Was This A Race Or Black Hawk Down?
Was this a race or the re-fighting of Black Hawk Down?
Whatever it was, it left a lot of cars smashed up, a perennially underrated
driver and team holding the Harley Earl Trophy, a forgotten superstar team of
the past one spot short of a return to its greatest triumphs, another forgotten
star in one of his proudest moments, a sophomore sending a message of pending
greatness, a former event champion victimized by car contact and his own
mini-brain fade, and a change in aerodynamic rules discredited for all to see.
The first order of business is a look back at the 43 contestants of the 44th
running of Daytona’s International Sweepstakes 500-miler:
#22 WARD BURTON – A mixture of good driving and great pit calls by Tommy
Baldwin put Ward in contention; however, it took the dumping of the race leader
by someone else and then the pit stop of that ensuing leader to gain the lead
when it counted most.
#21 ELLIOTT SADLER – For so long in the 500 one couldn’t help but remember
the 1963, ’68, ’72, and ’76 500s. Not since 1996 has a Wood Brothers car run
this well at the Big D.
#09 GEOFF BODINE – Forgotten by the sport, Bodine stunned all with
sensational drafting throughout Speedweeks in James Finch’s car. I don’t believe
he can sustain that for subsequent races, but for now he showed enough to
sparkle.
#97 KURT BUSCH – He started Speedweeks rather poorly, but then got going in
the 125s, and then exploded forth in the 500, his best run to date. Busch was
the strongest Ford next to Elliott Sadler, and the comeback of Ford no doubt
leaves the Chevy partisans expecting a Bowtie rout stunned.
#15 MICHAEL WALTRIP – Mikey may have had the strongest car, but that crash on
the restart wiped out his chance – he almost slammed into the pace car AND
Robert Pressley. He nonetheless salvaged fifth.
#6 MARK MARTIN – After giving up on Thursday, Mark bounced back with a
vengeance despite mild damage in the first turn explosion.
#12 RYAN NEWMAN – Without question he will be the Rookie of the Year; this
was the strongest rookie run at the 500 since 1993.
#40 STERLING MARLIN – After a sub par week Marlin got going in the 500 and
led the most laps, but his downfall began when he was chopped off on a very late
restart; he beat Ward Burton to the ensuing yellow but his crinkled fender was
cutting his right front; getting out to yank out the fender under the red was an
understandable brain fade on his part.
#24 JEFF GORDON – "The 29 came down on Gordon." That will be the
all-purpose excuse. The all-too-obvious reality is quite different – with the 29
already holding the bottom, Gordon loosened him up and then tagged him. One
ought to remember the massive melees started by Gordon at Daytona in 1994, ’97,
and in the ’98 IROC, at Charlotte’s IROC in 1996, at Texas in 1998, and at
Talladega in 1994, ’95, ’96, and ’97. Swervin’ Redux.
#10 JOHNNY BENSON – Curiously MIA most of the week, Benson didn’t
particularly register until the final rundown; it nonetheless is his best 500
since the ill-fated 2000 running.
#9 BILL ELLIOTT – Elliott snuck into the finish much like his Michigan and
Darlington wins over the years.
#99 JEFF BURTON – I expected him to be the best Roush Ford, and for awhile it
looked like a sure top ten; all of it was wiped out in the tri-oval wreck.
#31 ROBBY GORDON – Being almost the only other remaining Chevy besides Jeff
Gordon capable of winning, Robby drove hard and fast but lost it in Two and
crashed.
#88 DALE JARRETT – After a quiet week Jarrett clawed into contention but spun
on the final lap. It is curious that he has won the Daytona 500 three times and
has only two other top tens in some fifteen 500 starts.
#48 JIMMIE JOHNSON – The pole proved to be a curse, for he never led all week
and just as he began to work back to the front he skated into Jeff Green and
spun. Not an auspicious start.
#11 BRETT BODINE – A great finish to a very difficult day highlighted by
getting dumped by Kenny Wallace on a restart.
#32 RICKY CRAVEN – There is a cliché within drivers circles about how
certain drivers are about to get lapped and they suddenly pick up four tenths
they couldn’t find before. Such best describes Craven’s day, a better finish
than he really deserved.
#2 RUSTY WALLACE – After a rough week Rusty had a stout run but it
disintegrated with six to go. It ended a four-500 streak of top tens.
#30 JEFF GREEN – He struggled in the Shootout and in the Twins, but in the
500 he picked it up. His downfall began in the Jimmie Johnson crash and was
completed in the tri-oval melee.
#5 TERRY LABONTE – Thursday’s speed was nowhere to be found, but the 500 run
was respectable until the crash.
#33 MIKE WALLACE – A miserable day for Andy Petree Racing began when
Wallace’s ignition died on the pace lap; from there it never got better.
