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  • Atlanta Could Drive Home Possibility That New NASCAR Generation Is Here

    Atlanta Could Drive Home Possibility That New NASCAR Generation Is Here

    The nature of the Daytona 500 is for everyone to shine at some point during the race. This year, that was especially true of the new class of Monster Energy NASCAR Cup drivers, a group of twenty-somethings who have become the status quo in the sport.

    Just about every one of those drivers played a pivotal part in this year’s 500, from consistent midpack drivers like Matt DiBenedetto (who was running in the top-five before the Lap 198 Big One accident relegated him to a 27th-place finish) to 2017 Cup Series Rookie of the Year Erik Jones, who led 11 laps before crashing on Lap 59 and finishing 36th.

    It didn’t stop there. Twenty-four-old Alex Bowman won the pole in the No. 88 Chevrolet vacated by Dale Earnhardt Jr. while 24-year-old Ryan Blaney and 22-year-old Chase Elliott won their Can-Am Duels. Twenty-seven-year-old Austin Dillon took the win in the 500, with 24-year-old Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr. finishing second. The fact that a handful of NASCAR’s freshest faces stole the show at Daytona speaks well for the sport’s future. However, Atlanta could be a deciding factor in whether or not this will be a true changing of the guard.

    For one, keep in mind that although there has been an uptick in new faces in the NASCAR garage, the current crop of drivers, featuring guys such as Kyle Busch, 2017 Cup champion Martin Truex Jr., and Brad Keselowski still very much have that competitive fire, while guys like Kevin Harvick and Jimmie Johnson are still out winning races. Denny Hamlin is a perennial contender who is always either on the cusp of a win or lingering near the top of a championship fight.

    While the new crop of drivers is still getting their legs underneath them, these guys continue to dominate and win. Sure, there are a few drivers that have slowly come to prove themselves as adaptable; 27-year-old Joey Logano has 18 Cup wins under his belt including the 2015 Daytona 500 as well as the 2016 All-Star race at Charlotte and the 2017 preseason Clash at Daytona. Meanwhile, 25-year-old Kyle Larson has only come around in the last two seasons, having scored five Cup wins since August 2016 and was considered Truex’s closest threat for the championship before a rash of DNFs left him eliminated after the second round of the Playoffs.

    The road to success in the Cup Series isn’t a guarantee, however. Twenty-seven-year-old Trevor Bayne, despite gradually showing more consistency in his No. 6 Ford, hasn’t done anything of note since winning the 2011 Daytona 500. Twenty-five-year-old Chris Buescher is in the same boat; since his rain-shortened win at Pocono in August 2016, he’s only put together six more top-10s, including just his third-career top-five with a fifth in Sunday’s Daytona 500.

    But if Sunday was any indicator, the younger generation of drivers could be taking over quickly. They’re fast and fearless, with a propensity of taking better care of their equipment than their predecessors 10, 15, maybe even 20 years ago. It also shows that they’re just as quick to learn as they ever were. They’re measuring their aggression, they’re bouncing back quickly from their lumps, and NASCAR may very well be going through a paradigm shift.

    In NASCAR’s case, it needs the younger generation to succeed. Fans are tuning in for the older staples, but they’re also tuning in to see the young guys who are slowly edging their way toward the front of the field race after race. There’s hardly any negative press on those guys which is always a boon for business. So come Sunday, when NASCAR hits the fast banks of Atlanta, an older track that never fails to put on a great racing product as well as a lot of speed, there’s bound to be a few of the new kids that loiter near the top of the pylon through the weekend. For NASCAR’s sake, let’s hope that’s the case.

  • Opinion– Last Lap Pass: Dirty Move or Hard Driving?

    Opinion– Last Lap Pass: Dirty Move or Hard Driving?

    A wreck-filled Daytona 500 finishes with one last white flag lap crash for the victory between Aric Almirola and Austin Dillon. Was it a dirty move by the No. 3 car, or just hard driving by both?

