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  • Daytona 500 Review: The Good, The Bad, and The Jet Dryer

    Daytona 500 Review: The Good, The Bad, and The Jet Dryer

    The 2012 Daytona 500 is one that will go down in history as being the longest and most bizarre races of all time. The race was post-poned on two occasions due to a downpour of rain. The race was originally scheduled to start at 1pm est. on Sunday, but was rescheduled for noon on Monday. When the rain continued to flood Daytona the following day, NASCAR was forced to post-pone the race again until 7pm est. Monday night. An estimated 140,000 fans showed up for the event and got their monies worth.

    The Good

    Matt Kenseth Excels in Daytona: Matt Kenseth started out the season with a bang, winning the second Gatorade Duel race and qualifying in fourth position for the Daytona 500. He led the race two times throughout the night for 50 laps total, but most importantly led the last lap to take his second win in the Great American Race. The 2012 season marks the 25th anniversary for Roush Fenway Racing and Kenseth’s win gave RFR their 300th career win.

    Denny Hamlin is back: After a rough and rocky ending to the 2011 season, Denny Hamlin was ready to close the book and start the 2012 season with a fresh outlook. He began that outlook with a new championship winning crew chief, Darian Grubb. They started speedweeks off well, finishing in 5th position in the Bud Shootout. The FedEx Toyota qualified in the 37th position for the Daytona 500, but quickly made that up, going on to lead the race. Hamlin led for 57 laps, earning the 3M Lap Leader award of the race. He also won the USG Improving The Finish award for gaining 27 positions, the most gained during the race. Overall, the No. 11 team finished the race in fourth position.

    Greg Biffle exceeds expectations: After a win-less 2011 season and a disappointing 16th place finish in the championship standings, Greg Biffle was at the top of the leader board at Daytona. He started out speedweeks finishing in sixth position in the Bud Shootout and qualifying on the outside pole for the Daytona 500, along-side his teammate Carl Edwards. He led the race on eight different occasions for a total of 44 laps. On the last lap, while running second, he was passed by Dale Earnhardt Jr to bring home a third place finish in the Great American Race.

    The Bad

    Danica Patrick has rocky NASCAR start:IndyCar turned NASCAR star Danica Patrick did not have her entrance to the Cup series go as planned. I think the media was more saddened over this than Patrick herself. Patrick started the race in the 29th position after taking a hard crash in the Gatorade Duels. The Daytona 500 wasn’t much better for the rookie after being a victim of someone else’s wreck on the second lap of the race. The No. 7 Go Daddy team was able to repair the car and get her back out on the track to finish in 38th position.[media-credit name=”Tom Pennington/Getty Images for NASCAR” align=”alignright” width=”274″][/media-credit]

    Jimmie Johnson starts the season on a sour note: Jimmie Johnson’s Daytona experience was an overall unsuccessful week. On February 17th, the No. 48 car failed initial inspection, resulting in NASCAR confiscating the C-pillars on the car. In the Bud Shootout he was caught up in a late race multi-car incident, leaving him to finish in 14th position. After being involved in a crash on Lap 2 of the Daytona 500, Johnson came home with a 42nd place finish. Unfortunately, the disappointment continued after leaving Daytona.

    NASCAR announced Wednesday that the No. 48 team was in violation of Sections 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing); 12-4J (any determination by NASCAR officials that race equipment used in the event does not conform to NASCAR rules detailed in Section 20 of the rule book or has not been approved by NASCAR prior to the event); and 20-2.1E (if in the judgment of NASCAR officials, any part or component of the car not previously approved by NASCAR that has been installed or modified to enhance aerodynamic performance will not be permitted — unapproved car body modifications).

    Crew chief Chad Knaus and car chief Ron Malec are suspended for the next six Sprint Cup Series championship events and have been placed on NASCAR probation until May 9th. Knaus was also fined $100,000. Johnson and car owner Jeff Gordon have been penalized with the loss of 25 driver and owner points, respectively. As a result of the penalty, Johnson is now 23 points in the negative after earning just two points with his 42nd place finish in the Daytona 500. The team will appeal the penalty, allowing Knaus and Malec to attend the race at Phoenix this weekend.

    And, The Jet Dryer

    With 40 laps remaining in the Daytona 500, the race took a very unexpected turn. While under caution, a suspension piece on Juan Pablo Montoya’s No. 42 car broke, causing the car’s brakes to lock up. This sent Montoya spinning and crashing violently into a jet dryer truck that was on the race track. Jet dryer trucks carry an estimated 200 gallons of jet fuel, which caused a fiery explosion immediately upon impact.

    Thankfully both Montoya and the driver of the truck walked away from the incident without any major injuries. The fire from the incident took several long, frightening minutes to contain. NASCAR used Tide laundry detergent to clean the spilled fuel off of the track surface. Fans were then again forced to sit through a two hour red flag period waiting for the track to be cleaned. During the red flag, drivers were parked on the backstretch, providing the fans with a bird’s eye view of their favorite driver.

    In finishing the Daytona 500 around one o’clock in the morning, NASCAR teams had their week cut short in preparation for the next race. Teams will head to Phoenix International Raceway this weekend and leave the madness of Daytona in their rear-view mirror.

  • Matt Kenseth — The Rodney Dangerfield of the Circuit

    Matt Kenseth — The Rodney Dangerfield of the Circuit

    [media-credit name=”Credit: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images for NASCAR” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]The Daytona 500 was quite a show. Not only was the race postponed because of rain, but it caused Daytona International Speedway and NASCAR to hold the first ever prime time night 500 in history. That’s big stuff. There was rain and there was fire (had to change that so James Taylor wouldn’t sue), but the same old thing I’ve harped on for ages was present.

    Restrictor plate racing will always stick in my craw, no matter how much the general public loves it. It’s simply not racing. It better resembles a demolition derby within a race. Sorry, but that’s the way I feel.

    I know many find this racing exciting and probably because of the close racing and, unfortunately, the wrecks, but I just don’t see it. I’ve lost that argument long ago, so no more about that, but the result and the finish was wonderful. In the end, we had a classic battle between two teammates and the most popular driver. In the end, the “unnoticed one,” better known as Matt Kenseth, won going away in a car that doesn’t even have enough sponsorship to finish the season. Jack Roush says the car will be in every race, but the sponsorship isn’t there. What is it about Matt Kenseth that sponsors do not like?

    Kenseth came on the scene and beat Dale Earnhardt, Jr. in a battle for the Nationwide Series Championship way back when. He busted on the scene and won a Sprint Cup race his first year. He’s won over 20 times since. Unlike more popular drivers like Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon (not to mention Junior), Matt doesn’t talk much. Reading PR from Chevrolet, Johnson and Gordon can speak paragraphs about any subject. Long sentences and lots of comments are the rule and Matt answers questions and moves on. He prefers his driving to do the talking. And yet, Kenseth is always competitive. If not for that little problem with Brian Vickers at the end of last year, the Chase might have been a three-way race instead of the two man race we had.

    Then, to take away from Kenseth’s great win, we had the fire. If it wasn’t enough that we had rain on the first race of the season, a freak accident became the main focus of the race. Juan Montoya had a suspension part break that caused him to crash into a jet dryer which produced a terrifying fireball. It took nearly two hours to put out the fire and clean the track. Will anyone remember Matt Kenseth win his second Daytona 500? No. But the fire? Absolutely. Talk about bad luck, but that’s been the case with Kenseth his whole career.

