Motorsports FanHouse

2008 Spin Mirrors Gordon's 2002 Daytona Spin

Geoffrey Miller — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 08:26:00 EST

Filed under: Jeff Gordon, Hendrick Motorsports, Daytona Int'l Speedway, NASCAR Crashes, NASCAR Videos, Sprint Cup

Saturday night's Coke Zero 400 at Daytona wasn't the first Jeff Gordon has lost a big race at Daytona thanks to a spin on a late race restart.

And it wasn't the first time that Gordon caused the wreck himself. First, we'll start with Gordon's most current mistake at Daytona:

As Kyle Busch restarted the race, he kept the field at a slow pace, messing up 2nd-place Gordon's timing as they came to the green flag. That allowed Carl Edwards to get a run on the inside of the No. 24 as they exited the tri-oval, and when Gordon threw the block, his left-rear clipped Edwards' right-front fender, spinning the No. 24 out of the race.

Gordon had led 46 laps in the 160-lap event and appeared to have a car that could overtake Busch for the win, but the late race mistake during the green-white-checkered finish left Gordon with a 30th-place finish, just as the same move cost Gordon a shot at winning the 2002 Daytona 500:

In the 2002 instance, Gordon was leading the field as they came to the green flag with 6 laps to go in the 500. He used nearly the same tactic as Kyle Busch and logjammed the rest of the field to keep Sterling Marlin and the rest of the Top-5 from getting a run on him.

Marlin, though, timed the restart nearly perfectly behind Gordon and ducked under the No. 24 in the same spot as Edwards did in the 400. Gordon cut down and spun across Marlin's bumper, taking him out of any chance to get the win.

The funny thing is in the 2002 version, Gordon admits exactly what happened and knows that it was his fault, but when the same situation came back again in 2008, he made the same mistake.

Of course, I can sit and make light of Gordon's situation all week, but when it comes down to it, Gordon is still the best restrictor-plate driver in the Sprint Cup Series with 12 wins at Daytona and Talladega. And who wouldn't try to defend your position in the race's closing laps?

I know I would.

2008 Spin Mirrors Gordon's 2002 Daytona Spin originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Tue, 08 Jul 2008 08:26:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Stewart's Exit Surprising, Commendable

Geoffrey Miller — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 22:27:00 EST

Filed under: Tony Stewart, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing, Daytona Int'l Speedway, J.J. Yeley, Sprint Cup

Tony Stewart knew he was in trouble.

The driver of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota had started the race -- actually more like the race weekend -- feeling under the weather. And as the field took the green flag for Saturday night's Coke Zero 400 at Daytona, Stewart was hoping he could muster up enough strength to complete all 160 laps.

For a while, as the sun was setting, it looked like he would do it. After starting 17th, Stewart had moved all the way into the Top-5 with a car that likely could have led had he been wanting to push the issue early. Then, the handling started to go away, making the car extremely loose.

"I thought we were going to be able to (make it) for the first two runs, but once the car got a little bit loose and we had to start really sawing on the wheel, it's like it zapped the energy out of me and I started making mistakes," Stewart said.

In other words, Tony knew that he simply wasn't the best driver to be in the No. 20, and at lap 72, Stewart headed to pit road under caution, telling crew chief Greg Zippidelli that he had already unbuckled and was getting out in favor of relief driver J.J. Yeley. Yeley would finish 20th after getting caught in a last-lap crash.

"It wasn't worth putting those guys out on the track at risk and me making a mistake in front of them and creating a bad day for those guys," said Stewart.

"I was trying to be responsible and respectful to my race team and to the rest of the competitors out there."

To admit that sure takes some guts.

I know when TNT first reported that Stewart was feeling under the weather that night, I was shocked. In the pre-race show, Stewart had appeared on the pit box with TNT's Marc Fein and Larry McReynolds for an interview about his future and other topics. He showed no signs of illness and had some great answers to questions he was asked.