    The 60th running of the Daytona 500 finished with a last-lap crash by Aric Almirola. While he took the white flag, Austin Dillon ended up taking the checkered flag, etching his name into the history books and onto the Harley J. Earl trophy forever. Almirola, who recently signed with Stewart-Haas Racing, was one corner away from earning his second career victory in his first start with his new team after leaving Richard Petty Motorsports. However, Dillon fought his way into the second position and bumped the No. 10 Ford through Turns 3 and 4, sending Almirola into the wall coming to the checkered flag.

    However, this wasn’t the first time this happened in the race. The end of Stage 1 officially ended under yellow after a last-lap crash coming to the green-checkered, triggered by Erik Jones. In the XFINITY Series, it took a total of five overtime attempts before finally reaching the checkered flag, when Tyler Reddick edged Elliot Sadler in what may be NASCAR’s closest finish ever in the top 3 national touring series by 0.000 seconds. Photo and video evidence was used to declare an official winner, similar to Lee Petty’s victory in 1959 when local newspapers finally published images that proved his car beat Johnny Beauchamp. NASCAR had to then take the trophy from Beauchamp’s hands and give it to the proper winner.

    One of NASCAR’s best changes in the rule book was adding overtime, or a better title being overdrive. This gives fans and drivers a better chance at seeing a victory earned by racing to the line. Over the years as NASCAR started to throw the yellow flag at the end of the race determining the winner before the start/finish line, fans became disappointed with not seeing a race finish under full speed. NASCAR has been working to improve this over the years, but drivers have been working to adapt to this: shorts few-lap runs pushing cars beyond the edge of physics.

    With all that said, my article comes to the final decision of its title: Was Austin Dillon’s move dirty or just hard racing?

    Aric Almirola’s response was posted on Twitter:

    As one who has won a championship and drove to victory lane in other motorsports, I applaud his response to the finish. It’s hard to have the biggest race in stock car history ripped away from you in the decisive moments as you can visually see the front stretch. However, I can sense frustration coming from behind the tweet where he wished for more. Who wouldn’t? This is the Daytona 500; some would consider winning this race to be more important than a Monster Energy Cup championship. And while some may say, “There’s always next year”, true racers understand that there may not be a ‘next time’ with this exact situation and moment ever again.

    As for the opposite side of the coin, Austin Dillon’s response was, well, expected, disbelief. It seems that he finds his way to win the biggest races of the year. His first career victory came last year in the Coca-Cola 600, the longest race in NASCAR’s regular season schedule and one of the longest races across all motorsports. On Sunday, Dillon got into the rear bumper of Almirola and spun him into the wall to get his second career victory at the Super Bowl of NASCAR.

    Some say this was a dirty move. Dillon bumped Almirola and wrecked him. Whether you’re a first-time viewer or a lifelong follower, it was clear how the wreck happened and the result of it. Others feel this was just hard driving. Almirola wanted that checkered flag more than Dillon. We could see how he drove himself to the front on the restart and held his position for one and three-fourths of a lap. He excessively blocked Dillon, which unfortunately resulted in his crash and loss of the Daytona 500.

    However, I think this was neither a dirty move nor hard driving. What we saw in the season opener was passionate racing. Allow me to explain.

    Ryan Blaney refused to be anywhere but the lead. We saw this all race long. If he wasn’t in the lead, he would try every move possible to put himself in the front. After the first “Big One” on Lap 101, a lot of the main contenders were eliminated, including Chase Elliott, Kevin Harvick and teammate Brad Keselowski. Jimmie Johnson also faced a DNF from a separate incident later in the race. Kyle Busch suffered multiple flat tires and Martin Truex Jr. suffered crash damage. From process of elimination, many thought that Blaney was going to win the 60th running of the Daytona 500. Unfortunately, his run to victory ended when he too suffered a late race crash. While he was able to continue, he didn’t have the speed as before.

