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Happy Tuesday all. Hope you had a safe and happy 4th.....
Today In Nascar History
7/05/1997-John Andretti wins at Daytona, win #1 of the season, and #1 of his career.
7/05/2003-Greg Biffle wins at Daytona, win #1 of the season, and #1 of his career.
7/05/1997-John Andretti wins at Daytona, win #1 of the season, and #1 of his career.
7/05/2003-Greg Biffle wins at Daytona, win #1 of the season, and #1 of his career.
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SCREAM OF THE CROP JOKES & QUOTES.
Jokes, famous quotations, and uplifting topics --
The BEST fun emailed free 3 times weekly.
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Quote of the Year
"To be a real, true NASCAR driver, you have to know where the sport came from and you have to respect that history and tradition. The guys that don't respect that history and tradition, I don't think they're going to be around all that long. And those guys who don't know the history and tradition, I think it's upon them to learn about it pretty quick if they want to be a success."
– Richard Petty
Quote of the Day
"I'm too damn fat and too damn old to be climbing fences, but once I started, I was committed and I didn't want to let the fans down."
—Tony Stewart
"Any time you're in a slump of any kind, just to have a top-five run is something that's a big motivator not only for the driver, but the entire race team."
—Tony Stewart talking about Dale Earnhardt Jr. after the Pepsi 400
"To be a real, true NASCAR driver, you have to know where the sport came from and you have to respect that history and tradition. The guys that don't respect that history and tradition, I don't think they're going to be around all that long. And those guys who don't know the history and tradition, I think it's upon them to learn about it pretty quick if they want to be a success."
– Richard Petty
Quote of the Day
"I'm too damn fat and too damn old to be climbing fences, but once I started, I was committed and I didn't want to let the fans down."
—Tony Stewart
"Any time you're in a slump of any kind, just to have a top-five run is something that's a big motivator not only for the driver, but the entire race team."
—Tony Stewart talking about Dale Earnhardt Jr. after the Pepsi 400
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Behind The SOng." PLUS news and information on classic
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COUNTRY MUSIC CLASSICS--A F R E E weekly email
newsletter, all about classic country music from the 1950's
thru the 1980's. News--information--history, and trivia on classic
country music! Plus answers to your questions about classic
country songs and singers in our regular Q & A feature..PLUS
the true facts why a song was written or recorded in "Story
Behind The SOng." PLUS news and information on classic
country artists and songs. For your F R E E subscription,
send a blank email to Countrymusicclassics-on@...
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Comments from the Peanut Gallery
from Bob S
OK girl, you can put the Jack Roush voodoo doll away for a while.
Todd Kluever was the only one of his spear carriers not to get skewered by your spells (Edwards and Biffle more than once!).
I backed off on the little E incantations so can you do the same until Mark retires?
LOL....don't know about that Bob, I did put a hex on the Roush drivers...all but one that is....and that would be Mark. I respect him too much to put a hex on him, but if I have to remove it in order for Mark to run great, I don't think I can do it....but I will think on it!
from RD
I think NBC did a fine job, under a very stressful situation. I really don't think I could have hung in to the end, if I had, had to be subjected to the Faux Sports booth goofs for all that time. As it was, NBC kept my interest up through the entire broadcast. Good job NBC, great to see ya back.
rd
Totally agree RD, it was so nice to sit and enjoy the rain delay for once. The only complaint I have is that Alan isn't in the booth any more. Why they took him out is beyond me. The dude was good!
from Al
Does NASCAR audition these people who perform the National Anthem before a race? I wrote an article in a NASCAR newsletter a couple weeks ago, and received a really nice reply from some guys stationed on the USS Nimitz, they watch the races too, as well as our men and women in Iraq. They told me that is the most embarrassing moment of the whole race. I just watched the girl perform it tonight, she was doing really good, until she decided she would stretch it out until the flyover got here... Jeez, sing the Anthem the way it is supposed to be sung, if the flyover is late, so be it.
Al
from Rebenak
Your readers may be interested in the talk around Chicago. Here a while back Jeff Gordon sang the seventh inning stretch song of "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" at Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs otherwise known as the Loveable Losers. Or I should say he attempted to sign, word is, it was the worst rendition in the history of the ballpark. It has been noted that since that singing Jeff has not finished above 30th place. We are sure that the Curse of the Cubs has rubbed off on Jeff. For those of you not familiar with the Cub Curse, it started back in 1945 when the owner of a local tavern took his pet goat to watch the Cubs play in the world series. He was denied admission with the goat and on leaving the park yelled out a curse saying the Cubs would never play again in the world series until his goat was allowed in the park....and they haven't. So do not be surprised if you see Jeff leading a billy goat around the race track.
from Bob S
OK girl, you can put the Jack Roush voodoo doll away for a while.
Todd Kluever was the only one of his spear carriers not to get skewered by your spells (Edwards and Biffle more than once!).
I backed off on the little E incantations so can you do the same until Mark retires?
LOL....don't know about that Bob, I did put a hex on the Roush drivers...all but one that is....and that would be Mark. I respect him too much to put a hex on him, but if I have to remove it in order for Mark to run great, I don't think I can do it....but I will think on it!
from RD
I think NBC did a fine job, under a very stressful situation. I really don't think I could have hung in to the end, if I had, had to be subjected to the Faux Sports booth goofs for all that time. As it was, NBC kept my interest up through the entire broadcast. Good job NBC, great to see ya back.
rd
Totally agree RD, it was so nice to sit and enjoy the rain delay for once. The only complaint I have is that Alan isn't in the booth any more. Why they took him out is beyond me. The dude was good!
from Al
Does NASCAR audition these people who perform the National Anthem before a race? I wrote an article in a NASCAR newsletter a couple weeks ago, and received a really nice reply from some guys stationed on the USS Nimitz, they watch the races too, as well as our men and women in Iraq. They told me that is the most embarrassing moment of the whole race. I just watched the girl perform it tonight, she was doing really good, until she decided she would stretch it out until the flyover got here... Jeez, sing the Anthem the way it is supposed to be sung, if the flyover is late, so be it.
Al
from Rebenak
Your readers may be interested in the talk around Chicago. Here a while back Jeff Gordon sang the seventh inning stretch song of "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" at Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs otherwise known as the Loveable Losers. Or I should say he attempted to sign, word is, it was the worst rendition in the history of the ballpark. It has been noted that since that singing Jeff has not finished above 30th place. We are sure that the Curse of the Cubs has rubbed off on Jeff. For those of you not familiar with the Cub Curse, it started back in 1945 when the owner of a local tavern took his pet goat to watch the Cubs play in the world series. He was denied admission with the goat and on leaving the park yelled out a curse saying the Cubs would never play again in the world series until his goat was allowed in the park....and they haven't. So do not be surprised if you see Jeff leading a billy goat around the race track.
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Bits and Pieces
Biffle announces charity foundation and reveals real reason Earnhardt Junior bought a plane
Greg Biffle and his girlfriend Nicole Lunders, along with their pet boxers, Gracie and Foster, announced the formation of the Greg Biffle foundation at Daytona International Speedway Friday.
The foundation strives to create awareness and serve as an advocate to improve the well being of animals. The foundation donates to local Humane Societies, no-kill animal shelters, spay and neuter clinics and animal adoption leagues.
As a fundraiser for the new foundation, Biffle and Lunders unveiled a new calendar. The NASCAR Pets Calendar features 12 different drivers, their significant others along with their pets, including Dale Earnhardt Junior and his boxer “Killer”.
“That dog cost him six and half million dollars,” Biffle said as he pointed to the picture of Dale Junior and his dog, “(Should have called him) Lear 60, because he had to buy a jet to bring him to the track.”
”Killer, Biffle explained was one of Foster’s puppies. “We bought two puppies to Indy,” Biffle said, “And the minute Junior saw this one, he was like ‘I want him’.
“And then he was bringing him on the DEI plane and I don’t think that went over well, so Junior bought himself an airplane.”
Biffle announces charity foundation and reveals real reason Earnhardt Junior bought a plane
Greg Biffle and his girlfriend Nicole Lunders, along with their pet boxers, Gracie and Foster, announced the formation of the Greg Biffle foundation at Daytona International Speedway Friday.
The foundation strives to create awareness and serve as an advocate to improve the well being of animals. The foundation donates to local Humane Societies, no-kill animal shelters, spay and neuter clinics and animal adoption leagues.
As a fundraiser for the new foundation, Biffle and Lunders unveiled a new calendar. The NASCAR Pets Calendar features 12 different drivers, their significant others along with their pets, including Dale Earnhardt Junior and his boxer “Killer”.
“That dog cost him six and half million dollars,” Biffle said as he pointed to the picture of Dale Junior and his dog, “(Should have called him) Lear 60, because he had to buy a jet to bring him to the track.”
”Killer, Biffle explained was one of Foster’s puppies. “We bought two puppies to Indy,” Biffle said, “And the minute Junior saw this one, he was like ‘I want him’.
“And then he was bringing him on the DEI plane and I don’t think that went over well, so Junior bought himself an airplane.”
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STEWART INCIDENT
Stewart had nothing more to say Friday about an incident he had with a fan Wednesday night.
Stewart allegedly yelled and cursed at a fan after she slowed him up entering one of the track tunnels. Pamela Williams, of Hobe Sound, said Stewart was flashing his headlights as they entered the track infield.
``I stuck my hand out and made a motion to slow down, and this guy raced around me and slammed on his brakes,'' Williams told The Daytona Beach News-Journal. ``He jumps out and started walking toward me - angry and irritated - like road rage.''
Stewart told the News-Journal the woman gestured for him to pass her and then waved her middle finger at him as he drove by.
``I say, `By God, I'm going to find out what this girl's problem is.' So I back up, go to where she stops, get out and walk up to her window,'' Stewart said.
Neither NASCAR nor Daytona track officials took any action in the matter.
Stewart had nothing more to say Friday about an incident he had with a fan Wednesday night.