And, as it turns out, Stewart took part in every hospitality event that afternoon -- in between heading to the infield care center for IV's and medication.

A lot of drivers and a lot of people would have thrown in the towel long before Stewart did Saturday, but for him to willfully get out of his potentially race-winning car showed just the opposite of what some fans are calling his blatant disregard for the success of the No. 20 team.

Instead, it showed that Stewart does care about performance and that he's not giving up on a team that he appears to be leaving at the end of 2008. And that is something Stewart deserves some credit for.

Stewart's Exit Surprising, Commendable originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Mon, 07 Jul 2008 22:27:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Wild Finish of the Coke Zero 400

Geoffrey Miller — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 20:03:00 EST

Filed under: Michael Waltrip, Carl Edwards, Daytona Int'l Speedway, NASCAR Crashes, NASCAR Videos, Kyle Busch, David Ragan

Miss the race? Wanna re-live the green-white-checkered finish? Here's your chance, thanks to Youtube.

Watch below for the Jeff Gordon-spinning, David Ragan-near-wrecking, Michael Waltrip-wall-banging, Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch side-by-side finishing awesomeness that was the end of the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona in all of its glory from the live TNT broadcast.

The fun starts below as the field takes the final green flag of the race:

Gordon gets the on-track fireworks show started by getting turned around by Carl Edwards while riding in second place after the leaders exited the tri-oval under the green flag. Gordon took blame for the incident, though it left him with a disappointing 30th-place finish.

Edwards managed to get a run on Busch heading down the backstretch thanks to a push from teammate Matt Kenseth. As the field rounded turn four and headed for the white flag, Edwards and Busch were side-by-side as the field tried to wreck multiple times behind them.

David Ragan in the No. 6 and Clint Bowyer in the No. 07 were both nearly looking out the right side window at points as the field came out of the tri-oval but unbelievably kept from wrecking.

Finally, Michael Waltrip got turned into the turn one wall after Travis Kvapil slid down in to Dave Blaney, igniting a multi-car crash that finally brought out the race-ending caution, and after NASCAR reviewed replays, Kyle Busch was declared the winner.

Whew. What a finish, eh?

Video: Wild Finish of the Coke Zero 400 originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 06 Jul 2008 20:03:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Another Win Goes to Busch in Crazy Finish

Andrew — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 00:01:00 EST

Filed under: Daytona Int'l Speedway, Kyle Busch

The Busch that everyone expects to win took the checkered flag in the Sprint Cup Series for the sixth time Saturday night at Daytona.

Kyle Busch, instead of his brother Kurt who won last week thanks to rain at New Hampshire, won a crazy finish in the Coke Zero 400 by holding off Carl Edwards in turn one on the white flag lap of a green-white-checkered finish. The race ended in turn one thanks to a big wreck behind the leaders involving Michael Waltrip and a host of others, with Busch edging Edwards by a nose on video replays.

Jeff Gordon had showed the way for the final 20 or so laps before getting spun out after a slow restart by Kyle Busch that left the No. 24 with a 30th-place finish and his second-straight Daytona result that didn't mirror the performance of his strong Chevrolet.

Much of the first half of the race was caution-free, but the last half of the event turned into a wreckfest that brought the total to 11 cautions for 32 laps of the 160 lap event.

Tony Stewart started the event in the No. 20 car intending on going to victory lane for the first time this season, but the driver started the race feeling quite ill and by lap 72 he was out of the No. 20 in favor of former Joe Gibbs Racing driver J.J. Yeley who was standing by. Stewart, thanks to Yeley, was credited with an unofficial 22nd-place finish thanks to being caught up in the final wreck.

Stay with the FanHouse for more coverage of a great night of racing at Daytona.