    Blaney found himself in one of the best positions he could have been in for victory. He was passionate and focused on winning the biggest race of the year. And no one can blame him. I believe the same is true for both Dillon and Almirola. Both seized the opportunity with everything they had. Almirola protected his position, even breaking racer’s law of blocking more than once. Dillon just never took his foot off the gas. It could have easily been Dillon losing control of the front-end of his car and crashing himself, and Almirola could have saved it from crashing and won the race. Both could have crashed and fought in the grass, like the 1979 Daytona 500, and third place taking the win.

    No matter the outcome, we saw something that we needed to see in this next generation of up and coming drivers, passion. The desire to win sometimes needs to exceed the desire for respect. While it comes with a price, a true racer should never settle for second. If one does, his seat should be replaced.

  • Wallace Overcome With Emotion after Runner-up Finish at Daytona

    Wallace Overcome With Emotion after Runner-up Finish at Daytona

    While most of the Daytona 500 headlines will focus on Austin Dillon’s win in the iconic No. 3, runner-up Darrell Wallace Jr. quietly captured the hearts of NASCAR fans everywhere as his emotions overwhelmed him after the race.

    He’s been under a spotlight since it was announced on October 25 that he had signed to drive in the Monster Energy Cup Series for NASCAR’s undisputed King, Richard Petty. Add in the pressure of representing the African American community in the sport and you get a hint of what the 24-year-old has been dealing with as he prepared for his first Daytona 500.

    But don’t think for a minute that he has any regrets. It’s what Wallace has been working toward since he began racing and he’s determined to make the most of the opportunity. His drive to succeed is evident to anyone who has followed his career. His comments are often unfiltered, a welcome respite from the more polished veterans of the sport who have become masters of the public relations game.

    What you see is what you get, pure unfiltered emotion that reaches out and grabs your attention.

    Wallace sat down to speak to the media after Sunday’s race when he was interrupted by his mother, Desiree Wallace, who came in to congratulate him. He stood up and as they hugged, she said, “We’ve waited so long baby.” As they continued their embrace, Wallace laughed and said, “You act like we just won the race,” to which she replied, “We did, we did!”

    As he said down to answer questions, he fought through tears to gain his composure.

    “It’s a sensitive subject, but I’m just so emotional over where my family has been the last two years, and I don’t talk about it, but it’s just so hard,” Wallace said,  “and so having them here to support me is … pull it together, bud, pull it together. You just finished second. It’s awesome.

    “I just try so hard to be successful at everything I do, and my family pushes me each and every day, and they might not even know it, but I just want to make them proud.”

    It today was any indication; Wallace is on the right track.

    He started the Daytona 500 in seventh place and was able to remain in the top 10 as the race came to a close. Wallace avoided the Turn 1 chaos that brought out the caution on the next to last scheduled lap of completion and passed Denny Hamlin in the closing moments to finish second.

    Wallace made no apologies for his emotions, saying, “No matter what the circumstances are when you have family here and you run good and it’s been a while since you’ve been somewhat competitive, it pulls on the heartstrings. I’m competitive. I love to win. I hate to finish second.  Obviously, that shows for everybody. But I’m human. No matter if I race cars for a living and enjoy doing it, at the end of the day we all get emotional about something, so I’m just the same as you guys.”

    Follow @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.

  • The Final Word – The Daytona 500 finish reminded us of when giants ruled the asphalt

    The Final Word – The Daytona 500 finish reminded us of when giants ruled the asphalt

    Unstable. Set to go off with the least provocation. No, I’m not talking about CNN or late night talk show hosts, most celebrities, or more than a few politicians. What I am referring to is the Daytona 500.