Stewart allegedly yelled and cursed at a fan after she slowed him up entering one of the track tunnels. Pamela Williams, of Hobe Sound, said Stewart was flashing his headlights as they entered the track infield.
``I stuck my hand out and made a motion to slow down, and this guy raced around me and slammed on his brakes,'' Williams told The Daytona Beach News-Journal. ``He jumps out and started walking toward me - angry and irritated - like road rage.''
Stewart told the News-Journal the woman gestured for him to pass her and then waved her middle finger at him as he drove by.
``I say, `By God, I'm going to find out what this girl's problem is.' So I back up, go to where she stops, get out and walk up to her window,'' Stewart said.
Neither NASCAR nor Daytona track officials took any action in the matter.
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No Toyota: Friday was the deadline for manufacturers to submit new cars or new parts to NASCAR for next season. Chevrolet submitted a new Monte Carlo. Ford submitted a new car to replace the Taurus. Toyota, rumored that it would present a car for the Busch series, did not present anything. The highest level in NASCAR that Toyota competes is the Craftsman Truck series. "We had never expected anything from Toyota,'' said Jim Hunter, NASCAR vice president. - The Roanoke Times
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Emotional NBC Exec Ebersol Grateful: NBC Sports president Dick Ebersol thanked the ''NASCAR community'' Saturday for supporting him through what has been a difficult time. Ebersol's 14-year-old son, Teddy, was killed in a plane crash in November in Colorado. The pilot and a flight attendant also were killed. Dick Ebersol, Charlie Ebersol and co-pilot Eric Wicksell were injured. ''I wanted to tell you all from the bottom of my heart, 'Thank you,''' Ebersol said, holding back tears. ''This community more than any other in sports has been there for my family and for me through all of this.'' NASCAR driver Kyle Petty and team owner Rick Hendrick also have lost sons, and Ebersol said both reached out to him. "You don't ever want to lose a child," Ebersol said, "but if you do, you want to have your faith in humanity renewed by the love and good works of the people around you trying to help you.'' - The Florida Times-Union
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TV Ratings not bad for the Pepsi 400: NBC and TNT's coverage of the second half of the 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup season kicked off on Saturday night as Tony Stewart took the checkered flag in the Pepsi 400 just before 2:00am/et [1:41am/et], in a race delayed more than two and a half hours by rain at Daytona International Speedway. The race drew a 4.9 overnight rating with a 12 share between 10:30pm/et and 2:00am/et, down only two percent from last year's 5.0/10 on FOX (9:34pm/et-12:26am/et). The rating peaked between 11:00-11:30pm/et with a 5.5/11, the time that the race, if it hadn't been delayed, would likely have been completed. The rain-delayed race broadcast (7:45pm/et -2am/et) rated a 4.2/9..(NBC PR)
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Mikey and NAPA look to be back with DEI in 2006 UPDATE: Now that Dale Earnhardt, Inc. has signed Martin Truex, Jr. to a three-year contract extension, the next order of business is to renew the deals for driver Michael Waltrip and his sponsor, NAPA, DEI Director of Motorsports Richie Gilmore said Saturday night. “Michael’s been a great driver for us and a great cheerleader for us this year and a great teammate,” Gilmore said. “I think in the next couple of weeks, we’ll have it all worked out. The Martin (Truex, Jr.) deal just took up a lot more time than we thought, but everybody’s happy with how it worked out.” As for Waltrip’s contract extension — something of a surprise to some, as his job was rumored to be in jeopardy — Gilmore said, “We’re still working out the details on it. We think we can get it done in the next couple of weeks. We got a lot done today with NAPA and Michael and we feel like we can definitely get it done.”(Speed Channel), also being told that Waltrip wil NOT be replaced at Speed Channel's Inside Nextel Cup show.(7-3-2005)
UPDATE: DEI is close to signing sponsor NAPA and driver Michael Waltrip to a one year contract with a perhaps three year extension. That according to DEI Director of Competition Richie Gilmore after a series of contract talks at Daytona with sponsor representatives. Gilmore says the deal to sign Martin Truex Jr. took longer than expected and that now it’s important to make sure DEI has three teams to compete with the Roush and Hendrick operations. Meanwhile, Waltrip says has no deadline and "Whenever they’re ready, I’m pretty much flexible to figure out what’s next whenever they are, so I’m happy. I don’t have any issues. I know how it goes and we’ll work it all out." As far as a back-up plan, Michael said “I’ve been doing this for 20-years and I’ve realized that over the years that you better have a plan "B" …if you don’t you’re libel to be out in left field somewhere so I’m just going right along, happy, just riding a good wave right now. I don’t have any demands. It’d be silly for me to make demands when I haven’t heard what the plan is and when I hear the plan we’ll go from there. Everything’s good as far as I know…I don’t know of any reason to be worried."(PRN's Garage Pass/Sporting News)
UPDATE: DEI is close to signing sponsor NAPA and driver Michael Waltrip to a one year contract with a perhaps three year extension. That according to DEI Director of Competition Richie Gilmore after a series of contract talks at Daytona with sponsor representatives. Gilmore says the deal to sign Martin Truex Jr. took longer than expected and that now it’s important to make sure DEI has three teams to compete with the Roush and Hendrick operations. Meanwhile, Waltrip says has no deadline and "Whenever they’re ready, I’m pretty much flexible to figure out what’s next whenever they are, so I’m happy. I don’t have any issues. I know how it goes and we’ll work it all out." As far as a back-up plan, Michael said “I’ve been doing this for 20-years and I’ve realized that over the years that you better have a plan "B" …if you don’t you’re libel to be out in left field somewhere so I’m just going right along, happy, just riding a good wave right now. I don’t have any demands. It’d be silly for me to make demands when I haven’t heard what the plan is and when I hear the plan we’ll go from there. Everything’s good as far as I know…I don’t know of any reason to be worried."(PRN's Garage Pass/Sporting News)
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Zipadelli Wins Wypall Wipers Crew Chief of the Race Award: No one came close to topping Tony Stewart this weekend at the Pepsi 400. Stewart led the parade for a record breaking 151 laps of the 160 lap event. Despite the field ganging up on the #20 Chevrolet, Stewart easily held on to the top spot to pick up his second consecutive win. Stewart's dominant night made his crew chief, Greg Zipadelli, the easy pick for the Wypall Wipers Crew Chief of the Race.
The panel of voters; including Buddy Shacklette of the Daytona Beach News-Journal, a Wypall Wipers representative and Robbie Reiser; all agreed that Zipadelli unquestionably deserved Wypall Wipers Crew Chief of the Race honors. "They (#20 team) came here with the right stuff," said Shacklette. "They were fast off the truck. I don't think Greg (Zipadelli) had to make very many changes all night. Obviously he did his homework. They were solid here in February and were solid here again. Greg is definitely the man of the hour."
"That was one of the best cars that I've ever seen at Daytona," said Reiser. "No one stood a chance against it. Everyone is going to have to raise the bar on their superspeedway program before we go to Talladega or Tony (Stewart) will have another day like this. Greg (Zipadelli) had an awesome day and no one deserved to be Crew Chief of the Race more than him."
Doug Richert leads the Wypall Wipers Crew Chief of the Year standings with five wins. Alan Gustafson and Robbie Loomis are tied for second place with two wins. Tommy Baldwin, Scott Miller, Bob Osborne, Fatback McSwain, Greg Zipadelli and Pete Rondeau are in a tie for third place, each with one win. At the end of the season, the crew chief with the most weekly wins will receive $20,000. Fans can also vote for their choice at wypall.com.(SMC 500)
The panel of voters; including Buddy Shacklette of the Daytona Beach News-Journal, a Wypall Wipers representative and Robbie Reiser; all agreed that Zipadelli unquestionably deserved Wypall Wipers Crew Chief of the Race honors. "They (#20 team) came here with the right stuff," said Shacklette. "They were fast off the truck. I don't think Greg (Zipadelli) had to make very many changes all night. Obviously he did his homework. They were solid here in February and were solid here again. Greg is definitely the man of the hour."
"That was one of the best cars that I've ever seen at Daytona," said Reiser. "No one stood a chance against it. Everyone is going to have to raise the bar on their superspeedway program before we go to Talladega or Tony (Stewart) will have another day like this. Greg (Zipadelli) had an awesome day and no one deserved to be Crew Chief of the Race more than him."
Doug Richert leads the Wypall Wipers Crew Chief of the Year standings with five wins. Alan Gustafson and Robbie Loomis are tied for second place with two wins. Tommy Baldwin, Scott Miller, Bob Osborne, Fatback McSwain, Greg Zipadelli and Pete Rondeau are in a tie for third place, each with one win. At the end of the season, the crew chief with the most weekly wins will receive $20,000. Fans can also vote for their choice at wypall.com.(SMC 500)
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Martin and Wallace honored at Daytona: #6-Mark Martin and #2-Rusty Wallace were honored Saturday night before their final race at Daytona International Speedway. The retiring NASCAR stars were given framed photos of the first cars they drove at Daytona in 1982 and greeted with a standing ovation during the drivers meeting before the Pepsi 400. The photos also contained head shots that Martin said reminded him of "Starsky and Hutch." "You got me beat with the mustache, but I've got the hair," Wallace said.(ESPN.com/AP)
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Presley not happy with Wally: Singer Lisa Marie Presley, who performed several songs during pre-race ceremonies, had quite an experience when she rode around the superspeedway with former NASCAR Cup driver Wally Dallenbach. "I want to kick his [butt] right this minute," she said. "It would have been great if we just went around really fast in the middle of the track. But he perpetually wanted to make me feel like I was going to die every two seconds, riding me an inch from the wall."(ESPN.com/AP)
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No Decision on Marlin's 2006 plans yet: #40-Sterling Marlin, who will start 37th in tonight's Nextel Cup Pepsi 400, said no decision has been made about his racing plans next year. "There's still some discussions going on and hopefully I'll know something before long," Marlin said. Marlin has been notified that his driving contract will not be renewed next season with Chip Ganassi Racing, but he has been offered a "consulting" job with the team. He also has an offer to drive a limited Busch Series schedule for FitzBradshaw Racing, but indicated he would prefer a full-time Nextel Cup ride if he can land with a "competitive" team. Marlin said he has talked to "two or three owners," believed to include Richard Chidress and Jack Roush, and originally thought a decision might come this weekend. Yesterday he said it "will probably be later next month" before a decision is finalized.(Tennessean)
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Riggs has not be contacted by Evernham: Driver ofthe #10 MBV Motorsports car. Scott Riggs: "The only people I've talked to about another contract is the team I'm already with." He knows that Valvoline would love to have me over there (the new Evernham team), but as far as sitting down and talking to anyone about a contract...no. (Cupscene.com)
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Donnie Allison book on the way: Donnie Allison, one of the toughest stock-car drivers who ever raced, has a new, no-holds-barred book coming out soon entitled, “As I Recall.” The book opens with the infamous 1979 last-lap Daytona 500 crash between Allison and Cale Yarborough and the brawl that followed. Allison said the book pulls no punches about his racing career and the people he raced with and against.(Speed Channel)
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Wildcard? Drivers not too wild about idea
By Dustin Long
Greensboro News Record
NASCAR Chairman Brian France won't change how drivers make the championship chase this year, but says that he'll consider future changes.