    He won the Sprint Cup Championship in 2003 with his consistency, but the fact that he only won one race, might have caused NASCAR to move to its own playoff system known as the Chase. His first Daytona 500 victory was rain shortened. Maybe he’s the Rodney Dangerfield of racing. He gets no respect, despite his exemplary record.

    One last thing. NASCAR ruled on the rules infraction for the No. 48 team today. The result was suspension of crew chief Chad Knaus and the car chief for six races and probation and a huge fine for Knaus beyond that. The team and driver Jimmie Johnson were penalized 25 points making them -25 for the season. Many think the punishment is too harsh since the car failed inspection before practice. Rick Hendrick thinks that since the same car (or so he says) passed inspection four times without problems, that the penalty is bogus. He is appealing the penalty, but we all know how this has gone on in the past. The suspension will stand when NASCAR gets around to hearing the appeal. It may make Knaus available for Phoenix, but you can bet he’ll be gone for some races sooner or later. I don’t know why they bother. Maybe it’s to lessen the blow, but I think the penalty was less than expected given the history of this team.

  • NOTES FROM THE NASCAR NATION: FUN IN THE VALLEY OF THE SUN

    NOTES FROM THE NASCAR NATION: FUN IN THE VALLEY OF THE SUN

    [media-credit name=”Phoenixinternationalraceway.com” align=”alignright” width=”281″][/media-credit]After a long, and even bizarre, weekend at Daytona, the elite of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will be criss crossing the country to the valley of the sun for three hundred plus laps on the Phoenix International Raceway. The Subway Fresh Fit 500 (k), on PIR’s one mile oval, will be a drastic change from last weekend’s Daytona elements such as restrictor plates and bump drafting. It’s already being regarded by many of the teams as the return to “real racing.”

    THE STORY BREAKDOWN

    We, of course, already know what the number one NASCAR racing story will be during the Phoenix weekend. You will hear a lot about the recent penalties levied against the Hendrick Motorsports #48 team after they failed to pass a technical inspection at Daytona. Throughout the weekend this story will be scrutinized, editorialized and everything except vaporized.

    Crew chief Chad Knaus, along with car chief Ron Malec, were suspended for six races. Knaus was additionally fined $100,000 and the team was docked 25 driver and owner’s points. You will hear a lot of back and forth debate about the fairness and the harshness of these penalties.

    Knaus and Malec will be in the Phoenix garage this weekend conducting business as usual. That’s because of the appeal filed by team owner Rick Hendrick. Their suspension will not become effective until the NASCAR Board of Appeals has rendered a final decision.

    You will also hear speculation regarding how these penalties, especially the loss of the championship points, could become a major distraction for driver Jimmie Johnson. Don’t even give that a second thought. Once this five time champion places that racing helmet on his head, he will be activating his outstanding ability to focus on the job at hand. His Phoenix numbers are strong. In fact some prominent Las Vegas sports book agencies has him favored to win Sunday’s race. They also have him favored to win his sixth Sprint Cup championship this year. Also remember that the last time this driver had to go without the services of Knaus, due to a suspension, he won two races. Jimmie Five Time is going to be just fine.

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    The other huge story you will hear a lot about, from Phoenix this weekend, involves last Thursday’s announcement that said Roger Penske will be switching to Fords beginning in 2013. This is not Penske’s first association with the Blue Oval” group. He had a successful run with Ford from 1995 to 2002 before switching to Dodge during the last eight years. It appears that Ford has made a long term commitment with Penske Racing that also may include business ventures outside of NASCAR racing such as Penske’s new car dealerships.

    However the one aspect of this announcement that will create a lot of speculation this weekend is centered around  Dodge’s future plans in NASCAR. The Penske organization was literally their banner team in the sport. Signing another high profile team owner will be extremely difficult, if not even impossible, at this point in time because many of the teams are already locked into long term manufacturer’s contracts.

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    Also bearing some attention at Phoenix this weekend will be the performance of the new electronic fuel injection engines under “real racing” conditions. The season opener at Daytona, with drafting being such a huge factor, was not regarded by crew chiefs as being a true representation of what to expect from these engines. The computer data they will accumulate this weekend will be far more valuable and will apply to many of the tracks coming up on the racing schedule. This is especially true in the area of fuel mileage.

    Crew chiefs will also be busy this weekend adding to their Phoenix notebooks. This will be only the second race ran on the raceway’s new configuration which was completed late last year. Last November’s race at PIR is currently the sole source of crew chief notes at the moment.

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    THE LAS VEGAS BREAKDOWN

    To get a more accurate idea regarding who’s going to be having fun in the valley of the sun, we once again turn to the number crunching professionals from the “Las Vegas Insider”, (LVI), who has a long track record of racing accuracy.

    Topping the “LVI” rankings for Phoenix is Jimmie Johnson at 5 to 1 odds. Johnson will be a man on a mission this weekend. A lap two crash at Daytona, combined with the recent loss of 25 driver’s points from the aforementioned penalties, has Johnson at the bottom of the standings at negative 23 points. The good news here is this driver’s outstanding Phoenix numbers which could help his road to recovery. In 17 starts, Johnson has a series high, among active drivers, four wins along with 11 top five finishes and 14 top tens. He also has an outstanding average finish ratio, (AFR), of 5.4. That makes Johnson an outstanding wager consideration.

    Next in line, at 6 to 1, is Kyle Busch, a previous Phoenix winner with two top fives, eight top tens and a 14.6 AFR. While his PIR numbers aren’t the strongest in the world, we have to remember it’s Kyle Busch behind the wheel. If anyone can charge to front and win Sunday’s race this is the guy.

    Leading the Ford group is Carl Edwards, at 7 to 1, who has some impressive numbers at Phoenix that includes a previous win, six top fives, ten top tens and a healthy 12.3 AFR.

    At 8 to 1 you will find Jeff Gordon who is the defending race champion. Like his team mate, Jimmie Johnson, Gordon also finds himself in a first race of the season points hole due to a blown engine at Daytona. However, PIR is an excellent place for Gordon to rectify that situation. He’s a two Phoenix winner with ten top five finishes, 18 top tens and a very healthy AFR of 10.9.

    At 9 to 1 you will find the duo of Tony Stewart and Kasey Kahne. Stewart is a previous winner at PIR and has eight top fives, 11 top tens and a healthy 11.3 AFR. That makes the reigning Sprint Cup champion a solid wager consideration.

    Kahne won the Phoenix race last November after spending a season with Red Bull Racing while waiting to begin his new ride with Hendrick Motorsports. Kahne also has two top fives, five top tens and a 19.1 AFR. There has been a lot of, and highly justified, pre season chatter that says expect a lot from Kahne and his new team. That makes him a worth long shot wager consideration. Interestingly enough, Kahne will be using a chassis that has already made two trips to the PIR victory lane. Kyle Busch drove that chassis to a win back in 2005 and Mark Martin scored with it back in 2009.

    At ten to 1 is the tandem of Kevin Harvick and Matt Kenseth. Harvick, at these odds, is also a worthy long shot consideration. He a two time Phoenix winner with four top fives, eight top teams with a 14.1 AFR.

    Can Daytona 500 winner Matt Kenseth make it two wins in a row? He’s a previous PIR winner with five top fives, eight top tens with an 18.1 AFR. Also remember he has one of those high powered Roush Yates engines under his hood.