Another Win Goes to Busch in Crazy Finish originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 06 Jul 2008 00:01:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Coke Zero 400 @ Daytona Live Blog

Geoffrey Miller — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 19:30:00 EST

Filed under: Daytona Int'l Speedway, NASCAR Live Blogging, Sprint Cup

Put away the roman candles, y'all, Saturday night is right for racing in Daytona. Tune in on TNT for Wide Open coverage and join in the conversation as we follow the Sprint Cup stars under lights for 400 miles on NASCAR's most famed track.

Click the link below to find your way to the live blog!

Coke Zero 400 @ Daytona Live Blog originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sat, 05 Jul 2008 19:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hamlin Wins, Menard Tops & Martin Signs During Busy Friday at Daytona

Geoffrey Miller — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 00:06:00 EST

Filed under: Mark Martin, Daytona Int'l Speedway, Denny Hamlin

After blowing up colorful projectiles in the name of freedom on the 4th, hang out with FanHouse for the Coke Zero 400 Live Blog Saturday night at 7:45pm/ET.

For a NASCAR beat writer, Friday afternoon would have been an easy day to pump out the stories at Daytona International Speedway. Here's why:

Denny Hamlin Wins No. 9 for No. 20: Hamlin scored the ninth win of the 2008 season for the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota in the Nationwide Series Friday night in Daytona, further solidifying my point about Joey Logano. Simply, the No. 20 is unstoppable, whether or not Hamlin, Logano, Tony Stewart, or Kyle Busch is in the driver's seat.

Hamlin held off Sprint Cup teammate Busch and Dale Earnhardt Jr. in a green-white-checkered finish sprint to the finish line. Brad Keselowski led the most laps but wound up 10th according to NASCAR.com in his No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet.

In a quick side note about the race, David Poole of the Charlotte Observer made an interesting point about the Nationwide Series entry list:

Here's a sobering thought for you. Morgan Shepherd is 66 years old. James Hylton is 73 years old. Kerry Earnhardt hasn't driven a race car in a year. All three of those drivers were cleared by NASCAR to compete in Friday night's Nationwide Series race at Daytona International Speedway.

Joey Logano just turned 18 and has already won a Nationwide Series race. [...] Logano was not approved to race Friday at Daytona.

Interesting.

Paul Menard Overshadows Teammate's Trouble: I promise, FanHousers, I didn't mean to jinx Martin Truex Jr. with my prediction in Thursday's "Chase Bubbler" feature.
Paul Menard -- Truex's DEI teammate -- tried to help me out a little bit. Menard won his first career Sprint Cup pole for the Coke Zero 400 on Saturday night (The FanHouse is doing a live blog, have ya heard?) with lap of 185.916mph around the 2.5-mile track. Mark Martin in another DEI car will start alongside Menard on the front row.

Truex is facing a costly points penalty after his primary car for the 400 was confiscated by NASCAR inspectors during inspection on Thursday afternoon at Daytona. Other teams that have faced the same consequences have seen a minimum of 100 point penalties -- a number that would be a significant detriment to Truex as he attempts to qualify for the Chase.

Mark Martin Confirms Suspicions: Mark Martin completed the short and sweet saga of the No. 5 car Friday afternoon with team owner Rick Hendrick sitting alongside.

As expected, Martin made it official that he'd be a full-time card-carrying Hendrick Motorsports driver in 2009 as he makes what should be his final go at winning the elusive Sprint Cup championship.

I won't call myself a diehard Martin fan, but its going to be tough to cheer against a guy with such class, talent, and wisdom that Mark has. If nothing else, he's making Hendrick Motorsports as a whole easier to digest, I'd think for some of those "Anybody but Jeff and Jimmie" fans.

Hometown Boy: I've got to give a shoutout to Bryan Clauson, the Chip Ganassi Racing driver who put his No. 40 Dodge on the pole for Friday's Nationwide Series event at Daytona, and then backed it up with what is unofficially being scored as an 8th-place finish.