One idea is for a wildcard spot, allowing a driver who wouldn't normally make the chase to be a part of it whether by a fan vote or some other criteria. Some drivers, including those who missed the chase last year, are against a wildcard spot.
"That's stupid," former champion Dale Jarrett said of such an idea. "Why would you want to vote somebody in? This isn't about a popularity contest. I don't want voted in there. Matter of fact, I would turn it down. Because I didn't earn that."
Questions about the chase have increased as the sport's two most popular drivers, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon, entered Saturday night's Pepsi 400 at Daytona not eligible for the chase. Nine races remain from the Pepsi 400 before the cutoff after the Richmond event in September.
The struggles by Earnhardt and Gordon raise questions about if their fans would watch the final 10 races should those drivers not be eligible for the title. NASCAR officials are sensitive about TV ratings and should there be a large dip during this year's chase, then changes for next year would seem likely.
"I think that's ludicrous," Kevin Harvick said of a wildcard spot. "It's not these guys fault in the top 10 that Jeff Gordon and Dale Jr. are running bad. There shouldn't be any concessions for those guys and if there is, it's totally wrong and I think shows a lot of favoritism. I think that would be a bad move."
Kasey Kahne also said he didn't like it. Unlike Jarrett, Kahne said if he qualified for such a wildcard spot, he'd take it.
"Who's not going to take it?" Kahne said. "If I ever won the Cup championship doing that, I'd feel like, geez, we got this one given to us. We didn't earn this one."
By Dustin Long
Greensboro News Record
NASCAR Chairman Brian France won't change how drivers make the championship chase this year, but says that he'll consider future changes.
One idea is for a wildcard spot, allowing a driver who wouldn't normally make the chase to be a part of it whether by a fan vote or some other criteria. Some drivers, including those who missed the chase last year, are against a wildcard spot.
"That's stupid," former champion Dale Jarrett said of such an idea. "Why would you want to vote somebody in? This isn't about a popularity contest. I don't want voted in there. Matter of fact, I would turn it down. Because I didn't earn that."
Questions about the chase have increased as the sport's two most popular drivers, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon, entered Saturday night's Pepsi 400 at Daytona not eligible for the chase. Nine races remain from the Pepsi 400 before the cutoff after the Richmond event in September.
The struggles by Earnhardt and Gordon raise questions about if their fans would watch the final 10 races should those drivers not be eligible for the title. NASCAR officials are sensitive about TV ratings and should there be a large dip during this year's chase, then changes for next year would seem likely.
"I think that's ludicrous," Kevin Harvick said of a wildcard spot. "It's not these guys fault in the top 10 that Jeff Gordon and Dale Jr. are running bad. There shouldn't be any concessions for those guys and if there is, it's totally wrong and I think shows a lot of favoritism. I think that would be a bad move."
Kasey Kahne also said he didn't like it. Unlike Jarrett, Kahne said if he qualified for such a wildcard spot, he'd take it.
"Who's not going to take it?" Kahne said. "If I ever won the Cup championship doing that, I'd feel like, geez, we got this one given to us. We didn't earn this one."
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Stewart dominates, wins the Pepsi 400
By DAVID POOLE
The Charlotte Observer
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. Tony Stewart led just about all night - literally - and won the rain-delayed Pepsi 400 that ended at 1:40 a.m. Sunday EDT at Daytona International Speedway.
Stewart started from the pole in his No. 20 Chevrolet and dominated the race to win for the second straight week.
He secured this victory with a bold move on Lap 145. Stewart was fifth on the restart following his final pit stop under caution, but quickly pushed Matt Kenseth past the three cars in front of them.
Stewart then jumped outside of Kenseth and made it three-wide - almost four-wide, in fact - going into Turn 1 on the next lap and snatched back the lead.
A multicar crash off Turn 4 on Lap 146 slowed the field until the green came out again with nine laps remaining. Stewart had Jamie McMurray, Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. in pursuit, but he also had track position and a car that had been fast enough to lead more laps - 151 of 160 - than anyone ever had in the 400-mile July race at the 2.5-mile Daytona track.
Rain began around 7 p.m. and continued well over an hour. Drivers finally got on the track shortly after 10:30 and the green and yellow flags were displayed and the laps began to count. After 11 laps, just before 11 p.m., the yellow was withdrawn and the cars finally came up to speed.
Stewart, starting from the pole here for his first time, led the first lap with Jimmie Johnson right on his rear bumper. He stayed there until Lap 35, when as green flag stops were beginning, trouble broke out.
Jeff Gordon and McMurray slowed off Turn 4 to come down pit road, but Scott Riggs couldn't slowed down in time. He moved high to avoid McMurray and forced Mark Martin to the outside where another car crowded Martin into the outside wall.
That set off a crash that damaged at least 10 cars. Martin's car was perhaps the most seriously damaged. "It looked to me like somebody took the 10 car (Riggs) by surprise on pitting," Martin said. "He chose to slam the brakes on and take a right when I was outside of him."
Stewart got off pit road first after making his stop under yellow, maintaining his lead as the green flew on Lap 42. By Lap 64, when another caution flew for debris on the track, Michael Waltrip had picked his way up to second.
Jeff Green slapped the Turn 2 just after the restart, bringing out another yellow. On that restart on Lap 73, Waltrip's car wobbled going into Turn 1 and spun, clipping Joe Nemechek and then getting into points leader Greg Biffle's Ford.
"It just looked like Michael cut a tire, I couldn't tell," said Biffle, who taken over the points lead one week ago at Infineon Raceway. "It's unfortunate. We had a good car. We'd worked our way into the top 10but that's just a part of restrictor-plate racing. It's just a roll of the dice to see what happens here."
Stewart was still in front, where he'd been for all but one lap that Mike Wallace led under yellow early on, at the Lap 100 mark.
Johnson was clinging to second, but behind that front two things were starting to shuffle around a bit. McMurray, Ryan Newman and Kenseth were in the mix, as were Elliott Sadler - who'd been a lap down at one point after running out of gas during the yellow for the Lap 35 crash - and Earnhardt Jr., who'd started 39th at a track where his No. 8 Chevrolet has so often been a big part of the story.
Sadler, Dale Jarrett and Ricky Rudd pitted on Lap 101, and while they were on pit road Bobby Hamilton Jr. lost a tire and went into the Turn 1 wall. That was a huge break for the three Fords, since when the rest of the field came in under the yellow for Hamilton's incident they were able to stay out and take over the top spots, with Sadler leading Jarrett and Rudd just ahead of Johnson, Stewart and Newman.
Jarrett went high into Turn 3 after the restart on Lap 107 and barely beat his teammate, Sadler, back to the line to be scored as the leader. The next time by it was Sadler in front by a car length with Stewart on his back bumper pushing the No. 38.
Stewart jumped high into Turn 3 on Lap 109 and pulled alongside Sadler, then one lap later the No. 20 Chevrolet jumped back to the place it had been all night - the lead.
On Lap 112, Boris Said's Chevrolet took a wild slide through the wet infield grass to bring out a yellow. Stewart, Sadler and McMurray stayed on the track, but the rest of the lead-lap cars came to pit road.
Everyone, those who pitted there and those who didn't, would need one more stop. As the laps counted down toward that point, Stewart kept the lead with Sadler holding second. Earnhardt Jr. and McMurray battled for third until Lap 130, when the No. 8 car pulled clear of McMurray and then jumped outside to get past Sadler and take over the second position. But on Lap 135, Johnson took second away from Earnhardt Jr.
Said's car spun off the track on Lap 140 to bring out a yellow flag and allow the contenders to make those final stops. The race off pit road figured to be frantic and it was, with Newman and Brian Vickers colliding.
Kasey Kahne took only two tires and got off pit road first, with Johnson, Blaney and Kenseth all also getting out ahead of Stewart for the restart with 17 laps left.
But that didn't last long. Stewart swept to the outside going into Turn 1 on Lap 145 to reclaim the lead.
Coming off Turn 4 on the next lap, Carl Edwards tried to go in between Burton and Harvick and that hole closed up. Harvick got turned and several cars behind them piled up into each other and the infield mud.
By DAVID POOLE
The Charlotte Observer
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. Tony Stewart led just about all night - literally - and won the rain-delayed Pepsi 400 that ended at 1:40 a.m. Sunday EDT at Daytona International Speedway.
Stewart started from the pole in his No. 20 Chevrolet and dominated the race to win for the second straight week.
He secured this victory with a bold move on Lap 145. Stewart was fifth on the restart following his final pit stop under caution, but quickly pushed Matt Kenseth past the three cars in front of them.
Stewart then jumped outside of Kenseth and made it three-wide - almost four-wide, in fact - going into Turn 1 on the next lap and snatched back the lead.