    Turning to the “LVI’s” middle tier, you will find Greg Biffle and Brad Keselowski at 16 to 1 odds. At 18 to 1 are Kurt Busch and Ryan Newman both, of whom, are previous Phoenix winners. But it’s Dale Earnhardt Jr, at 20 to 1, that could be an interesting long shot consideration. Phoenix could be a good track to rid himself of that 130 race win less streak. He’s a two time winner there.

    At 28 to 1 you will find the trio of Clint Bowyer, A J Allmendinger and two time Phoenix winner Jeff Burton. Martin Truex Jr is ranked at 30 to 1 this week followed by the duo of Joey Logano and Juan Pablo Montoya at 35 to 1.

    At the lower end of the “LVI” Phoenix numbers are Paul Menard and two time race winner Mark Martin.  Jamie McMurray is ranked at 50 to 1 this week. Regan Smith is rated at 60 to 1 followed by Marcus Ambrose at 75 to 1. The quartet of David Ragan, Bobby Labonte, Robby Gordon and David Reutimann closes out the rankings at 100 to 1. All other drivers, not mentioned here, are automatically on the 50 to 1 “others” list.

    Now for the disclaimer: NASCAR wants us to remind you that these numbers are for information and entertainment purposes only. They neither encourage nor condone the placing of wagers on their races. But if you’re going to do it anyway, then you may as well have the latest, and best, information from the professionals at the “Las Vegas Insider.”

    You can also consider using your gambling budget to make a contribution to the Chad Knaus legal defense fund, (settle down everyone, I’m only kidding).

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    THE RACE BREAKDOWN

    The Subway Fresh Fit 500 (k) is 312 laps/312 miles/500 kilometers around the Phoenix International Raceway’s one mile oval.

    The race has 44 entries vying for the 43 starting positions. Nine of those entries are on the go or go home list meaning they do not have a guaranteed start in the race because they are currently outside of the top 35 in NASCAR owner’s points. These teams will have to rely on qualifying speed to earn a starting berth.

    The defending race champion, from February 2011, is Jeff Gordon. Kasey Kahne won the fall race in Phoenix held last November. The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Phoenix was held in 1988 and was won by Alan Kulwicki. Since that time PIR has hosted 31 Cup events that has sent 22 different winners to victory lane.

    Jimmie Johnson leads the active driver’s win list with four trips to the Phoenix victory lane. Chevrolet seems to be the weapon of choice at Phoenix. The bow tie brigade has 15 wins there. The Chevrolet teams from Hendrick Motorsports has won seven of the last ten Phoenix events.

    Carl Edwards hold the PIR qualifying record, 137.279 MPH, set in February of last year. This race has been won from the pole position four times. 16, of the 31 PIR Cup races, has been won from the top ten starting positions.

    The Phoenix International Raceway was officially opened in 1964 featuring a one mile oval with a connecting 2.5 mile road course. PIR is basically a flat track. There are only 11 degrees of banking in turns one and two and nine degrees in turns three and four. The front stretch measures 1,179 feet and is banked at three degrees. The back stretch measures 1,551 feet with nine degrees of banking. Pit road measures 1,140 feet. The pit road speed is 45 MPH.  The raceway presently has seating for 55,000 fans.

    Weather should not present a problem for the drivers this weekend. The Phoenix forecast calls for sunny skies and 73 degrees on Saturday. The Sunday weather will also be sunny with a high of 82 degrees.

    The Subway Fresh Fit 55 (k) will be broadcast live by the Fox Network with the pre race show beginning at 230 pm eastern time. The race re air will be on Wednesday, March 7th, at 12 pm et on the SPEED Channel.

  • NASCAR Suspends Chad Knaus and Ron Malec, But Rick Hendrick to Appeal

    NASCAR Suspends Chad Knaus and Ron Malec, But Rick Hendrick to Appeal

    [media-credit name=”David Yeazell” align=”alignright” width=”222″][/media-credit]On Wednesday, NASCAR issued a list of steep penalties to Jimmie Johnson and team No. 48 as a result of rule infractions found on Febraury 17th during opening day of inspection for the Daytona 500. The penalties include a six week suspension for both crew chief Chad Knaus and car chief Ron Malec from the next six NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events, plus probation till May 9th. They also fined Knaus $100,000 while taking away 25 driver points from Johnson and 25 owner points from his owner, Jeff Gordon.

    According to NASCAR, they did not agree with the shape of the c-posts and requested that they be changed. The C-post is a piece of paneling towards the back of the car that connects the roof to the rear quarterpanel. The team modified the piece to gain an aerodynamic advantage.

    As per their press release, the posts were “in violation of Sections 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing); 12-4J (any determination by NASCAR officials that race equipment used in the event does not conform to NASCAR rules detailed in Section 20 of the rule book or has not been approved by NASCAR prior to the event); and 20-2.1E (if in the judgment of NASCAR officials, any part or component of the car not previously approved by NASCAR that has been installed or modified to enhance aerodynamic performance will not be permitted – unapproved car body modifications).”

    Hendrick Motorsports has already announced that they will be appealing the penalties, which will see Knaus and Malec remain at the track during the process.

    “Our organization respects NASCAR and the way the sanctioning body governs our sport,” Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports, said. “In this case, though, the system broke down, and we will voice our concerns through the appeal process.”

    After NASCAR made the call during Speedweeks to have the 48 team remove the parts, there was a lot of discussion from those involved about exactly what was going on. According to Ken Howes, Hendrick’s Vice President of Competition, he told SBNation.com that crew chiefs are always working around the templates to try and gain an advantage.

    However, NASCAR has made it clear to teams that they do not like them modifying parts “between the templates” and have told Knaus that before, suspending him six weeks in 2007 for modifying the front fenders.

    “We’re pretty serious about the body configurations of the cars for all of the right reasons,” NASCAR Sprint Cup Series director John Darby said. “This one was a modification that had been made to the car that put it outside that box.”

    On that topic, Howes told SBNation.com that the template doesn’t quite cover every square inch of the car and there is nothing written in the rule book to stop them. The rule book just states that the car must fit the templates that NASCAR specifies.

    Hendrick added to that, telling ESPN.com, “You know, I don’t like it if we find some flagrant problem. I don’t like it when someone says I just don’t like the looks of it and never put the plate down on it.” Hendrick says that in speaking with Knaus, NASCAR never used the claw in determining whether the c-posts fit within the rules to begin with.

    By section 20-2.1E of the rule book, it says that NASCAR is allowed to call teams out on parts that they modify. By having that one line in the rulebook, it allows NASCAR to influence judgment calls on certain situations.

    Looking at everything, if the change to the car wasn’t made technically against the templates but isn’t something NASCAR didn’t approve of, couldn’t they had just requested the 48 team change it without further penalty? Beyond that, if they did want to penalize, does it warrant a penalty of this size?

    As Eddie Gossage, who is the track promotor for Texas Motor Speedway, wrote at ESPNDallas.com, “It’s the first race of the year. It was the first time the team presented the car for inspection this season. Only one area of the car failed. NASCAR, rightfully, made the team make changes to the car so it will qualify and sit on the grid only after it completely passed inspection. The car will be 100 percent legal.

    “Isn’t that the point of NASCAR’s pre-race inspection? The integrity of the race and the sport are not tainted. NASCAR found an infraction and caused it to be fixed.”

