Just a few thoughts about last weeks Daytona 500, as the delayed schedule also delayed my time to write about anything at great length.
My picks, the Busch Bros. had an interesting Speedweeks. Kyle’s trip to victory lane in the Budwiesier Shootout was spectacular. Kyle overcame disaster not once, not twice, but three times in route to his win. The Daytona 500, however, was less spectacular. He found himself a contender, but didn’t really have the speed to challenge for the win.
Brother Kurt was another story. Speed from the word go, Kurt tore up a lot of owner Jame’s Finche’s equipment during Speedweeks. He wrecked in the Shootout, then after having a shot at winning the Nationwide race on Saturday, caused a massive muti-car crash late in the race, ending his chances. I noticed his speed, however, and picked him to win the Daytona 500. The lap two malee ended those chances, and Kurt finished deep in the field.
Danica-Mania. I was a little saddened by Danica Patrick’s Speedweeks. One would hope that with all the hype that she has brought to the sport that there would’ve been a larger payoff. However, she too, tore up a lot of race cars. During the Gatorade Duel, she took a wild ride down the Superstretch smashing violently into the inside wall. Then, she too was a victim of the lap two crash going into turn one of the Daytona 500.
Dale Jr. strong once again. One thing to me from this Speedweeks is clear. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is a wheelman at restrictor plate tracks. Earnhardt Jr. did all he could to make something happen late in the Daytona 500. The Ford power ahead of him proved too much to claim his second 500, but another second place finish on the books is a strong way to start the season. I hope to see him have a strong start to the year and get the winless streak off his back.
There goes the BOOM! Ready or not, the 2012 racing season is off to a fiery start. With 40 laps to go in the Daytona 500, perhaps the most odd, and unexpected occurrences at a racetrack happened when Juan Montoya struck a jet dryer on the track during a caution. Montoya’s car had a parts failure which sent him crashing into the dryer. He was on his way back to pit road when the part broke, and in terms of speeds on a racetrack, was not going very fast. Still, his EGR racer barreled into the jet dyer, destroying both his car and jet dryer. Over 200 gallons of jet fuel and diesel fuel spilled onto the track, erupting in flames. While neither Montoya nor the driver of the jet dryer were seriously injured, both were shook up by the accident. The resulting mess took over two hours to clean up and added a highlight that will more than likely trump Matt Kenseth’s victory.
@keselowski. Yep. Twitter. During the two hour red flag for the jet dryer incident, Brad Keselowski increased his Twitter following by over 100 thousand. Yes, 100 thousand. All thanks to the Penske driver having his cell phone with him in the car, and being the only driver able to reach the fans during the red flag as TV and Radio didn’t make to the back stretch until the delay was almost over. Special K having his phone in the car was due to a concern he had after a crash at Fontana that saw the driver end up at an L.A. hospital without a means of contact to his family. He said on SPEED’s Trackside Live that it’s mostly to call Mom in a hurry. The issue of a driver having a phone in his car was debated over the week, as the NASCAR Nation discussed if it sends the wrong message to fans of the sport. Personally, I think it’s fine. Had he used the phone while in motion, of course that is not a good thing for the sport.
This rambling of thoughts comes after a loooong Speedweeks. Perhaps one of the most news-packed in many years. I hope that this is a sign of the weeks ahead and if it is, the 2012 racing season is sure to be a barn-burner.