    Ricky Stenhouse Jr. weebled, wobbled, and stacked ‘em up. He drove off, for the moment at least, but it was goodbye Erik Jones, Daniel Suarez, and Jimmie Johnson before they got 60 laps in. Segment two found Chase Elliott the meat in a Ryan Blaney – Brad Keselowski sandwich and the aerodynamics took care of the rest. Adios Elliott, Keselowski, Kevin Harvick, and Danica Patrick. Then, down to the final couple of scheduled laps on the day, Kurt Busch was near the front but traded paint with Blaney and found himself facing the wrong way. Sayonara Kurt, Alex Bowman, and Matt DiBenedetto, who had looked so good before things went so bad.

    Good was remembering 20 years ago when the No. 3 crossed the finish line first, and car owner Richard Childress looking so happy for his driver, Dale Earnhardt. Sunday we saw Childress looking happy once more as the No. 3 of grandson Austin Dillon took the Great American Race. For a brief moment, we remembered a time when things were not so unstable, when the news was really the news, and you could believe what you had heard and seen. Believe me, what we saw at the end of the Daytona 500 felt so real and good, if only because it reminded us of a time past.

    Of course, Dillon won it because Aric Almirola threw a block in front of Dillon’s freight train, and wound up as one would expect in such a situation. While Dillon went on to win, Bubba Wallace, driving for Richard Petty, was the guy pushing him to victory, edging out Denny Hamlin at the line. Joey Logano was fourth, which was not as surprising as finding Chris Buescher taking fifth. Blaney, who was seventh in the end, was third in the opening stage and took the second to lead the points standings. He sits six ahead of Dillon and Paul Menard, who was sixth.

    It was an entertaining race, assisted by the volatility of the cars that made things a tad unpredictable for us, and for the drivers. The race kept us engaged while the television crew did not drive us off. In fact, the FOX coverage was pretty darn good. I do like the left side of the screen ticker better than the scroll they used to run atop it. Informative and entertaining. What a concept.

    Some were not as enthralled with the action. It was not worth a crap if you were named Kyle. Kyle Larson got some damage in that opening wreck and finished 19th. Kyle Busch had tires going down and fenders smacking the fence and wound up 25th. Stenhouse was blowing more steam than Old Faithful late in the second stage, and the Busch wreck really left him steaming in 29th when the day was over.

    Heading to Atlanta, Suarez, Jones, and Johnson sit with a single point each for their Daytona efforts. Johnson has won two of the last three raced down in Georgia, with Keselowski the defending race champ. With just five points, ole Brad also could use some stability himself come next week. Last Sunday, as oft times happens at Daytona, we were provided with a good show.

    The Daytona 500 finished with some of NASCAR’s most iconic numbers, the No. 3, the No.43, the No. 11 and the No. 22, coming home one-two-three-four. Just for the briefest of moments, the hands on the wheel could have been those of  Earnhardt. Petty. Cale Yarborough (or was it Ned Jarrett or Darrell Waltrip?). Fireball Roberts. Those were the days when giants ruled the asphalt. May such memories of the past merge with the reality that was last Sunday. May they just be the harbinger of more good things for Sundays come.

  • Daytona 500 Report – More of the Same

    Daytona 500 Report – More of the Same

    The 60th edition of the Great American Race was run Sunday under sunny skies in Daytona Beach, Florida. From the start, shortly after 3:00 p.m.,  it was nearly four hours of chaos. At the end, there were only a few competitive cars left to race.

    At Lap 61, nine cars were eliminated or damages. This included stars like Erik Jones, Jimmie Johnson, and Kyle Larson. At Lap 103, Chase Elliott, Danica Patrick, Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski, and Kasey Kahne were eliminated. It wasn’t over. At Lap 200, Kurt Busch, Martin Truex, Jr., Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., William Byron, Ryan Newman, and Kyle Larson were eliminated or damaged. Then came the “overtime,” and that cost Aric Almirola, who was leading at the time, elimination. That’s a total of nearly half the field.

