Jeff Gordon coming to you saying ‘Hey bud, we’re going to be working together today?’  It was just unfortunate that we all got caught up there in the end but he kept his poise.”

“It could have been David Pearson in the car,” Dickerson continued.  “He looked beyond his years.  There’s been a lot of great guys that have run that car and it looked like anyone of them was in there.  He did a great job.”

“Jeff would have no problem working with him again.”

Unfortunately the two working together did not last during the final laps of the race.  Both Bayne and Gordon wrecked, with Bayne finishing 19th and Gordon finishing in the 12th position.

“We were very fortunate to get through that with what we got,” Dickerson said.  “We’re really lucky because we could have been in the same position that the 88 is having to start at the back.  And that’s not what you want to do when you’re guaranteed a starting spot from the front row in this deal.”

When Sunday rolls around and the Daytona 500 gets underway, Dickerson said that what he will be most surprised about is if the cars can really run like they did in the duel races for 500 miles.

“I will be surprised if these guys can do this for 500 miles,” Dickerson said. “I am also curious to see how we are going to do that with 43 guys out there.”

“It’s going to be as intense and crazy as you’ve ever seen.”

Dickerson will get the opportunity to see just how intense the racing will be when he takes the spotter’s stand for America’s Super Bowl of racing.

Until then, he will continue to savor his homecoming with the No. 24 team and his Hendrick Motorsports family.

Emotional win for Waltrip

By
SM Staff
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Michael Waltrip passed Elliott Sadler heading to the finish line in Friday nights NextEra Energy Resources 250 Camping World Truck Series race at Daytona International Speedway.

[media-credit name=”David Yeazell” align=”alignright” width=”237″][/media-credit]This was Waltrip’s first truck series victory, 10 years to the day after his first Daytona 500 victory and on the anniversary of his former boss’ death, Dale Earnhardt.

It was a very emotional win for Waltrip and had tears in his eyes as he talked about what this win meant.

“I came here to celebrate his life with my black truck and my No. 15 car.  I didn’t come here to celebrate a win.” Waltrip said.

Jennifer Jo Cobb finished sixth and also became the highest finish in the Truck Series for a woman.

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