A multicar crash off Turn 4 on Lap 146 slowed the field until the green came out again with nine laps remaining. Stewart had Jamie McMurray, Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. in pursuit, but he also had track position and a car that had been fast enough to lead more laps - 151 of 160 - than anyone ever had in the 400-mile July race at the 2.5-mile Daytona track.
Rain began around 7 p.m. and continued well over an hour. Drivers finally got on the track shortly after 10:30 and the green and yellow flags were displayed and the laps began to count. After 11 laps, just before 11 p.m., the yellow was withdrawn and the cars finally came up to speed.
Stewart, starting from the pole here for his first time, led the first lap with Jimmie Johnson right on his rear bumper. He stayed there until Lap 35, when as green flag stops were beginning, trouble broke out.
Jeff Gordon and McMurray slowed off Turn 4 to come down pit road, but Scott Riggs couldn't slowed down in time. He moved high to avoid McMurray and forced Mark Martin to the outside where another car crowded Martin into the outside wall.
That set off a crash that damaged at least 10 cars. Martin's car was perhaps the most seriously damaged. "It looked to me like somebody took the 10 car (Riggs) by surprise on pitting," Martin said. "He chose to slam the brakes on and take a right when I was outside of him."
Stewart got off pit road first after making his stop under yellow, maintaining his lead as the green flew on Lap 42. By Lap 64, when another caution flew for debris on the track, Michael Waltrip had picked his way up to second.
Jeff Green slapped the Turn 2 just after the restart, bringing out another yellow. On that restart on Lap 73, Waltrip's car wobbled going into Turn 1 and spun, clipping Joe Nemechek and then getting into points leader Greg Biffle's Ford.
"It just looked like Michael cut a tire, I couldn't tell," said Biffle, who taken over the points lead one week ago at Infineon Raceway. "It's unfortunate. We had a good car. We'd worked our way into the top 10but that's just a part of restrictor-plate racing. It's just a roll of the dice to see what happens here."
Stewart was still in front, where he'd been for all but one lap that Mike Wallace led under yellow early on, at the Lap 100 mark.
Johnson was clinging to second, but behind that front two things were starting to shuffle around a bit. McMurray, Ryan Newman and Kenseth were in the mix, as were Elliott Sadler - who'd been a lap down at one point after running out of gas during the yellow for the Lap 35 crash - and Earnhardt Jr., who'd started 39th at a track where his No. 8 Chevrolet has so often been a big part of the story.
Sadler, Dale Jarrett and Ricky Rudd pitted on Lap 101, and while they were on pit road Bobby Hamilton Jr. lost a tire and went into the Turn 1 wall. That was a huge break for the three Fords, since when the rest of the field came in under the yellow for Hamilton's incident they were able to stay out and take over the top spots, with Sadler leading Jarrett and Rudd just ahead of Johnson, Stewart and Newman.
Jarrett went high into Turn 3 after the restart on Lap 107 and barely beat his teammate, Sadler, back to the line to be scored as the leader. The next time by it was Sadler in front by a car length with Stewart on his back bumper pushing the No. 38.
Stewart jumped high into Turn 3 on Lap 109 and pulled alongside Sadler, then one lap later the No. 20 Chevrolet jumped back to the place it had been all night - the lead.
On Lap 112, Boris Said's Chevrolet took a wild slide through the wet infield grass to bring out a yellow. Stewart, Sadler and McMurray stayed on the track, but the rest of the lead-lap cars came to pit road.
Everyone, those who pitted there and those who didn't, would need one more stop. As the laps counted down toward that point, Stewart kept the lead with Sadler holding second. Earnhardt Jr. and McMurray battled for third until Lap 130, when the No. 8 car pulled clear of McMurray and then jumped outside to get past Sadler and take over the second position. But on Lap 135, Johnson took second away from Earnhardt Jr.
Said's car spun off the track on Lap 140 to bring out a yellow flag and allow the contenders to make those final stops. The race off pit road figured to be frantic and it was, with Newman and Brian Vickers colliding.
Kasey Kahne took only two tires and got off pit road first, with Johnson, Blaney and Kenseth all also getting out ahead of Stewart for the restart with 17 laps left.
But that didn't last long. Stewart swept to the outside going into Turn 1 on Lap 145 to reclaim the lead.
Coming off Turn 4 on the next lap, Carl Edwards tried to go in between Burton and Harvick and that hole closed up. Harvick got turned and several cars behind them piled up into each other and the infield mud.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Martin bids bitter farewell to Daytona with crash
Total of nine cars damaged in Lap 35 melee
By Ryan Smithson, NASCAR.COM
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Mark Martin lives about five miles from Daytona International Speedway. He's never won a Nextel Cup points race at the 2.5-mile track. And unless he decides to return in the future to compete at Daytona in a Cup car, it appears he never will.
Martin was involved in a Lap 35 crash at Daytona that claimed nine cars, including Martin, who fell to eighth in the standings after finishing 39th.
The accident occurred during the first round of green-flag pit stops, and Scott Riggs said the fray was caused when some drivers failed to use hand signals to indicate they were heading to pit road.
Jamie McMurray was immediately in front of Riggs on the frontstretch when Riggs darted to the left to avoid a slowing McMurray. Riggs' Chevrolet went directly into Martin's path, and the wreck was on.
Martin, Riggs, Casey Mears, Kurt Busch and Bobby Labonte suffered the most damage. Martin went to the infield medical center, where he was checked and released.
"[I am] glad this is the last time I have ever got to race here," Martin said. "That can happen anywhere, but that is goofy.
"I am doing fine, just disgusted. All I saw was somebody surprised Scott Riggs about pitting, and he hung a right on me, and that was it. I don't think he knew the car in front of him was getting ready to pit."
Riggs said there was nothing he could do.
"I didn't see the 24 [Jeff Gordon] nor the 42 [McMurray] use hand signals to let me know they were going to pit," said Riggs. "They just let off the throttle. Typical speedway racing. I have heard Mark several times complaining about speedway racing so I am sure he knows what it is all about."
McMurray, who went on to finish second, was surprised after the race when he was told that Riggs didn't see his signal to pit.
"I didn't know I was the guilty victim of that deal," McMurray said. "I waved going down the backstretch that I was going to pit. I waved, but my car was so loose on old tires that I had to have both hands on the wheel.
"I didn't know there was an issue, we were really low on the racetrack. I didn't know someone was behind me."
The crash ends an outstanding streak for Martin, who entered Daytona with top-10s in four of his last five races.
"I wasn't worried about winning. I just didn't want to wreck," Martin said. "Now we got to worry about making the Chase. Somebody wasn't communicating."
The crash was probably more damaging to Kurt Busch, who entered Daytona eighth in the standings.
Like Martin, Busch was able to make it back onto the track but eventually settled for a 37th-place finish. He lost 72 points to the Nextel Cup points leader.
"Yeah, we just have to smile about it and go to Chicago and race the best that we can," said Busch, who slid to ninth in the points. "It's a bummer, but we've got good tracks coming up."
Bobby Labonte was also involved, but he only had damage on his right front. After his team patched the damage, they sent him back out, and he wound up 35th.
Total of nine cars damaged in Lap 35 melee
By Ryan Smithson, NASCAR.COM
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Mark Martin lives about five miles from Daytona International Speedway. He's never won a Nextel Cup points race at the 2.5-mile track. And unless he decides to return in the future to compete at Daytona in a Cup car, it appears he never will.
Martin was involved in a Lap 35 crash at Daytona that claimed nine cars, including Martin, who fell to eighth in the standings after finishing 39th.
The accident occurred during the first round of green-flag pit stops, and Scott Riggs said the fray was caused when some drivers failed to use hand signals to indicate they were heading to pit road.
Jamie McMurray was immediately in front of Riggs on the frontstretch when Riggs darted to the left to avoid a slowing McMurray. Riggs' Chevrolet went directly into Martin's path, and the wreck was on.
Martin, Riggs, Casey Mears, Kurt Busch and Bobby Labonte suffered the most damage. Martin went to the infield medical center, where he was checked and released.
"[I am] glad this is the last time I have ever got to race here," Martin said. "That can happen anywhere, but that is goofy.
"I am doing fine, just disgusted. All I saw was somebody surprised Scott Riggs about pitting, and he hung a right on me, and that was it. I don't think he knew the car in front of him was getting ready to pit."
Riggs said there was nothing he could do.
"I didn't see the 24 [Jeff Gordon] nor the 42 [McMurray] use hand signals to let me know they were going to pit," said Riggs. "They just let off the throttle. Typical speedway racing. I have heard Mark several times complaining about speedway racing so I am sure he knows what it is all about."
McMurray, who went on to finish second, was surprised after the race when he was told that Riggs didn't see his signal to pit.
"I didn't know I was the guilty victim of that deal," McMurray said. "I waved going down the backstretch that I was going to pit. I waved, but my car was so loose on old tires that I had to have both hands on the wheel.
"I didn't know there was an issue, we were really low on the racetrack. I didn't know someone was behind me."
The crash ends an outstanding streak for Martin, who entered Daytona with top-10s in four of his last five races.
"I wasn't worried about winning. I just didn't want to wreck," Martin said. "Now we got to worry about making the Chase. Somebody wasn't communicating."
The crash was probably more damaging to Kurt Busch, who entered Daytona eighth in the standings.
Like Martin, Busch was able to make it back onto the track but eventually settled for a 37th-place finish. He lost 72 points to the Nextel Cup points leader.
"Yeah, we just have to smile about it and go to Chicago and race the best that we can," said Busch, who slid to ninth in the points. "It's a bummer, but we've got good tracks coming up."
Bobby Labonte was also involved, but he only had damage on his right front. After his team patched the damage, they sent him back out, and he wound up 35th.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Stewart gets elusive first victory at Daytona
After dominating run, 2002 champ gets second win in a row
The Associated Press
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- After numerous frustrating finishes, Tony Stewart finally won at NASCAR's most famous track.
Stewart dominated the rain-delayed Pepsi 400 on Saturday night, but still needed a dramatic four-wide pass to move to the front, then pulled away on a restart with nine laps left to seal his first Nextel Cup victory in 14 starts at Daytona International Speedway.