    Though in a story that involves many sides, there is even more to be said here. Hendrick told ESPN.com before the Bud Shootout that this is the same car that Johnson ran in all four restrictor plate races last season. He added that the roof had not been altered.

    He then continued to say that the car has been at NASCAR’s Research and Development (R&D) Center three times – after both Talladega races and before the Daytona 500 – and was returned without being said to be outside the lines. Looking back to last year if you look back at the October Talladega race, Knaus was caught on film telling Johnson to damage the rear end of the car if he won. Hendrick said that NASCAR took the car back to the R&D center and kept it there till the end of the season.

    The only change that Hendrick says has been done to the car is it has been re-painted.

    David Newton, who wrote the story for ESPN.com, asked Hendrick if maybe this is a response to the incident last year.

    “Maybe you can put it together,” Hendrick said. “I don’t understand. The know the serial numbers on the cars. Our guys swear they have not touched the roof of the car.”

    Some have already said that they believe that NASCAR is only implementing a penalty of this size due to Knaus’ track record, but isn’t that an example of a crew chief trying to find an advantage for their team? That is actually something that Hendrick Motorsports applauds their crew chiefs on as it shows that they are always trying to get better. So is it fair to access a penalty under those parameters?

    Beyond this particular situation looking down the road, what about future situations that arise like this one? What if NASCAR sees something and lets it go? That will stir the fans as they will begin to question if NASCAR is playing favorites or not – is that a road that NASCAR wants to go down? The rule perfectly allows for this to happen with the interpretation that is there.

    With everything that is involved and everything that has been said, it will be interesting to see what happens at the appeal and moving forward.

    In this writer’s opinion, it looks like Hendrick Motorsports has put a solid case together to take to the appeal and have a good chance at winning. But after viewing all of the evidence known to the public, I’ll let you also say what you feel.

  • NOTES FROM THE NASCAR NATION: ONE RACE IN AND IT’S ALREADY BEEN A TOUGH SEASON FOR THE #48 TEAM

    NOTES FROM THE NASCAR NATION: ONE RACE IN AND IT’S ALREADY BEEN A TOUGH SEASON FOR THE #48 TEAM

    [media-credit name=”Ed Coombs” align=”alignright” width=”216″][/media-credit]If five time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson is going to reclaim his title and score the “six pack” this year, then he and his Hendrick Motorsports #48 team are going to have to overcome some very early season adversity. The 2012 NASCAR racing season has only completed one race and it’s already been a tough season for this championship caliber team.

    NASCAR issued an official statement, on February 29th, announcing penalties levied against this team due to the car’s failure to pass technical inspection prior to the official start of Speedweeks at Daytona. The penalties handed down by NASCAR contain four key areas:

    Crew chief Chad Knaus and car chief Ron Malec have been suspended from participating from the next six Sprint Cup Series championship events, suspended from NASCAR until April 18th and placed on probation until May 9th.

    Knaus was additionally fined $100,000

    Jimmie Johnson was penalized with the loss of 25 championship driver’s points.

    Jeff Gordon, the legal owner of record of the #48 team, was penalized with the loss of 25 championship owner’s points.

    The driving force behind this punishment was the area of the NASCAR rule book pertaining to unapproved car body modifications. Specifically the problem centered around the car’s C posts; the sheet metal that attaches the roof of the car to the rear quarter panels. During the inspection process at Daytona, NASCAR officials ruled that the shape of these C posts did not conform with their rule book and, in fact, provided the team with an aerodynamic advantage. NASCAR confiscated the C posts and ordered the team to replace them with new ones that did conform to the rules.

    The team was informed that they would be allowed to participate in Speedweeks, including the Daytona 500. but they should expect official sanctions to be levied against them in the days that followed the 500.

    Hendrick Motorsports has already announced their intent to file an appeal. In a prepared statement, Rick Hendrick said: “our organization respects NASCAR and the way the sanctioning body governs our sport. In this case, though, the system broke down, and we will voice our concerns through the appeals process.”

    One of Hendrick’s concerns, prompting him to appeal the ruling, was the fact that this is the same #48 Chevrolet the team used in 2011 during all four of the Sprint Cup restrictor plate races on the schedule: two races at Daytona and two at Talladega. He further pointed out that in each case this particular car passed all levels of technical inspection. He’s also insisting that no changes were made to the car’s body for the 2012 Daytona race.

    Johnson participated in the annual Budweiser Shootout invitational event but got caught up in an accident that led to a 14th place finish and a damaged race car. He finished sixth in his Gatorade Duel which earned him eighth starting position for the Daytona 500. But all forms of luck unraveled in a big way when, on lap two of the Daytona 500, Johnson found himself caught up in a major wreck. The result was a 42nd place finish. He left Daytona ranked 37th in the points standings and 45 points out of first place.

    With this newly announced penalty from NASCAR, Johnson and company will arrive at next Sunday’s race, at the Phoenix International Raceway, 44th in the championship standings with a negative 23 points.

    One race in and it’s already been a tough season for the #48 team.

  • NOTES FROM THE NASCAR NATION: THE SPORTS GUY CALLED DANICA THE “B” WORD?

    NOTES FROM THE NASCAR NATION: THE SPORTS GUY CALLED DANICA THE “B” WORD?

    [media-credit name=”David Yeazell” align=”alignright” width=”199″][/media-credit]A San Diego-California television sports anchor recently found himself in the embarrassing position of having to make an on air apology to NASCAR driver Danica Patrick for inferring that she’s a b***h. Ross Shimabuku never actually said the “B” word on live television but there was no question in any one’s mind, including station management, what he meant.

    The sports anchor, from KSWB-Channel 5 a Fox Network affiliate, was doing a live story regarding Danica Patrick’s official NASCAR Sprint Cup Series debut in the Daytona 500. He started the story by saying: “all right, Danica Patrick is such a pretty girl. She makes a lot of money in sponsorships because of it. But what’s not attractive is that she’s sexy and she knows it.”

    At this point a sound on tape video overlay came on the screen featuring Patrick from the NASCAR media day held back on February 16th. On the bottom of the screen was a chyron that read: “Danica Patrick, I’m sexy and I know it.” From that clip, Patrick said: “I don’t quite understand why, when you’re referring to a girl-a female athlete, in particular-that you have to use the word sexy. Is there any other word you can use to describe me?”

    At the conclusion of the clip, Shimabuku came back on the television screen and said: “oh I’ve got a few words, starts with a “B”, and it’s not beautiful. She always has a chip on her shoulder, trying to prove something.”

    KSWB news anchorwoman Kathleen Bade was also on the set and, perhaps in an effort to difuse the situation, said: “well, she’s a woman trying to break in a man’s world, that can’t be easy.”

    KSWB news anchorman Loren Nancarrow weighed in on the issues and said: “if she’s trying to lose the sexy image, the Go Daddy commercials don’t exactly further that cause.” Shimabuku responded with: “what she says and what she does are two totally different things.”

    Faster than you can say “Danica at Daytona,” the clip of Shimabuku’s comments hit the social networks in a very big way. The sports anchor’s comments also made several Internet sites led by Sportsrantz.Com who went on record as saying that Shimabuku crossed the line.

    The public outcry didn’t take very long to land on the desks of KSWB’s management. This included the receipt of a petition presented to KSWB management by The Women’s Media Center who called for an official reprimand against Shimabuku.