    Why, you may ask. The answer is restrictor plate (or tapered spacer) racing. It involves cars racing at fast speeds, so close together that there is no room for error. Then include the fashionable practice of blocking. It’s Daytona Roulette. The result is only a few cars lucky enough to have avoided all the earlier carnage can be around at the end. Unfortunately, on this day even the lessening of contenders did not stop the blocking, and a crash ended the race. You may have read my earlier comment on the so-called plate racing from about five years ago. This guy doesn’t like it. Many people do. Some like the fact that almost anyone can win and others like the crashes. With 80 percent of the field either having damage or eliminated from competition, it becomes little more than a demolition derby or as I called it, a train wreck, not racing.

    One proponent of this “racing” told me today that we run nearly 200 mph at several tracks, why is this a problem at Daytona, he asked. High banks and aggressive drivers is the answer. Those tracks don’t have the banking or the aggressive behavior that is required at Daytona because in order to keep up, you have to block, and when you get a push from behind, you are helpless to slow down.

    What’s the answer? I won’t pretend to even think I know. I do take one tidbit from the past. Back in the dark ages before Bobby Allison tore out the catchfence at Talladega when everyone was running seven-liter engines, NASCAR decided to inch away from the big blocks for a more reasonable cost. The late Bud Moore was the first to try it and his No. 15 Fords had a hard time keeping up until everyone changed. Speeds at Daytona were about 176 mph and the racing was great. Now they use these smaller blocks and go even faster with a restrictor plate. Much like the gun debate in society, no one has an answer and no one is even trying to do anything to change it. So, we’re stuck with crash fests. Sad.

    The lesson from all of this is never take anything from plate races that would mean there is a pattern to competitiveness that would ring true for the rest of the season (except for the three remaining plate races). Chevrolet won the 500, but only led 19 laps on the day. Ford drivers led 150 laps and Toyota drivers led 38. Chevrolet, which brought the new Camaro ZL1 to Daytona, led only 19 laps all day. When we get to Atlanta, we’ll have a better idea of the season ahead. No, we won’t anoint Bubba Wallace the most popular driver yet (though he’s got a head start on that), or declare the young kids as not as advertised. It’s back to reality next week and real racing.

  • For Wallace, The Real Rookie Test Begins Now

    For Wallace, The Real Rookie Test Begins Now

    Over the years the racing at Daytona International Speedway has proved that when it comes to the finish, it doesn’t matter how strong a car may be; things become a crapshoot. But with that being said, Darrell “Bubba” Wallace’s Daytona Speedweeks went like a dream as he was fortunate enough to have one of the strongest cars in Daytona Beach.

    He posted a strong qualifying run, finished third in his Can-Am Duel, and ultimately finished second to Austin Dillon in the 500. Afterward, the racing world was treated to a heart-warming show of emotion as Wallace tried to keep it together after getting hugs from both his mother and his older sister.

    But now the real test begins, as the 24-year-old Rookie of the Year contender faces down the next 35 races in what is essentially a brand new team. Richard Petty Motorsports formed an alliance in the off-season with Richard Childress Racing that ultimately switches out the N0. 43 Ford to the No. 43 Chevy, a switch that looks like it could already be paying dividends.

    While Wallace showed serious strength in the 500, how he’ll fare next weekend at Atlanta is anyone’s guess. RPM is still ironing out whatever kinks there may be while traveling to a very fast 1.5-mile track, and in order for Wallace and the No. 43 crew to carry on with their Daytona momentum they’ll need to exercise the same sort of discipline they showed at Daytona. All said, it’s doubtful; that will be a tall order.

    This isn’t a fact that’s lost on Wallace. He’s a rookie with a team that has not had the best of luck over the years, having only won once since 2000 (Aric Almirola’s rain-shortened 2014 Coke Zero 400 win at Daytona). Said team relocated to Welcome, North Carolina to be closer to RCR and their equipment. The driver himself has had a rough go of things as well, having lost his XFINITY Series ride after it was shuttered early in 2017, and not having scored a win to show for any of it.

    Photo By: David Rosenblum
    The No. 11 of Denny Hamlin squeezes the No. 43 of Wallace toward the wall as they cross the finish line in Sunday’s Daytona 500.