The only thing that could top this would be winning the Daytona 500 or a race -- any race -- at his beloved Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
But Stewart will settle for this for now, and celebrated by climbing the fence into the flag stand to claim the checkered flag.
"I'm too damn fat to be climbing fences, but I had to do it once,'' Stewart said. "I finally got me a Daytona trophy.''
It was his second consecutive victory and showed that the 2002 series champion will be a contender again this year. He started from the pole, led a race-record 151 of 160 laps, and moved to third in the standings.
Jamie McMurray finished second and was followed by Dale Earnhardt Jr., who was far from the dominating driver he has been here in recent years. But the finish was encouraging for Junior, who is stuck in a season-long slump, but matched his best finish of the year -- here in the season-opening Daytona 500.
Rusty Wallace was fourth in his final scheduled start at Daytona, followed by Dale Jarrett and Jimmie Johnson.
Johnson reclaimed the top spot in the standings after dropping behind Greg Biffle last week. Biffle was involved in an early accident, wound up 36th, and fell to second in the standings.
Jeff Gordon, winner of four of the last five restrictor-plate races -- including two consecutive at Daytona -- was never a factor and finished seventh.
Stewart was running away with the race until a late round of pit stops shuffled him back to fifth with 17 laps to go. It took him just minutes to regain the lead and he did it with the most daring of moves: He tucked in next to the wall and slid on the outside past Matt Kenseth, Kasey Kahne and Johnson, who were all lined up door-to-door across the track.
Stewart's pass would have been enough to seal the victory, if not for one last caution. The race restarted with nine laps to go, and Stewart was never challenged as he pulled away.
"Nobody knows how much this means,'' crew chief Greg Zipadelli said. "We got the short end of the stick here plenty of times.''
Stewart was the Daytona 500 favorite in 2002, when he won two of the three races leading up to the season opener. But his engine blew on the second lap, and Stewart was already home in North Carolina when the race ended.
He was good again in 2004, but not strong enough at the end. Instead of racing for the win, he ended up pushing buddy Earnhardt across the finish line and settled for a second-place finish.
That made it so much more frustrating this February, when Stewart led a race-high 107 laps and seemed headed to his breakthrough win. But when it came time to find a drafting partner, Junior hung him out to dry and Stewart drifted back to a disappointing seventh-place finish.
So to finally break through at Daytona was a relief for Stewart. Sure, the summer race doesn't come close to rivaling the Daytona 500 in significance. And Stewart is the first to admit a win in Indianapolis -- in either NASCAR or an open wheel car -- would make his career.
Earnhardt knew Stewart would savor the win.
"I'm glad he got to experience what it's like to have a car dominate as he did,'' Earnhardt said. "It's a lot of fun when you have these kinds of cars.''
The race was delayed by rain for just over 2 1/2 hours, and when NASCAR did start it, the cars ran the first 11 laps under caution in an effort to dry every last spot on the track. So when the field finally went green, it was almost three hours after the scheduled start.
If the drivers were anxious, they didn't show it during an uneventful first 55 miles. But when it came time to pit for fuel, things got exciting.
Gordon waved in his mirror to alert the field he was heading in, but it appeared only McMurray saw the signal. McMurray slowed behind him, but Scott Riggs didn't from his spot two cars back. Riggs ran into the back of McMurray, forcing Mark Martin to use some defensive driving to avoid the wreck.
Instead, he ended up smack in the middle of a nine-car pileup when his car bounced off the wall and into cars trying to avoid Riggs.
Martin, retiring from full-time racing at the end of the season, could only watch in disgust as his crumpled car was towed off the track. He went home 0-for-41 at the historic track.
"It looked like to me that someone took [Riggs] by surprise by pitting,'' Martin said. "Riggs chose to slam the brakes on and take a right turn into me.''
Riggs said he had no idea Gordon or McMurray were slowing.
"I just didn't see any hand signals,'' Riggs said. "It just looked to me like they slowed down really fast in front of me. Maybe I just missed the hand signals, but I didn't see them.''
Also collected in the accident was reigning series champion Kurt Busch, Kenseth and Earnhardt, who suffered just minor damage to his Chevrolet.
After dominating run, 2002 champ gets second win in a row
The Associated Press
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- After numerous frustrating finishes, Tony Stewart finally won at NASCAR's most famous track.
Stewart dominated the rain-delayed Pepsi 400 on Saturday night, but still needed a dramatic four-wide pass to move to the front, then pulled away on a restart with nine laps left to seal his first Nextel Cup victory in 14 starts at Daytona International Speedway.
The only thing that could top this would be winning the Daytona 500 or a race -- any race -- at his beloved Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
But Stewart will settle for this for now, and celebrated by climbing the fence into the flag stand to claim the checkered flag.
"I'm too damn fat to be climbing fences, but I had to do it once,'' Stewart said. "I finally got me a Daytona trophy.''
It was his second consecutive victory and showed that the 2002 series champion will be a contender again this year. He started from the pole, led a race-record 151 of 160 laps, and moved to third in the standings.
Jamie McMurray finished second and was followed by Dale Earnhardt Jr., who was far from the dominating driver he has been here in recent years. But the finish was encouraging for Junior, who is stuck in a season-long slump, but matched his best finish of the year -- here in the season-opening Daytona 500.
Rusty Wallace was fourth in his final scheduled start at Daytona, followed by Dale Jarrett and Jimmie Johnson.
Johnson reclaimed the top spot in the standings after dropping behind Greg Biffle last week. Biffle was involved in an early accident, wound up 36th, and fell to second in the standings.
Jeff Gordon, winner of four of the last five restrictor-plate races -- including two consecutive at Daytona -- was never a factor and finished seventh.
Stewart was running away with the race until a late round of pit stops shuffled him back to fifth with 17 laps to go. It took him just minutes to regain the lead and he did it with the most daring of moves: He tucked in next to the wall and slid on the outside past Matt Kenseth, Kasey Kahne and Johnson, who were all lined up door-to-door across the track.
Stewart's pass would have been enough to seal the victory, if not for one last caution. The race restarted with nine laps to go, and Stewart was never challenged as he pulled away.
"Nobody knows how much this means,'' crew chief Greg Zipadelli said. "We got the short end of the stick here plenty of times.''
Stewart was the Daytona 500 favorite in 2002, when he won two of the three races leading up to the season opener. But his engine blew on the second lap, and Stewart was already home in North Carolina when the race ended.
He was good again in 2004, but not strong enough at the end. Instead of racing for the win, he ended up pushing buddy Earnhardt across the finish line and settled for a second-place finish.
That made it so much more frustrating this February, when Stewart led a race-high 107 laps and seemed headed to his breakthrough win. But when it came time to find a drafting partner, Junior hung him out to dry and Stewart drifted back to a disappointing seventh-place finish.
So to finally break through at Daytona was a relief for Stewart. Sure, the summer race doesn't come close to rivaling the Daytona 500 in significance. And Stewart is the first to admit a win in Indianapolis -- in either NASCAR or an open wheel car -- would make his career.
Earnhardt knew Stewart would savor the win.
"I'm glad he got to experience what it's like to have a car dominate as he did,'' Earnhardt said. "It's a lot of fun when you have these kinds of cars.''
The race was delayed by rain for just over 2 1/2 hours, and when NASCAR did start it, the cars ran the first 11 laps under caution in an effort to dry every last spot on the track. So when the field finally went green, it was almost three hours after the scheduled start.
If the drivers were anxious, they didn't show it during an uneventful first 55 miles. But when it came time to pit for fuel, things got exciting.
Gordon waved in his mirror to alert the field he was heading in, but it appeared only McMurray saw the signal. McMurray slowed behind him, but Scott Riggs didn't from his spot two cars back. Riggs ran into the back of McMurray, forcing Mark Martin to use some defensive driving to avoid the wreck.
Instead, he ended up smack in the middle of a nine-car pileup when his car bounced off the wall and into cars trying to avoid Riggs.
Martin, retiring from full-time racing at the end of the season, could only watch in disgust as his crumpled car was towed off the track. He went home 0-for-41 at the historic track.
"It looked like to me that someone took [Riggs] by surprise by pitting,'' Martin said. "Riggs chose to slam the brakes on and take a right turn into me.''
Riggs said he had no idea Gordon or McMurray were slowing.
"I just didn't see any hand signals,'' Riggs said. "It just looked to me like they slowed down really fast in front of me. Maybe I just missed the hand signals, but I didn't see them.''
Also collected in the accident was reigning series champion Kurt Busch, Kenseth and Earnhardt, who suffered just minor damage to his Chevrolet.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cross' Words: Daytona
By B. Duane Cross, NASCAR.COM
My buddy Donnie, the troublemaker, asked Saturday afternoon why we -- the god-forsaken, ne'er-do-well media -- don't like Tony Stewart.
Stewart is the very definition of a racer, he said, and we -- the unwashed -- should spend more time talking and writing about that.
Donnie continued: Stewart doesn't fit the mold of the Young Gun; he actually has opinions and doesn't mind making them known.
"He's the one that's gonna tell the truth," Donnie said. "These other guys are gonna say what's politically correct, make their millions and get out in their 30s.
"Tony's a racecar driver, like Sterling Marlin, Rusty Wallace, Mark Martin and Ricky Rudd."
Another thing, he added, is that Stewart can drive a car that is loose or tight, and keep it in one piece until a pit stop allows the crew to make it tighter or looser.
Fast forward to Saturday night. Vacation is getting down to the final days (or, daze) but merriment is at hand as Marine Joe and family have moved back to Powder Springs (ooh-rah) and we're toasting.
And there's Stewart, again, dominating. To the tune of leading a race-record 151 of 160 laps in the Pepsi 400. In case you're counting, Stewart has led 287 of the last 470 laps -- 61 percent -- or 649.1 miles (about the distance from Columbus, Ind., to Darlington, S.C., site of his first Cup top-10).