#92 ROBERT PRESSLEY – After getting lapped Pressley picked up genuine speed
and raced hard before falling out.
#4 MIKE SKINNER – The beginning of the end for Skinner’s career and for
Morgan-McClure? An abysmal run after a very promising qualifier.
#49 SHAWNA ROBINSON – She got lapped three times, got in the leaders’ way,
then lost it and collected Mike Skinner. In short, a typical Shawna Robinson
race.
#77 DAVE BLANEY – It’s clear now he made a mistake going to this team; he
faltered early and never recovered.
#36 KEN SCHRADER – For so long it looked like Schrader would simply drive
through to victory lane. Not since the 2000 Winston 500 have we seen a Schrader
run this powerful; his Southern 500 run last September was certainly stout but
it didn’t have the sheer power of this run.
#14 STACY COMPTON – Another who sparkled on Thursday and then faltered on
Sunday.
#25 JERRY NADEAU – First he got a stiff warning during practice, then his
crew chief got fined. A superb run ended in the big melee.
#8 DALE EARNHARDT JR. – Now we know the Daytona 500 Senior jinx skipped down
a generation with a bevy of blown tires, a brilliant save in the trioval grass,
and a strong run with a shattered right front fender.
#1 KENNY WALLACE – Jay Leno drove the pace car – maybe that’s what brought
out Kenny’s funniest quip in years after the big wreck. As for the race itself,
it was a typical Kenny race – unspectacular but productive.
#66 TODD BODINE – "Drive it like you stole it" took on new meaning
with Kmart’s collapse, and Todd drove a great race. It is amazing that such
ability has yet to reward with a win.
#55 BOBBY HAMILTON – Hamilton called it right after the crash – the roof
spoiler package allowed far more give-and-take and less blocking (not to mention
a lot more more passing) than what we saw in the 500. Hamilton reeled from the
loss of Richard Buck this time.
#17 MATT KENSETH – For a long time Kenseth had a winning shot after a stellar
effort against Junior in the Grand National 300, but it all exploded in the
first turn.
#18 BOBBY LABONTE – Bobby slid up and down the leader board and was wiped out
in the first turn, a fitting ending to what turned out to be a troubled weekend
for Joe Gibbs.
#7 CASEY ATWOOD – He began to show greater comfort at the Winston Cup level
on Thursday and his run in the 500 reflected such.
#29 KEVIN HARVICK – RCR’s weekend proved to be a miserable one after stellar
efforts by all three teams. Harvick was tagged into the wall by Gordon and got
lanced by John Andretti.
#43 JOHN ANDRETTI – An effort capable of winning, by far the best racing of
the day came when Andretti fought it out with Schrader for the lead lap after
lap. Falling out of the top twenty after the mid-race pit cycle and subsequent
yellow, Andretti clawed forward before the big crash took him out.
#28 RICKY RUDD – At times mediocre, at times stout, Rudd’s up-and-down day
came to a crashing end.
#19 JEREMY MAYFIELD – The fire of Thursday didn’t re-ignite on Sunday, but
one can expect big things out of this effort this season.
#26 JOE NEMECHEK – After blowing up and seeing his other two cars crashed on
Saturday, Joe ended the day in the garage with wreck damage, not a good way to
start an already-troubled season.
#45 KYLE PETTY – Not a top-twenty car, Kyle nonetheless looked secure in the
draft and repeatedly made efforts to pass, a good sign for the organization this
season.
#71 DAVE MARCIS – Well, the glory of Thursday was fun while it lasted. But
Dave did get a bevy of nice gifts.
#20 TONY STEWART – A measly two laps run? This was definitely not the start
to the season everyone expected here.
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Some miscellanea –
It has now been four years since the driver who led the most laps won the
500.
Five Fords in the top seven in the final rundown will no doubt bring calls
for changes before Talladega.
Officially of course BDR is a multi-car team, but this was the first 500
since 1995 won by a car without a teammate. Ironically, the top three finishers
were all "single car" teams.
Not since 1976 has a driver finished last in the 500 and then won that year’s
championship – which won’t matter much to Tony Stewart.
Speaking of Stewart, here are the previous 500 finishes for Clash/Shootout
winners – DNF, fourth, DNF, winner, DNF, fourth, DNF, 14th, winner, tenth,
second, DNF, fifth, third, second, fourth, second, winner, winner, fifth, DNF,
winner, DNF.
Speaking of Jimmie Johnson, here are the previous 500 finishes for the pole
sitter since 1971 – third, DNF, sixth, DNF, DNF, DNF, DNF, second, DNF, winner,
second, DNF, DNF, winner, winner, 20th, winner, sixth, second, DNF, DNF, DNF,
DNF, DNF, fifth, second, twelfth, second, winner, winner, fifth.