    Approximately 24 hours later, Shimabuku was back on the air to deliver the obligatory apology. In a very brief statement, he said: “I truly apologize if I offended anyone by those comments. They were not meant to be an attack on Danica.”

    Unfortunately, the sports anchor had a rather smug expression on his face and his apology had all the sincerity and believability of a prominent politician conducting a press conference to apologize for accidentally crawling in the wrong bed with the wrong person. It’s fairly safe to assume that KSWB management forced Shimabuku to make that apology.

    Here in southern California, most local television sports anchors appear to be extremely clueless when it comes to reporting on any form of motorsports. They are often the product of the stick and ball syndrome. In other words: if it doesn’t have a stick and ball then it can’t possibly be a legitimate sport. Judging from the video of Shimabuku’s Danica Patrick story, it appears that he easily fits in this category.

    It’s not certain whether Danica Patrick is aware of this incident. If she is, then I’m willing to bet that she’s probably laughing at this guy for having to apologize for his arrogance.

    I can assure you that I’m laughing at this San Diego stick and ball boy.

  • NOTES FROM THE NASCAR NATION: DAYTONA WAS A REMINDER OF NASCAR SAFETY INNOVATIONS

    NOTES FROM THE NASCAR NATION: DAYTONA WAS A REMINDER OF NASCAR SAFETY INNOVATIONS

    [media-credit name=”Credit: Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images for NASCAR” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]NASCAR officially opened its 2012 racing season by presenting their annual Speedweeks. From the annual Budweiser Shootout to the Daytona 500, NASCAR presented its fans six races featuring its three national touring divisions: the Sprint Cup Series, the Nationwide Series and the Camping World Truck Series.

    True to the nature of the racing, at this massive 2.5 mile steeply banked oval, the race vehicles ran in tight packs, perilously close to each other at all times, and the result was a lot of accidents. According to reports the three national series had a total of 122 entries. From that number at least 90 of them sustained crash damage ranging from light to moderate and, in some cases, completely totaled.

    Some of these accidents involved extremely hard hits. The type of crash that instantly made us express concern for the drivers inside of the vehicles. The following is an example of some of the harder hits during Speedweeks:

    During the final moments of the Budweiser Shootout, Jeff Gordon was collected in a multi-car incident. His Chevrolet barrel rolled and then came to a rest on its roof.

    During that same event, there was a multi-car crash that sent Kevin Harvick into the wall. The hit was so hard the car burst into flames.

    During the final lap of the first Gatorade Duel qualifying race, Danica Patrick was the victim of an errant bump draft that led to an extremely hard hit into the retaining wall and a totaled race car.

    During the NextEra Energy Resources 250-Camping World Truck Series race, Miguel Paludo spun out and hit the inside retaining wall so hard that his truck flew in the air and did a 360 degree circle while all four tires were still off of the track surface.

    During that same event, in the midst of a green-white-checker finish, Joey Coulter’s truck sustained major damage after he went up in the air, turned a complete mid-air somersault and then hit the safety catch fence that protects the spectators.

    During the Drive4copd 300-Nationwide Series race there was a multi-car, Daytona “big one,” that saw a whopping 19 cars sustain major crash damage. This incident was followed by a red flag so the track maintenance crew could remove a front splitter from one of the cars that was literally embedded in the retaining wall.

    The very first completed lap of the Daytona 500 was followed by another errant bump draft that saw Jimmie Johnson’s Chevrolet bounce off the wall and then slide into the path of oncoming race traffic. Johnson was hit hard, in the area of the driver’s door, by David Ragan who simply had to place to go.

    The most frightening moment of all, during the Daytona 500, was also one of the most bizarre accidents we’ve seen in quite a few years. With the field already under caution, Juan Pablo Montoya came to pit road due to a bad vibration in his Chevrolet. Montoya returned to the track and accelerated in an effort to rejoin the field. He later reported that he heard a loud noise as if something had broken in the rear of the car. That’s when the car went into a slide and stuck a jet dryer who was cleaning the track at the time. Montoya’s car caught fire and was totally demolished. The jet dryer’s fuel tank was ruptured and 200 gallons of jet fuel burst into flame. This was followed by a lengthy, two hours plus, red flag period to allow the track crews to clean and repair the racing surface.

    What do all of these major incidents have in common? Every one of the drivers involved in them walked away uninjured.

    That fact is an extreme testimony to the safety innovations NASCAR has implemented over the past several years. When they introduced the C.O.T, (Car Of Tomorrow), a few years ago, carefully designed improvements to enhance driver safety was their main motivation.

    There was also the implementation of some mandatory safety innovations such as the energy absorbing soft retaining walls, or SAFER Barriers, as well as the mandatory use of driver head and neck restraints along with improvements in driver seats and the seat belts attached to them. The truth be known, a NASCAR driver is a lot safer in a car turning 200 MPH around Daytona than we the fans are in our personal vehicles doing 65 MPH on a freeway.

    In the case of the multiple crashes, during the Daytona Speedweeks, we also need to express our appreciation to the speedway’s emergency teams who made extremely quick work of arriving at the accident scene to check the status and the needs of the drivers.

    Also, appreciation needs to be expressed to the speedway’s maintenance crews who were extremely busy during Speedweeks. During the course of those six races they found themselves repairing panels in the safety barriers, shoring up a damaged catch fence as well as extracting the aforementioned splitter from a crash wall.

    But the major contribution made by the maintenance team came in the aftermath of the jet dryer fire. The fact that they were able to clean a major portion of turn three, and then patch large ruts in the track surface, in approximately two hours is just amazing. The fact that we were able to watch the conclusion of the Daytona 500 is in direct proportion to their hard work.

  • HOORAHS AND WAZZUPS: IT WAS A LONG DAYS JOURNEY INTO NIGHT

    HOORAHS AND WAZZUPS: IT WAS A LONG DAYS JOURNEY INTO NIGHT

    [media-credit name=”daytonainternationalspeedway.com” align=”alignright” width=”288″][/media-credit]The 54th running of the Daytona 500 was supposed to start on a Sunday afternoon and conclude sometime later that same evening. What we saw instead was a race that began on a Monday evening and concluded in the wee hours of Tuesday morning. It wasn’t an easy process for anyone involved. NASCAR officials, drivers, the teams and, God bless them all, the fans just had to stand there and wade through the process and the rain water.

    While watching this process I found myself thinking about that famous creed used by the U.S. Post Office regarding their dedication to delivering the mail. In this particular case, not even darkness of night, rain, impending patches of fog nor the flames of hell could deter NASCAR from completing their appointed rounds. It was a job well done.

    *************

    Let’s begin with the obvious: HOORAH to Matt Kenseth for winning his second Daytona 500 and his 17th NASCAR Sprint Cup career victory.

    HOORAH to the winning driver’s Jimmy Fennig led race team who didn’t back down in the face of adversity. In the early portion of the race, Kenseth’s Ford was spewing hot water like the “Old Faithful” geyser and there were even problems with radio communications. The team rose to the occasion and it was a huge factor that put their car in the Daytona victory lane.

    HOORAH to Roush Fenway Racing who scored their 300th NASCAR national series win at Daytona. By the way, that number breaks down to: 126 Sprint Cup wins, 124 Nationwide Series wins and 50 Camping World Truck Series victories. It was also Ford’s 13th Daytona 500 win and their third win in the last four events.