Maybe we -- the heathen -- have dismissed Stewart as a hothead, one who cannot control his emotion off the track. And if he can't do it there, how can he possibly remain cool under fire while on the track?
Maybe we -- the misanthrope -- are too wrapped up in getting the splashy, headline-grabbing piece when, fact is, Stewart can drive despite the off-track distractions, of which we -- the impious -- are a large part.
Maybe we -- the skeptics -- haven't spent enough time writing about the Tony Stewart Foundation. Who's to say supporting chronically ill children and individuals injured in motorsports activities are less worthy of Victory Junction Gang Camp, Make-A-Wish Foundation or Ronald McDonald's Children's Charities? There is no difference; Smoke supports all of them.
About 1:45 a.m. Sunday, Stewart put the exclamation point on what everyone already knew. Daytona was his second consecutive victory and now the spotlight is on the No. 20 team. Up next: Chicago, where he is the defending race winner. Then it's on to Loudon, where Stewart was fifth last year.
Suddenly, that 136-point deficit doesn't seem so large. Even we -- the unconsecrated -- can see that.
Flags
• Red -- Let's end the chatter about a "fan vote" for the Chase. The idea has been floating around for several weeks and, frankly, it's idiotic. Soap operas and the WWE have scripts; in racing, success is earned on the track. How many fans would abandon ship over the perceived "Junior Vote"? Says Brian France: "We have to be, and we will be, a performance-based series."
• Yellow -- Wow, Carl Edwards is riding the roller-coaster (ninth, fourth, fourth, ninth, 12th in points the past five weeks). Is there anyone who didn't see this coming? However, the series is returning to a 1.5-mile track at Chicago and he could bounce back ... again. In four races at 1.5-mile tracks this year, Edwards has finished 14th (Las Vegas), first (Atlanta), 19th (Texas) and third (Charlotte) -- an average of 7.4.
• Green -- Jamie McMurray is a career-best seventh in points after a runner-up finish at Daytona. Consistency has been a large part of his success this year. Consider: Last season, Mac had 23 top-10 finishes; through 17 races this year, he has only seven. However, he has only one finish of 30th or worse (32nd the season-opening Daytona 500); at this point last year, he already had five.
Quote, Unquote
"I'm too damn fat to be climbing fences. I had to do it once, though."
-- Tony Stewart, after scaling the flag stand a la Spider-Man to celebrate his victory Saturday night at Daytona
Around the Track
• Jimmie Johnson, who has led the point standings after 13 of 17 races this season, has ranked among the top-10 since Atlanta in March 2004, a series-best stretch of 50 consecutive races. He has not been lower than fifth since Oct. 16, 2004.
• Rusty Wallace, who was fourth at Daytona, has finished 11th or better in his past six races -- and five of those finishes were top-10s. He already has nine top-10 finishes this season; in 2004, he had 11. His four top-fives are one more than he posted last year.
• Dale Jarrett's second consecutive fifth-place finish marked his first back-to-back top-fives since Dover (fourth) and Talladega (third) last fall. The last time he strung together three consecutive top-fives: Pocono, Indianapolis and Watkins Glen in 2002.
Up Next
Chicagoland Speedway
• Ken Schrader is expected to make his 650th career Cup start at Chicago, three behind J.D. McDuffie for 13th on the all-time list. Ricky Rudd is the active leader with 856 starts. Richard Petty holds the record with 1,184 starts (at 81 tracks).
• David Stremme will make his Cup debut at Chicagoland, with the United States Navy serving as primary sponsor on the No. 39 Dodge Charger. Navy also will serve as the primary sponsor for Stremme in the Cup race at Richmond on Sept. 10.
• Greg Biffle, who despite top-10 starting positions has finished 20th in both of his races at Chicago, has led more races (12) than any other driver this season -- but he has never led a lap at Chicagoland Speedway.
• Chicago Cubs legend and National Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Ryne Sandberg will be Grand Marshal for Sunday's race. He and Wade Boggs will be inducted into the Hall in Cooperstown, N.Y., on July 31.
Mail Call
I've been on vacation since June 24 and I haven't culled my e-mail (yet), so this week's Mail Call is an interesting e-mail exchange I had with a reader before jetting:
From: Gonzalez, David A
Sent: Thursday, June 23, 2005 2:17 PM
To: Cross, Duane
Subject: Question?
Who raced his first NASCAR Winston Cup race at Daytona, and finished the race ahead of: Richard Petty, Darrell Waltrip, Rusty Wallace, Michael Waltrip, Bill Elliott, Jimmy Spencer, Mark Martin, Buddy Baker, Ken Schrader, Harry Gant, Geoff Bodine?
Hint: He's still racin'.
From: Cross, Duane
Sent: Thursday, June 23, 2005 2:19 PM
To: Gonzalez, David A
Subject: RE: Question?
Bobby Hamilton -- 1991 Daytona 500 on Feb. 19. He started 20th, finished 10th driving the Tri-Star Motorsports' No. 68 Country Time Olds.
Richard Petty -- 19th; Darrell Waltrip -- 24th; Rusty Wallace -- 27th; Michael Waltrip -- 38th; Bill Elliott -- 28th; Jimmy Spencer -- 40th; Mark Martin -- 21st; Buddy Baker -- 37th; Ken Schrader -- 31st; Harry Gant -- 25th; Geoff Bodine -- 32nd
From: Gonzalez, David A
Sent: Thursday, June 23, 2005 2:21 PM
To: Cross, Duane
Subject: RE: Question?
He's not racin' in Cup anymore. WRONG
From: Cross, Duane
Sent: Thursday, June 23, 2005 2:24 PM
To: Gonzalez, David A
Subject: RE: Question?
You didn't specify a series (and Hamilton fits the bill). Is he still running full time? Was it his first career race -- or first race at Daytona?
Too much room for wiggle ...
From: Gonzalez, David A
Sent: Thursday, June 23, 2005 2:28 PM
To: Cross, Duane
Subject: RE: Question?
It was his first career race in NASCAR, he still runs full time, and it was the Feb. 500 race. Come on, Duane, don't pull a Marty on me!
From: Cross, Duane
Sent: Thursday, June 23, 2005 2:28 PM
To: Gonzalez, David A
Subject: RE: Question?
Robby Gordon is the guy -- finished 18th
From: Gonzalez, David A
Sent: Thursday, June 23, 2005 2:35 PM
To: Cross, Duane
Subject: RE: Question?
bingo
Nice piece of trivia, Dave. But I'm sticking to my guns with Hamilton; 10th place trumps 18th place -- and the Truck Series is racin' (maybe the best series that NASCAR has to offer).
And it was Hamilton's "first NASCAR Winston Cup race at Daytona" (though it was his fifth career start). ... And just what is it when you "pull a Marty"? Does it hurt? Is it career-threatening?
By B. Duane Cross, NASCAR.COM
My buddy Donnie, the troublemaker, asked Saturday afternoon why we -- the god-forsaken, ne'er-do-well media -- don't like Tony Stewart.
Stewart is the very definition of a racer, he said, and we -- the unwashed -- should spend more time talking and writing about that.
Donnie continued: Stewart doesn't fit the mold of the Young Gun; he actually has opinions and doesn't mind making them known.
"He's the one that's gonna tell the truth," Donnie said. "These other guys are gonna say what's politically correct, make their millions and get out in their 30s.
"Tony's a racecar driver, like Sterling Marlin, Rusty Wallace, Mark Martin and Ricky Rudd."
Another thing, he added, is that Stewart can drive a car that is loose or tight, and keep it in one piece until a pit stop allows the crew to make it tighter or looser.
Fast forward to Saturday night. Vacation is getting down to the final days (or, daze) but merriment is at hand as Marine Joe and family have moved back to Powder Springs (ooh-rah) and we're toasting.
And there's Stewart, again, dominating. To the tune of leading a race-record 151 of 160 laps in the Pepsi 400. In case you're counting, Stewart has led 287 of the last 470 laps -- 61 percent -- or 649.1 miles (about the distance from Columbus, Ind., to Darlington, S.C., site of his first Cup top-10).
Maybe we -- the heathen -- have dismissed Stewart as a hothead, one who cannot control his emotion off the track. And if he can't do it there, how can he possibly remain cool under fire while on the track?
Maybe we -- the misanthrope -- are too wrapped up in getting the splashy, headline-grabbing piece when, fact is, Stewart can drive despite the off-track distractions, of which we -- the impious -- are a large part.
Maybe we -- the skeptics -- haven't spent enough time writing about the Tony Stewart Foundation. Who's to say supporting chronically ill children and individuals injured in motorsports activities are less worthy of Victory Junction Gang Camp, Make-A-Wish Foundation or Ronald McDonald's Children's Charities? There is no difference; Smoke supports all of them.
About 1:45 a.m. Sunday, Stewart put the exclamation point on what everyone already knew. Daytona was his second consecutive victory and now the spotlight is on the No. 20 team. Up next: Chicago, where he is the defending race winner. Then it's on to Loudon, where Stewart was fifth last year.
Suddenly, that 136-point deficit doesn't seem so large. Even we -- the unconsecrated -- can see that.
Flags
• Red -- Let's end the chatter about a "fan vote" for the Chase. The idea has been floating around for several weeks and, frankly, it's idiotic. Soap operas and the WWE have scripts; in racing, success is earned on the track. How many fans would abandon ship over the perceived "Junior Vote"? Says Brian France: "We have to be, and we will be, a performance-based series."
• Yellow -- Wow, Carl Edwards is riding the roller-coaster (ninth, fourth, fourth, ninth, 12th in points the past five weeks). Is there anyone who didn't see this coming? However, the series is returning to a 1.5-mile track at Chicago and he could bounce back ... again. In four races at 1.5-mile tracks this year, Edwards has finished 14th (Las Vegas), first (Atlanta), 19th (Texas) and third (Charlotte) -- an average of 7.4.