Clauson has made 12 starts in '08 for Ganassi and that includes a 6th-place finish at Daytona in February and a 5th-place at Kentucky two weeks ago. He'd definitely like to be running more consistently, but because he's a Hamilton County, Indiana boy, just like me, I'm pulling for him. So here's the local props to you, Bryan.

See you all on the live blog (LIVE BLOG?!) Saturday night at 7:45pm/et!

Hamlin Wins, Menard Tops & Martin Signs During Busy Friday at Daytona originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sat, 05 Jul 2008 00:06:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Live Bloggin' Alert: Coke Zero 400 at Daytona

Geoffrey Miller — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 13:09:00 EST

Filed under: Daytona Int'l Speedway, NASCAR Live Blogging, Sprint Cup

It's been, well, half of the NASCAR Sprint Cup season since we've done this, so it sounds like Saturday night is right for some live bloggin'!

That's right, NASCAR FanHouse is dusting off the ol' CoverItLive system for some live coverage of Saturday night's Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway.

Everyone is invited to stop by and talk about the racing action on track at DIS, and in between launching exploding projectiles into the air to celebrate freedom, we here at the FanHouse hope you'll be there, too!

The green flag drops at just past 8:00pm/ET Saturday night on TNT, so we'll get things started for the 400-mile dash under the stars at 7:45pm/ET, or for all you West Coasters, 4:45pm/PT.

This is just the start of the ramped-up coverage you'll get to enjoy from the FanHouse as we make our way to towards the Chase for the Championship this fall.

From a few more live blogs to coverage from the track as yours truly makes his way to Chicagoland Speedway and Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Sprint Cup events, FanHouse's NASCAR coverage will be coming at you like a spider monkey hopped up on Mountain Dew.

Aside from Ricky Bobby references, I'll look forward to having everyone back Saturday night for the live blog, and if you need a reminder, just follow the link below:

Live Bloggin' Alert: Coke Zero 400 at Daytona originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Tue, 01 Jul 2008 13:09:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Dale Jarrett's 1993 Daytona 500 Win

Geoffrey Miller — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 20:32:00 EST

Filed under: Dale Jarrett, Bristol Motor Speedway, Daytona Int'l Speedway, NASCAR Videos, Michael Waltrip Racing, Sprint Cup

With Dale Jarrett racing in his final points-paying NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race Sunday afternoon at Bristol Motor Speedway, plenty of memories come flooding back about his storied NASCAR career.

The top of that list? The "Dale and Dale Show" from the 1993 Daytona 500. Watch below as his father, Ned Jarrett, calls his son (Green No. 18 car) to victory past Dale Earnhardt and others -- and try not to smile as he crosses the finish line.

That moment, with Ken Squier stepping out of his role in CBS booth in play-by-play to allow Ned to seemingly instruct his son to victory in the sport's biggest event, is definitely one of the tops in Daytona 500.

One championship, 32 wins, 288 Top-10s, 16 poles -- all impressive for a driver who had even more class than his statistics will ever show. And don't forget about his marquee wins of two Daytona 500s, two Brickyard 400s and a Coca-Cola 600.

When Jarrett hangs up the driving gloves of the No. 44 UPS Toyota after Sunday's Food City 500, NASCAR will lose yet another of the tremendous guiding influences this sport has had from the drivers seat.

Luckily, Jarrett will make one more start at the Sprint All-Star Race in May and will then take over a full-time role in the ESPN broadcast booth so he won't be entirely gone from the sport

What's your favorite Dale Jarrett moment? His first win at Michigan over Davey Allison? His win in the 1996 Daytona 500? His incident with Shane Hmiel?

Video: Dale Jarrett's 1993 Daytona 500 Win originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sat, 15 Mar 2008 20:32:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Stewart's Right About 'Disappointing Moment'

Geoffrey Miller — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 21:56:00 EST

Filed under: Tony Stewart, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing, Daytona Int'l Speedway, NASCAR Videos, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Sprint Cup

Let me take you back to last fall when Joe Gibbs Racing announced a complete switch to Toyota starting in 2008 season.

