NASCAR Matinee

Under threatening skies, a storm developed Thursday afternoon in Daytona Beach, FL as 61 drivers took the track at Daytona International Speedway to determine the 43 starters for the 49th running of the Daytona 500 held on Sunday. The rain held off but fast and furious was all around the speedway as drivers raced two and three wide at nearly 190 miles per hour. Tony Stewart won the first Gatorade Dual 150 and Jeff Gordon won the second.

Daytona never lacks drama as the big story so far has been Michael Waltrip Racing caught with having an illegal substance in the in-take manifold of the engine which is a huge no no in NASCAR. MWR was fined 100 points and $100,000 with Waltrip’s crew chief and director of competition were ejected from the speedway. The two time Daytona 500 champion had to start in the rear of his qualifying race but quickly made his way to front. He led some laps and was able to finish 8th guaranteeing him a spot in the Great American Race.

Waltrip’s run was not without incident. He clipped Dale Earnhardt Jr while racing for the lead spinning the 2004 Daytona 500 champion into the grass. Dale Jr did not hit anything and raced his way from last back to finish 2nd behind Sundays favorite Stewart. Stewart raced to the front and dominated the event posting his 2nd straight win of speedweeks including the Budweiser Shootout.

Breaking News, Jeff Gordon has failed post race inspection and has been disqualified. Gordon’s car was too low which allows the Chevy to run quicker. No word yet whether Gordon will be fined. As for the race, Gordon, which used is illegal car sliced through the field in the final 8 laps passing Kurt Busch on the final lap for the apparent victory. With the disqualification, Kurt Busch who finished behind Gordon will be awarded the victory. Gordon will start 42nd on Sunday bumping up all the even starting positions up one row.

Big Winners at the Duals:

-Boris Said: The road Racing Ace finished 11th in the first Dual giving him a spot in the 500 for the first time. The Said-Heads have something to look forward to because Boris finished 4th in the Pepsi 400 at Daytona last July.

-Michael Waltrip Racing: After and embarrassing start of speedweeks, the organization rebounded by having all three drivers make the Daytona 500 field. Waltrip raced his way in, David Reutimann got in due to Said’s finish and Dale Jarrett will take the past champions provisional.

-Mike Wallace: Brother of recently retired NASCAR Legend and former Champion Rusty Wallace passed Sterlin Marlin 100 feet from the finish to qualify for the big race.

-Joe Nemechek: He too raced his way in the 500

Big Losers:

-Jeff Gordon: He is a cheater

-Paul Menard: He is going to be a great driver but he barely missed the 500 for the 2nd straight year.

-Red Bull Racing: Both drivers missed the 500

Lastly I would like to mention I have a major announcement on Saturday. A Press Conference is scheduled for 2pm at University Park and will be broadcasted on YouTube. Be sure to tune in for the announcement.

The Great Debate

Throughout life, we all make choices effecting our visions and attitude. I’m faced with one particular decision I have been scratching my head over for the last 30 months. Who will my new driver be in NASCAR since Rusty Wallace retired?

For the back story, I started watching NASCAR in 1989 and ever since my first race viewed on television I have been a Rusty fan. From the days in the 27 car to the black MGD car and finally to the Blue Deuce. Every Sunday I parked myself in front of the TV holding my breath as Rusty and 42 other drivers went 190 mph inches apart. No other sport can match the intensity one feels from the start to the checkered flag. Unlike other sports NASCAR does not have TV timeouts. Yes they have commercials but the race is still going on making ever commercial even more nerve racking. I’ve watched just about ever race from the mid 90s and on. If I could not watch live I would tape the races and starting in 1999 I taped the races even when I could watch them live. I got a lot of historical moments on video from NASCAR.

In late 2004, Rusty announced he would retire after the 2005 season. I knew he would leave one day but I was always in denial about it. 2005 was one of the best seasons I have ever watched. Rusty had a great year and made the chase. I went to both Dover races and saw Rusty finish 5th and 3rd. But the end finally came and I was stuck driverless.

Throughout the entire 2006 season I watched from a far but not with the same passion I once had. Unlike other sports where you pull for the team even when players come and go, NASCAR is all about the driver. I did not have one picked out last season and I still do not have a driver. Coming into the 207 season I knew I needed one so the great debate began for a new driver.
Dale Earnhardt Jr: I love Dale Jr, ever since I first saw him flip at Daytona in 98 during the Busch race. I watched his last lap pass at Texas for his first Busch win later in the year and have been a huge fan since. One would think it’s a slam dunk Dale Jr is the pick but it’s not as easy as it seems. Dale Jr has already made a name for himself. He is a star and going to Big Red would make me feel like a bandwagon jumper. I do own 17 Dale Jr diecast cars and he is a huge Redskins fan but I feel uncomfortable jumping on his train.

Tony Stewart: This cat can drive anything anywhere at anytime. Best driver other than Dale Sr. He even drives for Joe Gibbs who is the coach of my beloved Redskins. Once again, Stewart is already a legend. Two Cup Championships and many more Cup wins.

Clint Bowyer: A rookie in 2006 driver of the Jack Daniels Chevy. I like the way he drove. Calm smooth and when it got down to it, he got up on the wheel and drove hard. He showed he could drive on short tracks, aero tracks and the plate tracks. All around great driver and being young and not being a star yet, puts him as a guy I want to root for. Also JD is my favorite liquor and I got the jacket.

Paul Menard: A rookie in 2007. Drives for DEI so he has the Dale Jr connection. I like his number which is 15. I like his aggressive yet smooth driving style and last year in the march Atlanta race I was very excited watching him race to a 7th place finish. One thing I have noticed is during the weekend I have been quite nervous about him missing the Daytona 500. He is not locked into the field and I have not felt nervous in this way since Rusty last made a pit stop under green.

Those are the four and picking from one of them has been extremely difficult. I need a driver of my own but how can I ever replace Rusty. What do you think?