    That would be taxing on anyone, understandably, especially with someone who has experienced as much success as Wallace. But considering his work ethic and the way he carries himself on and off the track, it wasn’t a question of if he would get a chance to prove his worth, but when. Now, at the start of his first full Cup season, he’ll have plenty of speed at his disposal and plenty of chances to back his Daytona performance.

    He’s had great showings at various types of tracks, and although success isn’t guaranteed, that yellow stripe on his back bumper won’t hold him down by any means. He drives like a veteran, keeps his equipment clean, and knows how to keep his aggressiveness in check. It’s obvious he’s hungry, and with the potential for RPM to build itself around him, he may very well be the next big thing in NASCAR.

     

  • Johnson swept up in stage-ending, multi-car wreck

    Johnson swept up in stage-ending, multi-car wreck

    DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — It’s become an all-too familiar pattern for Jimmie Johnson during Speedweeks 2018: Standing outside the Florida Hospital Infield Care Center, waiting to talk to the media.

    He crashed out of his seventh straight Advance Auto Parts Clash a week prior, wrecked out of the Duel qualifier three days earlier and was caught up in another multi-car melee in the 60th running of the Daytona 500.

    “I know. It’s been tough lately,” Johnson said. “I have had some great days and nights here through the July race and this race, but of late it’s been tough. That is just how it goes. If I want to think too hard about it I can look at (Dale) Earnhardt’s record here and know how long it took him to get his first.”

    While not the main pinball of the wreck, as he was in his Clash wreck, Johnson collected early in the five-car wreck on the final lap of the first stage.

    Heading down the backstretch, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. moved down to the bottom of the track to block the advance of Ryan Blaney. Stenhouse got loose coming up the track, but saved it. Erik Jones attempted to thread the gap between Stenhouse and Alex Bowman on the bottom, but Bowman either made contact or got him aero loose. Either way, it sent Jones squirreling back into the nose of Johnson, which turned him down into Bowman, who hooked Daniel Suarez into the outside wall in Turn 3.

    “Just racing that hard coming for a green and white checkered flag. I’m not sure everybody was thinking big picture and really using their head through that,” Johnson said.

    Johnson, who got loose from turning Jones, got kicked up into the wall by Jones’s car, sending him straight into Suarez.

    “It looked like everybody thought that was the finish of the Daytona 500 and it was really only lap 59 coming to 60,” he said. “Unfortunately, we lost our third car for the weekend. It’s unfortunate it has turned out that way, but we will get this Lowe’s for Pro’s Chevy dialed in for Atlanta and go do it again.”

    Johnson ended the race in 38th and left Daytona International Speedway 36th in points.

  • Austin Dillon Wins the Daytona 500

    Austin Dillon Wins the Daytona 500

    DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Aric Almirola, first race with a new team, just had to play the blocking game for 2.5 miles and he would have his name etched onto the Harley J. Earl Trophy. Well, he did for a mile and a quarter and wound up hooked into the wall by Austin Dillon, who drove his No. 3 Chevrolet to victory in the Daytona 500, 17 years to the day after Dale Earnhardt was killed on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500.

    “I did what I had to do at the end. I hate it for the 10 guys,” Dillon said. “We just had a run. I stayed in the gas. It’s what it is here at Daytona.”

    After he finished his celebratory burnout, his crew gathered by his car trackside as he and the crew were overcome with joy.

    “It is so awesome to take the 3 car back to victory lane. This one’s for Dale Earnhardt Sr. and all those Sr. fans. I love you guys!  We’re gonna keep kicking butt the rest of the year.”

    But his joy was upstaged by Darrell Wallace Jr. whose mother came up to the podium during his post-race press conference and hugged him, as did his sister, and he all but broke down in tears.

    And he was emotional after the race for good reason. He had just edged out Denny Hamlin by inches for runner-up in the Daytona 500 while getting run into the wall a few hundred feet past the start/finish line.