    HOORAH to team co-owner Jack Roush. The start of the 2012 season also launched his 25th anniversary in NASCAR racing. A Daytona 500 win is a very special way to launch “The Cat In The Hat’s” personal milestone season.

    *************

    WAZZUP with the post Daytona 500 criticism aimed at driver Greg Biffle? During the final lap of the race everyone, from the Fox broadcast team to fans sitting on their living room couches, thought Biffle was going to make an outside move to try and win this race. The big surprise here was: it didn’t happen. After the race, Biffle admitted that he was somewhat surprised by the power from team mate Matt Kenseth’s car. He also said that, with Dale Earnhardt Jr being so close behind him, there was not enough room for him to his to drag the brake and develop the space needed to make a full steam run on the leader.

    WAZZUP with all of those post race comments regarding “being a good team mate” and that equally ridiculous idea regarding “team orders?” It’s the Daytona 500. During the final lap, if you’re in position to win one of the most prestigious races in the world, there are NO team mates.

    HOORAH to Biffle for displaying his sense of humor during Sunday’s extreme rain delay. A TV camera found him dropping a fishing line in a massive puddle of rain water.

    *************

    The in-house girlfriend, still the card carrying-Tshirt wearing member of the Junior Nation, is going to love this: HOORAH to Dale Earnhardt Jr for a very impressive run in the Daytona 500 that saw him steal second in the final few feet of the race. There was a lot of pre-season talk about how the teaming of Earnhardt with Crew chief Steve Letarte has boosted the driver’s confidence levels and this will be the season when he finally snaps that often mentioned 129 win less streak.

    However, Daytona is restrictor plate racing: an environment that this driver excels in. Even Earnhardt himself said “let’s wait and see what happens when the real racing starts, like at Phoenix.” Like it or not Junior Nation, it’s going to take a mammoth, “real racing”, effort to snap that 129 race streak.

    WAZZUP with yours truly even making that observation while knowing full well nothing good is going to come from it?

    ************

    WAZZUP with the Daytona 500 having a major bump drafting incident on the very first lap? Contact between Elliott Sadler and Jimmie Johnson sent the five time champion into the wall and then spinning in the middle of race traffic. The result was a brutal hit on Johnson’s left side door from David Ragan who just had no place to go. The post wreck video, from Johnson’s in car camera, showed him looking out his driver’s window watching the oncoming hit. I can’t imagine what that must have been like. Thankfully, everyone in this multi-car incident walked away uninjured.

    There were repeated examples, all during Daytona Speedweeks, regarding the need for a cautious approach to bump drafting and how easy it was to launch a multi-car crash. Kyle Busch likely put it best, during a post wreck radio transmission, when he said: “are we serious? We’ve been sitting around for 36 hours and we wreck on lap one?

    *************

    WAZZUP with the stunning crash between Juan Pablo Montoya’s race car and the speedway jet dryer? It was, hands down, one of the most bizarre motorsports incidents that we’ve seen lately. Under the yellow caution flag, Montoya came to the pits to have, what he termed, “a really bad vibration” checked out. After exiting pit road, and accelerating to rejoin the field, Montoya said he heard a loud sound as if something had fallen off of the back of his car. The car went into a slide and hit the back of a jet dryer that was doing clean up work in turn three. Montoya’s car slid to the bottom of the turn on fire. The dryer’s 200 gallons of jet fuel erupted into a giant ball of flame. Thankfully, neither Montoya or the truck driver towing the jet dryer, Michigan resident Duane Barnes, were injured.

    What followed was a red flag period, that ran a little over two hours, to repair the damage to the track surface caused by the massive fire. The Daytona maintenance crew gets a HOORAH for a job well done. First they used laundry detergent to completely clean the combination of jet fuel and fire retardant from the track surface. Then they created a large “street bond” adhesive patch to cover ruts in the surface. It was a massive undertaking that was performed in a remarkably short amount of time. After the race the crew received well deserved kudos from driver Carl Edwards who said “they did an amazing job, after a couple of laps I forgot the patch was there.”

    *******************

    While the track repairs were being made, the drivers were standing on the backstretch visiting with each other. HOORAH to driver Brad Keselowski for having some fun with his cell phone that was in the car with him. Keselowski took a picture of the burning jet dryer and posted it on his “Twitter” account. In the process he set a record for the first ever tweet while in the midst of a NASCAR race. It was soon reported that the photos were trending heavy and Keselowski picked up an additional 55,000 “Twitter” followers.

    WAZZUP with NASCAR Sprint Cup team owner, and ESPN racing analyst, Brad Daugherty taking major umbrage with Keselowski’s “Twitter” fun? During an appearance on ESPN2’s “NASCAR Now” program, aired the day after the race, Daugherty delivered a scathing editorial that said Keselowski had no business having a cell phone inside of his race car, he should be fined for sending tweets during the race adding “the presence of the social media in NASCAR has gotten out of hand.”

    HOORAH to NASCAR for taking a completely different point of view when they announced they would not penalize Keselowski for his “Twitter” use during the Daytona 500. In a prepared statement, NASCAR officials said: “nothing we’ve seen from Keselowski violates any current rules pertaining to the use of the social media during races. As such, he won’t be penalized. We encourage our drivers to use social media to express themselves as long as they do so without risking their safety or that of others.”

    ************

    WAZZUP with the harsh debut of Danica mania? Danica Patrick’s highly anticipated season debut as a full time NASCAR driver was brutal: as in three races and three wrecks. During her Gatorade Duel qualifying race she took a savage looking hit into the retaining wall. During the Nationwide Series event she was bumped from behind by her J R Motorsports team mate, Cole Whitt, which also sent her into the wall. She actually screamed “oh my God, is he f***ing kidding?” over the radio. Then, during her official NASCAR Sprint Cup Series debut in the Daytona 500, she found herself caught up in the lap one accident and had to settle for a 38th place finish.

    In all fairness, it needs to be pointed out that these three accidents were not of her making and she was a victim of circumstance in each of them. She does deserve a HOORAH for setting the fast time in qualifying prior to the Nationwide Series race. Her chart topping lap of 182.741 MPH made her only the second woman to win a pole position for one of NASCAR’s national touring series events. The first woman was Shawna Robinson who won a Nationwide Series pole at Atlanta back in 1994.

    ************

    In some final thoughts, HOORAH to NASCAR for some pre-season rule changes that severely limited the use of two car tandem racing which returned Daytona restrictor plate racing to its traditional tight pack format. Some of that racing, during the Daytona 500, was stunning.

    HOORAH to the Fox Network for the impressive ratings they generated with the Daytona 500 broadcast. Despite the double delays in the race’s starting time, the two hour red flag period for track repairs and the late hour of the conclusion on the east coast, the overnight Nielsen television rating was actually double for a normal Monday night Fox programming schedule. The Daytona 500’s ratings, estimated at 14.24 million viewers, was second only to “The Voice,” NBC’s live talent show, which barely beat the race broadcast.

    A DOUBLE HOORAH goes to NASCAR’s loyal fans who endured the weather conflicts on Sunday and the late hours on Monday night. A reported 140,000 were in attendance on Monday. You’ve got to believe that many of them had to make last minute arrangements with jobs, school and travel arrangements to see the race. I’ve always said that NASCAR has the best fans in the world and they certainly proved that point during the Daytona 500.