• Green -- Jamie McMurray is a career-best seventh in points after a runner-up finish at Daytona. Consistency has been a large part of his success this year. Consider: Last season, Mac had 23 top-10 finishes; through 17 races this year, he has only seven. However, he has only one finish of 30th or worse (32nd the season-opening Daytona 500); at this point last year, he already had five.
Quote, Unquote
"I'm too damn fat to be climbing fences. I had to do it once, though."
-- Tony Stewart, after scaling the flag stand a la Spider-Man to celebrate his victory Saturday night at Daytona
Around the Track
• Jimmie Johnson, who has led the point standings after 13 of 17 races this season, has ranked among the top-10 since Atlanta in March 2004, a series-best stretch of 50 consecutive races. He has not been lower than fifth since Oct. 16, 2004.
• Rusty Wallace, who was fourth at Daytona, has finished 11th or better in his past six races -- and five of those finishes were top-10s. He already has nine top-10 finishes this season; in 2004, he had 11. His four top-fives are one more than he posted last year.
• Dale Jarrett's second consecutive fifth-place finish marked his first back-to-back top-fives since Dover (fourth) and Talladega (third) last fall. The last time he strung together three consecutive top-fives: Pocono, Indianapolis and Watkins Glen in 2002.
Up Next
Chicagoland Speedway
• Ken Schrader is expected to make his 650th career Cup start at Chicago, three behind J.D. McDuffie for 13th on the all-time list. Ricky Rudd is the active leader with 856 starts. Richard Petty holds the record with 1,184 starts (at 81 tracks).
• David Stremme will make his Cup debut at Chicagoland, with the United States Navy serving as primary sponsor on the No. 39 Dodge Charger. Navy also will serve as the primary sponsor for Stremme in the Cup race at Richmond on Sept. 10.
• Greg Biffle, who despite top-10 starting positions has finished 20th in both of his races at Chicago, has led more races (12) than any other driver this season -- but he has never led a lap at Chicagoland Speedway.
• Chicago Cubs legend and National Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Ryne Sandberg will be Grand Marshal for Sunday's race. He and Wade Boggs will be inducted into the Hall in Cooperstown, N.Y., on July 31.
Mail Call
I've been on vacation since June 24 and I haven't culled my e-mail (yet), so this week's Mail Call is an interesting e-mail exchange I had with a reader before jetting:
From: Gonzalez, David A
Sent: Thursday, June 23, 2005 2:17 PM
To: Cross, Duane
Subject: Question?
Who raced his first NASCAR Winston Cup race at Daytona, and finished the race ahead of: Richard Petty, Darrell Waltrip, Rusty Wallace, Michael Waltrip, Bill Elliott, Jimmy Spencer, Mark Martin, Buddy Baker, Ken Schrader, Harry Gant, Geoff Bodine?
Hint: He's still racin'.
From: Cross, Duane
Sent: Thursday, June 23, 2005 2:19 PM
To: Gonzalez, David A
Subject: RE: Question?
Bobby Hamilton -- 1991 Daytona 500 on Feb. 19. He started 20th, finished 10th driving the Tri-Star Motorsports' No. 68 Country Time Olds.
Richard Petty -- 19th; Darrell Waltrip -- 24th; Rusty Wallace -- 27th; Michael Waltrip -- 38th; Bill Elliott -- 28th; Jimmy Spencer -- 40th; Mark Martin -- 21st; Buddy Baker -- 37th; Ken Schrader -- 31st; Harry Gant -- 25th; Geoff Bodine -- 32nd
From: Gonzalez, David A
Sent: Thursday, June 23, 2005 2:21 PM
To: Cross, Duane
Subject: RE: Question?
He's not racin' in Cup anymore. WRONG
From: Cross, Duane
Sent: Thursday, June 23, 2005 2:24 PM
To: Gonzalez, David A
Subject: RE: Question?
You didn't specify a series (and Hamilton fits the bill). Is he still running full time? Was it his first career race -- or first race at Daytona?
Too much room for wiggle ...
From: Gonzalez, David A
Sent: Thursday, June 23, 2005 2:28 PM
To: Cross, Duane
Subject: RE: Question?
It was his first career race in NASCAR, he still runs full time, and it was the Feb. 500 race. Come on, Duane, don't pull a Marty on me!
From: Cross, Duane
Sent: Thursday, June 23, 2005 2:28 PM
To: Gonzalez, David A
Subject: RE: Question?
Robby Gordon is the guy -- finished 18th
From: Gonzalez, David A
Sent: Thursday, June 23, 2005 2:35 PM
To: Cross, Duane
Subject: RE: Question?
bingo
Nice piece of trivia, Dave. But I'm sticking to my guns with Hamilton; 10th place trumps 18th place -- and the Truck Series is racin' (maybe the best series that NASCAR has to offer).
And it was Hamilton's "first NASCAR Winston Cup race at Daytona" (though it was his fifth career start). ... And just what is it when you "pull a Marty"? Does it hurt? Is it career-threatening?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Daytona observations
By Bob Margolis, Yahoo! Sports
DAYTONA BEACH – Thoughts, questions and observations following the Pepsi 400 at Daytona International Speedway.
In an effort to claim the checkered flag from the flag stand after the race, winner Tony Stewart did his best Helio Castroneves impersonation, climbing the fence to reach the flag stand. Once he got to the top, Stewart cheered on the fans and brought down the house.
Afterward, Stewart commented, "I'm too damn fat and too damn old to be climbing fences, but once I started, I was committed and I didn't want to let the fans down."
After the race, Stewart made reference to having the same kind of night (he led all but nine of the 160 laps) as Dale Earnhardt Jr. had at this same race in 2001. Tony, it's good to be king, isn't it?
That's now two in a row for Smoke, who also won at Sonoma last weekend. There will be more wins coming from this team. Stewart says this group is even better than his championship squad from 2002. He has to be a favorite for the championship this season.
Also, this is the third race in a row (Michigan, Sonoma, Daytona) in which Stewart has led the most laps. We love statistics.
We wonder how many people on the East Coast missed the finish of this race, having fallen asleep on the couch before the checkers flew on Sunday morning.
We're also wondering, does anyone remember a Cup race starting (the "Gentlemen ..." command came at 10:24 p.m. ET) and finishing (the checkers flew at 1:47 a.m. ET) as late as this one did?
Despite the long rain delay, not one seat in the house was empty at the start of the race. Without a doubt, NASCAR fans are the most loyal of all sports fans. Anyone want to debate that?
It was good to see Jamie McMurray have a great run. It was long overdue. It was beginning to seem that Chip Ganassi's teams could never deliver a good performance. We still think McMurray would do better with another team. He probably thinks so, too.
Could there not be a worse show in all of racing than restrictor plate, single-car qualifying? It takes hours to complete and it's extremely boring for both fans and drivers.
Our answer? Put 10 cars at a time on the race track based on their practice speeds. Each car has to run a minimum of four laps and a maximum of 12. A driver's best lap, regardless of whether or not it was done in the draft, is the qualifier.
We've asked several drivers and each agreed that it is something they'd like to try. Come on, NASCAR, why not make the show better?
"Entertainer" Lisa Marie Presley (formerly Mrs. Michael Jackson, formerly Mrs. Nicolas Cage, etc.) made an appearance in the media center prior to the race, and from her expression and body language she made it quite clear that she'd rather have been any other place than at the race track. At one point during her prerace performance in front of the grandstands, Ms. Presley seemed to forget the words to the song she was singing.
Score another one for the "old" guys. Rusty Wallace (fourth), Dale Jarrett (fifth) and Ken Schrader (10th) finished in the top 10. Wallace, Mark Martin (despite his early wreck) and Jarrett are all in the top 10 in points right now.
The heat (in the 90s) and humidity (around 90 percent) all weekend made for a nice sauna feel at the race track. Can you imagine how the drivers felt sitting inside a race car at 130 degrees?!
Why doesn't NASCAR implement the use of an air pressure-activated jack system like those seen in many open wheel and sedan-based series around the world? It is lightweight (six to eight pounds per wheel), safe and makes for a very efficient method for raising the car during pit stops.
Boris Said's slide through the infield grass midway through the race was a show of his mastery of car control and also very scary at the same time. Said's loose car caused him to tap the wall later in the race. He finished 28th.
The postrace press conferences featured three of NASCAR's most entertaining personalities – if not best drivers – in McMurray, Earnhardt Jr. and Stewart. Each driver was in a capricious mood and gave amusing answers to reporters' questions.
Jeff Gordon struggled with a loose car until the final pit stop. He made a charge to the front but ended up seventh, which was only good enough to move him from 14th to 13th in the points (though he is now within 400 points of the lead). But hold on, don't count this team out just yet.
Nearly every driver felt that this race – and restrictor plate races in general – was the only place where the impound rule made any sense. Most teams made wholesale changes following qualifying at these races. That's gone now.
Actor John Corbett gave an entertaining performance in the Fanzone prior to the race. He's back to his "Northern Exposure" look with the long hair and facial hair, girls.
Despite Stewart's wishes that crew chief Greg Zipadelli "put this car under a cover back at the shop and bring it back out in February," Stewart will be driving the same car at Talladega in October.
Valvoline is leaving MB2 and heading to Evernham Motorsports next season. Will current No. 10 driver Scott Riggs follow? We're hearing he will. And we're still wondering what Valvoline was thinking. Certainly Valvoline's racing people can't believe that Evernham's Dodges are better than the Hendrick-built Chevys that MB2 is using.
On Friday, then-points leader Greg Biffle said he didn't care if he left Daytona without the points lead, and that just having it for a week was special. Biffle's night was pretty much over when he was caught up in Michael Waltrip's tire incident on lap 73. Careful what you wish for, Greg!
Five Chevrolets, three Dodges and just two Fords finished in the top 10 at this race. We remember that in the old, pre-common template days, the Ford guys would be screaming for concessions. We don't miss those days, thank you.
Veteran motorsports writer Bob Margolis is a Yahoo! Sports NASCAR analyst.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~By Bob Margolis, Yahoo! Sports
DAYTONA BEACH – Thoughts, questions and observations following the Pepsi 400 at Daytona International Speedway.