    Joey Logano and Chris Buescher rounded out the top-five.

    Paul Menard, Ryan Blaney, Ryan Newman, Michael McDowell and AJ Allmendinger rounded out the top-10.

    RACE SUMMARY

    Alex Bowman led the field to the green flag at 3:07 p.m. Denny Hamlin powered by him, however, to lead the first lap. While much of the pack ran two and three-wide, he controlled the top spot in the early laps.

    The caution flew for the first time on Lap 7 when Corey LaJoie blew an engine on the backstretch. Hamlin lost the lead after he overshot his stall. Compounding his woes, he was held a lap for his crew servicing his car while it was on the line.

    Kurt Busch led the field back to the green on Lap 12. Bowman ducked to the inside lane exiting Turn 4 to take the lead for the first time on Lap 14. Erik Jones, after a number of laps side-by-side with Bowman, dropped down in front of him to take the lead on Lap 23. Kyle Busch, running fifth, dropped off the pace on the backstretch with a flat left-rear tire on Lap 29. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. drafted past Jones to take the lead on Lap 34. He lost it on the backstretch to Chase Elliott on Lap 44.

    Kyle Busch’s troubles continued on Lap 50 when he suffered a left-rear failure and spun in Turn 3, bringing out the second caution. He was clipped by DJ Kennington. Jamie McMurray was also collected.

    Back to green on Lap 55, Kurt Busch drafted past Elliott entering Turn 3 to retake the lead. Busch won the first stage, as it ended under caution for a nine-car wreck in Turn 3. But just as Hamlin did in the first caution, Busch overshot his pit stall, losing the lead. Making matters worse, he had to make another lap around to make a stop.

    Bowman led the field back to green on Lap 66. The outside line pushed Ryan Blaney to the lead on Lap 68.

    Byron cut down his right-front tire and hit the wall in Turn 4 and left debris all down the backstretch, bringing out the caution on Lap 91.

    Martin Truex Jr. took the race lead after bypassing pit road.

    Back to green on Lap 97, Blaney took back the lead the following lap.

    Elliott’s day came to an end when he was sent hard into the outside wall in Turn 3 on Lap 103. Danica Patrick was also collected in it in her final Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series start.

    The race restarted on Lap 108. Stenhouse makes an unscheduled stop for overheating. Caution ends the second stage, with Blaney winning it.

    Back to green on Lap 126, the bottom line all but disappeared as everyone formed up along the wall for the run to the finish. The long green run to the finish was broken by Byron’s spin exiting Turn 4 with 11 laps to go.

    A 12-car wreck in Turn 1 with three to go set up the run to the finish.

    NUTS & BOLTS

    The race lasted three hours, 26 minutes and 15 seconds, at an average speed of 150.545 mph. There were 24 lead changes among 14 different leaders and eight cautions for 37 laps.

    Blaney leaves with a six-point lead over Dillon.

     

    [pdf-embedder url=”http://www.speedwaymedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/2018-Daytona-500-Unofficial-results.pdf” title=”2018 Daytona 500 Unofficial results”]

     

  • The View From My Recliner — Pre 500

    The View From My Recliner — Pre 500

    It’s been a while, but the recliner is set for another great season of NASCAR action.

    I hope there is more action in the Daytona 500 than the Advanced Auto Parts Duel at Daytona because riding around in single file and the big one happening on the final lap doesn’t mean action to me.

    It looks like the new ride height rule has crew chiefs and engineers scratching their heads about how to make the car handle at Daytona. Thankfully they have a couple of days to run simulations and get a plan together and hopefully bring us an action-packed Daytona 500.

    The idea behind this column is to share the perspective of a fan. If there is something you want to comment on, feel free to e-mail me jdhwood20@aol.com. I am here for you.

    Time for some Bold Predictions from the Recliner.