    WAZZUP with Kurt Busch having to go to the rear of the Daytona 500 starting field following a bird related engine change? During the final happy hour practice session, Busch hit a bird which went through the front of this car and created a small hole in the radiator. Knowing this was going to severely impact the car’s cooling system, the team made the decision to change the engine. As bad as all of this sounds, it’s nothing compared to what that bird received from this deal.

    WAZZUP with the SPEED Channel’s audio and video getting out of sync during post race interviews following the Gatorade duels? The mouths of the drivers being interviewed kept moving after they finished a sentence. It was actually quite funny and  very similar to those old school Japanese horror movies that were was dubbed into english. The actor yells “look, it’s Godzilla” and then his mouth keep moving for several seconds.

    The final WAZZUP goes to Mother Nature. After approximately 36 hours of rain delays at Daytona, Mother Nature decided to take one more shot by bringing fog to Daytona early Tuesday morning after the race. It created some reported havoc with airline schedules for race teams who just simply wanted to fly to North Carolina and go home.

  • Danica Patrick Suffers Crashes During Speedweeks, But Continues to Learn

    Danica Patrick Suffers Crashes During Speedweeks, But Continues to Learn

    [media-credit name=”Brad Keppel” align=”alignnone” width=”270″][/media-credit]Coming into Speedweeks 2012, things were looking up for Danica Patrick as it was supposed to be a weekend of learning and a weekend where she could do well. Instead, the weekend became one that ended in a headach as in each of the three races she ran, she was involved in a wreck.

    The crashes began on last Thursday afternoon with the Gatorade Duel. For the majority of the race, Patrick had stayed out of trouble, testing the waters and running as high as sixth at one point.

    However, she wouldn’t make it to the finish. On the last lap, she hit the inside wall hard after contact from Aric Almirola on the final lap.

    “I got valuable practice time,” she said afterwards. “But it is never a good feeling for me to not be able to drive the car back to the pits and something about me feels guilty when I see that Go Daddy is all broken up along the side.”

    Patrick didn’t let that bring her down for long as the next day, she won the pole for the Nationwide Series DRIVE4COPD 300. She wanted to win the pole for crew chief Tony Eury Jr., as it meant the first Nationwide Series Daytona pole for him despite all the success he had with cousin Dale Earnhardt Jr. in that series.

    “Tony builds really good cars and the guys that helped him do that, did a really good job,” she says “I’m really thrilled for Tony Jr.; this is something that he wanted. So for me to push the pedal and give that to him, it feels really good.”

    The race wouldn’t go as planned as despite leading laps early, she would be taken out on lap 49 after contact from her teammate Cole Whitt.

    “I don’t think it’s ever great when teammates come together,” Patrick said. “We’ll have to figure out what happened and move forward.”

    Patrick quickly displayed her displeasure with Whitt over the radio, which Whitt responded by saying, “I wouldn’t expect her to be happy about it. I wouldn’t be happy about it either. I don’t know why anyone would expect her to be like, ‘Oh yeah, that’s great.’ ”

    After her wreck in the Gatorade Duel, she would have to start at the back of the Daytona 500. Her race wouldn’t last long as she would be collected in a second lap incident that started when Elliot Sadler got into Jimmie Johnson. Her team would get the car fixed and she would go back out to run some laps.

    “Any lap that I turn is progression,” she said. “That’s why I was proud of them for getting me on the track. Was there much to gain for me to get back on track? No. But there was experience as I got back up in pack.”

    Patrick would finish in 38th in her cup debut, but picked up valuable knowledge.

    “I honestly I think I picked up a lot of tips and honestly, I wish the race would’ve been a single file line at the beginning like it was when I got back up there,” she said.

    As the weekend went, Patrick learned more about the draft and that was most evident in the Nationwide Series. Before the incident with Whitt, she had led a portion of the race, first with help from Earnhardt Jr., and then with help from Tony Stewart.

    The success she did have within the wrecks shows that she has picked up lessons since beginning in NASCAR in 2010. When she first started, she was barely running at a competitive pace.

    “I’m pleased with some of the stuff that’s gotten better over the year – I can think of the first race here where I was struggling to keep up,” she said. “Then now you can drop the green flag in a Cup race and I’m just hanging out. I know the rules are different, but the level of comfort and proximity of cars next to each other and front and back, and obviously has been improved.”

    Her improvement had Elliott Sadler call her the most improved driver in NASCAR’s top three divisions from the beginning of 2011 till now.

    “That’s appreciated and I have worked really hard and I’m lucky I drive for a good team that has good resources,” she said when told that. “Tony Jr. is a really, good accomplished crew chief. On the Cup side, we haven’t seen a lot of the great people around me there too, and some really good experience teammates.

    “That’s a nice pat on the back; I appreciated that. I still recognize that I have a lot to learn, but I’ve been able to do this in a nice way. I’ve had the backing from the beginning from Go Daddy and it’s been nice because instead of having to go out and show what I’m made of every week, got the most amount spots possible and be desperate. I’ve never had to feel like that. I’ve been able to sit back and observe, not step outside of my comfort zone, because I’ve had a plan since the beginning and so few drivers get that ability to plan long-term and have someone that’s there for them who will follow them wherever they go.”

    One of the keys to Patrick being able to pick up as many as lessons as she has is that she doesn’t rest on her laurels. She knows that there is lots that she is going to have to learn.

    Going into the Nationwide race, despite winning the pole, she knew it was going to be a challenge.

    “It’s going to come down to bump drafting, and being good at that,” she says. “Good at swapping, good at keeping the engine cool, good at keeping in a pack, good at keeping connected, good at strategy so when you pit, you pit with your partner and you don’t get left alone at any point. There’s a lot of stuff that’s going to happen during the race that we’re going to have to manage, so it doesn’t change our strategy.”

    Next week at Phoenix International Raceway marks her next challenge. She won’t be running the Sprint Cup race, but the Nationwide race will have its own challenges. Patrick has made three starts at Phoenix, with her best finish being 17th, which she scored last spring.

    This year is all about learning and getting ready for the full Sprint Cup schedule in 2013. Certainly the tricky oval in the dessert will teach her some more.

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: The Daytona 500

    Surprising and Not Surprising: The Daytona 500

    [media-credit name=”Credit: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images for NASCAR” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]Often called the Great American Race, this year’s 2012 Daytona 500 was most certainly one of the most memorable ones, including buckets of rain, a major conflagration, and even texting direct from the track.

    Here is what was surprising and not surprising from the much-delayed, first ever prime time under the lights running of the 2012 Great American Race.

    Surprising:  While the Daytona 500 has always been unpredictable, it was surprising just how many bizarre occurrences there were during this race, causing many to wonder if this superspeedway now possessed some of its own demons, similar to sister superspeedway Talladega.

    The first in the string of strange happenings was the massive amounts of rain that descended on the track on Sunday. This led to the first ever postponement of the Great American Race, which was initially rescheduled until NOON on Monday.

    When the rain continued to fall on Monday morning, the next unpredictable moment occurred as NASCAR then rescheduled the race until 7:00 PM on Monday evening. This ensured the 2012 Daytona 500 a place in history as the first ever Great American Race run not only under the lights, but also in a coveted prime-time slot.

    The final bizarre event happened on Lap 160, when Juan Pablo Montoya lost control of his No. 42 Target Chevrolet and plowed into a safety jet drier, sending both up in flames. The burning of 200 gallons of jet fuel delayed the race for almost two hours as the track safety crews scrambled to not only to douse the flames but repair the track.