In an effort to claim the checkered flag from the flag stand after the race, winner Tony Stewart did his best Helio Castroneves impersonation, climbing the fence to reach the flag stand. Once he got to the top, Stewart cheered on the fans and brought down the house.
Afterward, Stewart commented, "I'm too damn fat and too damn old to be climbing fences, but once I started, I was committed and I didn't want to let the fans down."
After the race, Stewart made reference to having the same kind of night (he led all but nine of the 160 laps) as Dale Earnhardt Jr. had at this same race in 2001. Tony, it's good to be king, isn't it?
That's now two in a row for Smoke, who also won at Sonoma last weekend. There will be more wins coming from this team. Stewart says this group is even better than his championship squad from 2002. He has to be a favorite for the championship this season.
Also, this is the third race in a row (Michigan, Sonoma, Daytona) in which Stewart has led the most laps. We love statistics.
We wonder how many people on the East Coast missed the finish of this race, having fallen asleep on the couch before the checkers flew on Sunday morning.
We're also wondering, does anyone remember a Cup race starting (the "Gentlemen ..." command came at 10:24 p.m. ET) and finishing (the checkers flew at 1:47 a.m. ET) as late as this one did?
Despite the long rain delay, not one seat in the house was empty at the start of the race. Without a doubt, NASCAR fans are the most loyal of all sports fans. Anyone want to debate that?
It was good to see Jamie McMurray have a great run. It was long overdue. It was beginning to seem that Chip Ganassi's teams could never deliver a good performance. We still think McMurray would do better with another team. He probably thinks so, too.
Could there not be a worse show in all of racing than restrictor plate, single-car qualifying? It takes hours to complete and it's extremely boring for both fans and drivers.
Our answer? Put 10 cars at a time on the race track based on their practice speeds. Each car has to run a minimum of four laps and a maximum of 12. A driver's best lap, regardless of whether or not it was done in the draft, is the qualifier.
We've asked several drivers and each agreed that it is something they'd like to try. Come on, NASCAR, why not make the show better?
"Entertainer" Lisa Marie Presley (formerly Mrs. Michael Jackson, formerly Mrs. Nicolas Cage, etc.) made an appearance in the media center prior to the race, and from her expression and body language she made it quite clear that she'd rather have been any other place than at the race track. At one point during her prerace performance in front of the grandstands, Ms. Presley seemed to forget the words to the song she was singing.
Score another one for the "old" guys. Rusty Wallace (fourth), Dale Jarrett (fifth) and Ken Schrader (10th) finished in the top 10. Wallace, Mark Martin (despite his early wreck) and Jarrett are all in the top 10 in points right now.
The heat (in the 90s) and humidity (around 90 percent) all weekend made for a nice sauna feel at the race track. Can you imagine how the drivers felt sitting inside a race car at 130 degrees?!
Why doesn't NASCAR implement the use of an air pressure-activated jack system like those seen in many open wheel and sedan-based series around the world? It is lightweight (six to eight pounds per wheel), safe and makes for a very efficient method for raising the car during pit stops.
Boris Said's slide through the infield grass midway through the race was a show of his mastery of car control and also very scary at the same time. Said's loose car caused him to tap the wall later in the race. He finished 28th.
The postrace press conferences featured three of NASCAR's most entertaining personalities – if not best drivers – in McMurray, Earnhardt Jr. and Stewart. Each driver was in a capricious mood and gave amusing answers to reporters' questions.
Jeff Gordon struggled with a loose car until the final pit stop. He made a charge to the front but ended up seventh, which was only good enough to move him from 14th to 13th in the points (though he is now within 400 points of the lead). But hold on, don't count this team out just yet.
Nearly every driver felt that this race – and restrictor plate races in general – was the only place where the impound rule made any sense. Most teams made wholesale changes following qualifying at these races. That's gone now.
Actor John Corbett gave an entertaining performance in the Fanzone prior to the race. He's back to his "Northern Exposure" look with the long hair and facial hair, girls.
Despite Stewart's wishes that crew chief Greg Zipadelli "put this car under a cover back at the shop and bring it back out in February," Stewart will be driving the same car at Talladega in October.
Valvoline is leaving MB2 and heading to Evernham Motorsports next season. Will current No. 10 driver Scott Riggs follow? We're hearing he will. And we're still wondering what Valvoline was thinking. Certainly Valvoline's racing people can't believe that Evernham's Dodges are better than the Hendrick-built Chevys that MB2 is using.
On Friday, then-points leader Greg Biffle said he didn't care if he left Daytona without the points lead, and that just having it for a week was special. Biffle's night was pretty much over when he was caught up in Michael Waltrip's tire incident on lap 73. Careful what you wish for, Greg!
Five Chevrolets, three Dodges and just two Fords finished in the top 10 at this race. We remember that in the old, pre-common template days, the Ford guys would be screaming for concessions. We don't miss those days, thank you.
Veteran motorsports writer Bob Margolis is a Yahoo! Sports NASCAR analyst.
Musings from the infield at Daytona
By Greg Engle
Cup Scene Daily
By Greg Engle
Cup Scene Daily
Random thoughts while recovering from the Pepsi 400.
Whoever said a night race would be cooler must have been drinking. It’s Florida, it’s July, and it’s hot, day and night. And humid? Take an old wool blanket, thoroughly soak it and wrap it around you, now call that humidity.
I’ve seen less rain in the Philippines during the monsoon season then there was last week here in Florida.
If Martin Truex Jr. were any more laid back, he’d be asleep. As cool and kicked back as he looks on TV is just how he is in person. If he wasn’t a racer, I swear he’d be a surfer living in Hawaii…dude.
Tony Stewart needs to do a few sit-ups; of course as well as he’s running right now, maybe not. If Stewart wasn’t a racecar driver, he could have a career as stand-up comedian, his quick wit and dry sense of humor could make him a star.
It’s kind of fun, in a warped way, to watch the color drain out of the face of a PR rep when you ask their driver where they might end up next year. Just start the sentence with “Is it true that…”
Speaking of PR. It’s really amazing to watch a public relations opportunity come together behind the scenes. What might look smooth and polished to you is something akin to being in the center of a tornado when it’s being put together.
Greg Biffle is the real deal. I’ve met him on several occasions and each time he seems happy and in awe of the fact that he makes a living as a racecar driver. Everything he says, every question he answers is honest and straight from the heart. He’s the mold that all NASCAR drivers need to be made from.
-(Con't'd from front page) It was good to see Dale Earnhardt Junior genuinely happy after his third place finish. The way he joked around with the media despite the fact that it was nearly 3AM Sunday morning, reminded me of the Junior of old, not the downtrodden guy I saw Friday night after he was forced out of the Busch race.
Lisa Marie Presley looks her age, but seems to be a nice person. When she smiles she looks like her dad, eerie to see.
Leeann Tweeden is just as gorgeous in person as she is on TV. She’s a tiny wisp of a woman who never slows down and seems to be working hard to earn the respect of everyone she comes in contact with. Too bad the ‘new’ NASCAR Nation is much worse than it’s predecessor. Bring back Connie and Krista and keep Leeann and you might have a good start.
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld is among friends when he’s strolling through the NASCAR Nation. He might as well be a rock star. And although he’s a politician, he doesn’t act like one, he seemed genuinely stunned at the positive reaction he got from the crowd. I was honored to spend a few moments talking to him. This wasn’t first NASCAR race, by the way. His first one was at Soldier field in Chicago, in 1948.
Attending a pre-race drivers meeting is something every fan should be able to see, why no one covers it live is beyond me.
Mike Helton is actually a pretty good public speaker. He gave a short patriotic speech, during the pre-race meeting, thanking the servicemen and women, the history of July 4th and what it means to NASCAR, very compelling and quite good.
NBC’s Dick Ebersol’s impassioned ‘thank you’ to Kyle Petty and Rick Hendrick during the meeting had me fighting back tears, like all those around me. The standing ovation he got gave me chills.
It’s weird to watch all the flurry of pre-race activity come to a grinding halt when it rains and everyone is forced to wait and wait and wait.
It’s also funny that when it rains, the only people who don’t have umbrellas are the NASCAR officials and it’s even funnier listening to them on the radio as they scramble to try and find some.
Robert ‘Bootie” Barker, crew chief on the Netzero car is as nice as they come. I met and talked to him when I was at Lowes a few weeks ago, since then he never misses an opportunity for a wave and a ‘how ya’ doin’.
The absolute best place to watch a race at Daytona is on top of the garage area, watching the ‘jumbotron’ and then seeing the cars rocket past, you certainly can’t get the same sense of speed on TV that you do when you’re there.
How Daytona is able to shove so many fans in such as small area as their Fan Zone is amazing. How they can all get along so well is a testament to the greatness of NASCAR fans. Another testament is how the fans will wait out a rain delay and still maintain an air of civility in traffic at 4 in the morning.
Speaking of early mornings, I arrived home at 6 am, just as the gray dawn began to creep across the horizon. The only time I ever want that to happen again is when I’m being dropped off by a cab after a night out drinking, if I’m going to have a hang-over the next day, like I did, then I want to have earned it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
that's racin' (phrase): Expresses frustration or emotion. 1. When a small part costing just a few dollars fails and stops a $150,000 race car, that's racin'. 2. When you race a competitor for 500 miles and lose to him by just a few feet, that's racin'. 3. When a hot dog wrapper blows out of the stands, gets caught across the air vent on the front of your car and causes your engine to overheat, that's racin'.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well, that's all for today. Until the next time, I remain,
Your
Momma
"Don't come here and grumble about going too fast. Get the hell out of the race car if you've got feathers on your legs or butt. Put a kerosene rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up there and eat that candy ass." - Dale Earnhardt – 1998
Your
"Don't come here and grumble about going too fast. Get the hell out of the race car if you've got feathers on your legs or butt. Put a kerosene rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up there and eat that candy ass." - Dale Earnhardt – 1998
"It's nothin' personal, it's just racin'
-Dale Earnhardt Sr.
This list is authored by:
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