    • The five crew members over the pit wall will be a mess and before NASCAR gets to Charlotte for the All-Star Race, that rule will change.
    • Ryan Blaney will win the Daytona 500.
    • I will be the new owner of BK Racing. Well, not really, but Ron Devine won’t be soon.
    • When we hit the intermediate tracks, every Ford driver will be complaining that Chevy and Toyota will have an unfair advantage.
    • The Danica Double will end with wrecks at Daytona and Indy.
    • Chase Elliott will get his first win and they will keep coming after that.
    • Furniture Row Racing will have the Championship hangover and Martin Truex Jr. will not make the final four at Homestead.
    • The final four at Homestead will be: Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Larson and Ryan Blaney.
    • The 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Champion will be Kyle Larson.

    There are a few things I will be watching for this year.

    I want to see how Aric Almirola performs in Stewart-Haas equipment. He was respectable at Richard Petty Motorsports, but he knew most weeks that a top-15 was what he could hope for. Now that he is in a top-notch ride, he needs to prove he is the driver who can handle the equipment.

    I hope Bubba Wallace gets enough funding and RPM has the patience to see him develop as a driver at the Cup level. I think he has the talent and I hope he gets the chance to prove it.

    I am looking forward to finding out how the Hawkeye inspection platform works and if we will have 20 cars late for qualifying.

    It truly is an honor to have this space to share my thoughts on a sport I love.

    Enjoy the Duels and the rest of Speedweek.

    We’ll talk soon when I share The View From My Recliner.

  • The Final Word – Sometimes the dawn of a new season is an exciting time, sometimes it is 2018

    The Final Word – Sometimes the dawn of a new season is an exciting time, sometimes it is 2018

    A new season has dawned, the engines roared back to life, and the Clash delivered a…well…a modicum of excitement. If you are a Brad Keselowski fan, it was one hell of a race. If you like Jamie McMurray, it kind of sucked. If you were looking for diving and dashing for the opening, Chase Elliott gave us one or two moments. If you wanted to sit on the edge of your seat, share the chair. This was not one for the ages, I am afraid.

    If you were seeking to calm those who are heading for the exits or entice those who never were with you in the first place, I do not see how either mission was accomplished. Drop me a line and tell me where I am going wrong. Tell me how Sunday’s action kept you riveted. I am at a loss, to be honest.

    As for Thursday’s duels, they are now two 20-car races with nothing on the line. 40 entries for 40 spots for the most iconic race of them all. That does not bode well for Las Vegas, Phoenix, or California when they swing west after the visit to Atlanta. How many have grown up yearning to be the next Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube champion, or the master of the TicketGuardian 500, and let us not forget about the Auto Club 400? No one, that is who.

    Usually, my pessimism is in check at least through to May. Usually. On the bright side, when the points start counting next Sunday, I will be glued to the tube once again. I wonder how Martin Truex Jr., Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, and even Clint Bowyer will do. I am looking forward to seeing how Elliott, Ryan Blaney, Kyle Larson, Bubba Wallace, and William Byron will perform. Let us not forget about Erik Jones. Veterans and young pups on the biggest opening act stage in all of sports. The Daytona 500 means something, and I am looking forward to watching the action unfold.

    Atlanta’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 might be fine. Since Kentucky ran off with its original spring date, this is a one and done deal for the good folks in Georgia. I guess there is something traditional about this event, and the corporate splash does have some patriotism mixed in.

    Then they head west. Maybe by then, the storylines will be interesting. Somebody might shine brightly to start the season, some might be hurting early, a kid might do things a kid is not expected to do. Something, anything, to entice us to watch the multi-colored autos with the big numbers on their roofs roar around and around and around.

    That is in the future. The Clash is behind us, the Duels provide something for Thursday afternoon, while Sunday is the one we have been waiting for. Even me. A new season has dawned, and a new Daytona 500 champion awaits his crowning…unless you believe Danica Patrick has a Cinderella story of her own in the offing. Now I’m just being silly.