    “I have hit a lot of things,” JPM said. “But a jet dryer? I mean, no.”

    When all was said and done, this 2012 Daytona 500 will most likely go down in history for its surprising length, taking a day and half to run. This Great American race started on Monday evening and ran into the wee hours of Tuesday morning, capping off a 36 hour delay from its original start time.

    Jeff Gordon, driver of the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet, summed it up best. “That had to be the craziest Daytona 500 I’ve ever seen.”

    Not Surprising:  Since the Ford camp had been strong all Speedweeks long, it was no surprise to see one end up in Victory Lane. Matt Kenseth, in his No. 17 Best Buy Ford, took the checkered flag, giving Ford back to back Daytona 500 victories.

    This was the 13th overall Daytona 500 win for the manufacturer, Kenseth’s second Daytona 500 victory in a Ford, and the second Daytona 500 win for team owner Jack Roush. Kenseth joined Bill Elliott and Dale Jarrett as the only three Ford drivers to win the Daytona 500 more than once.

    “It’s nice to go the whole distance and survive a green, white, checkered because you just don’t know what’s going to happen in these race,” Kenseth said. “I wasn’t expecting to win when I woke up this morning, so it feels good to be sitting here.”

    “It’s really hard to win these races,” Kenseth continued. “The older you get and the more you race, you realize how hard it is and you really try to enjoy all those moments.”

    Surprising:  It was surprising to see just how hard hit the Hendrick Motorsports teams were during this running of the Daytona 500.  With the exception of Dale Earnhardt, Jr., who finished second in his No. 88 Diet Mountain Dew/National Guard Chevrolet, the rest of the HMS drivers all finished 29th or worse.

    Five time champion Jimmie Johnson’s troubles started early when he crashed out on Lap 2. The driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet sustained a wicked hit to the driver’s door in the early race melee.

    “That side hit was hard,” Johnson said. “I could feel help from behind that just turned me around.”

    “When I was sitting in the middle of the race track, I knew at some point someone was going to come along,” Johnson continued. “David Ragan had nowhere to go and I unfortunately got drilled by him pretty hard.”

    Four time champion Jeff Gordon also had difficulties, but of a different sort. His No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet blew an engine on lap 81 of the race.

    “Boy, it’s a shame,” Gordon said. “This just came out of nowhere.”

    “First it popped and then it sent up in a big ball of flames,” Gordon continued. “That is never good. So, I knew our night was done.”

    This DNF marked the first time that Jeff Gordon failed to compete at least half of a NASCAR race since April 2008 at Texas Motor Speedway.

    Not Surprising:  With Fords ruling and Matt Kenseth in the winner’s circle, it was no surprise that history was also made for Roush Fenway Racing, scoring the team’s 300th win. Rough Fenway Racing is the first team ever in NASCAR history to achieve such a milestone.

    “This is a special night,” team owner Jack Roush said. “Matt is a real champion and he is really good at these restrictor tracks.”

    “Our Fords, the guys did a nice job and Ford Motor Company gave us a lot of support over the winter,” Roush continued. “We certainly had several ways to win it tonight and there are always ample ways to lose as well.”

    “Matt did a great job tonight,” Roush said. “It’s great to celebrate our 300th win here with the 54th Daytona 500.”

    Surprising:  While many considered it ‘gimmicky’, it was surprising that the racers seemed to take the halfway bonus pretty seriously. Reminiscent of his lead at the halfway point last year in the Great American Race, Martin Truex, Jr. scored the $200,000 halfway leader bonus, with a little help from ‘friend’ Denny Hamlin.

    “We led laps and led at halfway for the bonus,” the driver of the No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota said. “It was a good day all in all. We just didn’t lead at the end.”

    Truex Jr. finished 12th, right behind Michael Waltrip Racing teammates Mark Martin, who finished tenth in his No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota, and Clint Bowyer, who scored the 11th spot in his No. 15 5-Hour Energy Toyota.

    Not Surprising:   Given all the machinations NASCAR made in response to the fans’ and drivers’ concerns about tandem racing, it was no surprise that pack racing was back. And the drivers seemed to be please that it was.

    “I like the rule changes,” Dale Earnhardt, Jr. said. “It definitely suits my style better and I can do things on my own.”

    “In the old package you needed someone else the entire race and that’s not fun.”

    Surprising:  While most of the NASCAR drivers, teams, and yes even the orange cone have gotten into the use of social media, it was surprising to see it taken to yet another level at this year’s Daytona 500.

    Brad Keselowski, driver of the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge apparently had his phone with him during the race and took the opportunity to not only tweet a few pictures when the race was red flagged, but also to check the weather at the request of some of his fellow competitors.

    Demonstrating the power of social media, particularly Twitter, Keselowski actually gained more than 130,000 new followers as a result of his connectedness out on the race track and the media attention that garnered.

    While Keselowski acknowledged the power of the social media, he would have traded it for one thing.

    “I gained a lot of followers but I’ll take the win first,” Keselowski said.

    Not Surprising:  With all the strange happenings on the race track, it was not surprising that the debut of the third female driver to compete in the Great American Race was somewhat eclipsed. Danica Patrick made her Cup debut in the No. 10 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet for Tommy Baldwin Racing in cooperation with Stewart Haas Racing.

    Patrick ended up finishing 38th after getting collected in the multi-car crash involving Jimmie Johnson and others on lap 2 of the race. She will not race again in the Cup Series until May 12th at Darlington.

    “I kind of feel like I almost need to put the whole week in perspective,” Patrick said. “It’s just been up and down, from running good in the Duels to crashing on the last lap, to qualifying on the pole, to running well in the Nationwide race to crashing.”

    “A lot of this stuff is obviously out of your control at times,” Patrick continued. “But I learned a lot and I got a lot of great experience.”

    Surprising:  With the Toyota of Kyle Busch looking strong after a win in the Bud Shootout, it was a bit surprising that teammate Denny Hamlin ended up being the highest Toyota finisher in the Daytona 500.

    “We were right where we wanted to be,” Hamlin said of the end of his race, finishing fourth. “But we didn’t have any teammates up there and those two Roush cars up front had a good plan and executed it really well.”

    “We had an awesome effort this weekend,” the driver of the No. 11 FedEx Toyota said. “We didn’t qualify well and we didn’t finish that well in the Duel, but we showed that we had one of the best cars today.”

    As pleased as Hamlin was, Kyle Busch, who took his No. 88 M&M’s Brown Toyota Camry to a 17th place finish, was most disappointed.

    “I thought we were in a good spot late in the race, but a couple of cars got together behind me and I got clipped,” Busch said. “We were in the back of the line and we couldn’t make anything happen.”

    “It’s disappointing to be down here for two weeks and have nothing to show for it.”

    Not Surprising:  Sadly, but not surprisingly, there was no Cinderella winner at this year’s Daytona 500.  Defending champ Trevor Bayne’s repeat fairy-tale performance was thwarted by the wreck that swept up Jimmie Johnson in the early laps of the race.

    “I have no idea what happened,” the driver of the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion said. “I got low and slowed down and at the last second I think it was the 34 car that hit us in the right side door and put us into the grass.”

    “Man, this is tough,” Bayne continued. “I hate this for my Ford Racing team but we’ll be back.”