That meant a lot things had to happen for the JGR bunch -- Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin, & Kyle Busch -- to have any sort of chance of finishing well in Daytona 500.

New engines and new cars had to built for no less than three of last year's top-tier Sprint Cup teams. It's not an easy process in the offseason anyways for NASCAR teams, but throw in a manufacturer change and all hell has to break loose in a coherent way for teams to even get back even with their performance in the previous year.

But Joe Gibbs Racing did that, and by all accounts, their engine program out-classed everyone in Sunday's Daytona 500. For the first time a Toyota team not only had a chance to win, but it was a favorite.

Times the three teams JGR.

Kyle Busch led over 70 laps and Tony Stewart led with the white flag flying. But when he didn't come around the track for the checkered flag in first, you had to know he was disappointed.

I'll admit, I was truly impressed with the way he handled himself after the race (we finally got to see Tony Stewart with mature emotions, expressing them in way that almost made us feel sorry for him) and admitted that he was about as dejected as he could be.

"I don't know if I could have stopped them anyway and if I would have changed lanes I think I would have ended up like a bunch of other guys -- wrecked. [...]," said Stewart after the race. "It's hard to explain -- it's probably one of the most disappointing moments of my racing career tonight."

And you can't blame him. He should have been the victor of the 50th Daytona 500, and here's why. (video after jump)

Stewart, with the lead, paced the field through turns one and two and halfway down the backstretch on the final lap. One wrong move, though, and his race was suddenly over.

Instead of staying outside like I thought he would, Stewart ducked low presumably to both help his teammate Kyle Busch and to keep what he thought was the faster of the cars charging at his bumper behind him.

It's very easy for me to play armchair-driver in this situation, but I think I'd be hard-pressed to find someone who thought Stewart, of all people, was going to lose that race on the last lap. It truly is the last NASCAR event Stewart needs to define himself.

Imagine the possibilities if Stewart won that race. He'd be inclined to go race somewhere else -- maybe race for the Indianapolis 500 -- because he'd having nothing left to prove in the NASCAR world that he seems to dislike so much at times. Instead, he'll be chewing on this loss for at least another year.

That move to the inside on the backstretch was just simply the wrong one, and you could tell after the race that Tony was feeling it. Staying outside would have either ended with Stewart in victory lane after an enormous bump by Newman down the backstretch or would have seen him in the wall -- and in virtually the same position he is now as a driver who has never won the Daytona 500.

That's going to loom large for Tony for a long time.

Now watch the final two laps and play armchair-driver.

What say you? If you were Tony do you stay up high and hope your teammate doesn't beat you? Or do you make the move low? And did you think in your right mind that Tony Stewart couldn't seal the deal on the last lap at Daytona?

Stewart's Right About 'Disappointing Moment' originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Mon, 18 Feb 2008 21:56:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hendrick Teams Leave Daytona Disappointed

Geoffrey Miller — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 21:53:00 EST

Filed under: Jimmie Johnson, Casey Mears, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Hendrick Motorsports, Daytona Int'l Speedway, Sprint Cup

The 50th-running of the Daytona 500 was supposed to be so much more for the four teams from Hendrick Motorsports.

A lineup of Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Casey Mears will create those predictions.

Instead, the top finisher from Hendrick in Sunday's 500 was team newcomer Dale Earnhardt Jr. who finished a solid, but still disappointing ninth. Earnhardt Jr. looked primed to be a very strong contender in Sunday's race after winning last Saturday's Budweiser Shootout and his Gatorade Duel qualifying race.

A pit decision late in the race by failing to pit likely sealed any chances for Dale Jr. to win after he didn't pit when nearly every other leader did.

Jeff Gordon likely had the strongest car of the Hendrick bunch Sunday and showed that by hanging with the dominant Toyotas of Kyle Busch and Tony Stewart throughout the early parts of the race. After the second green-flag pit stop, Gordon dropped back mysteriously before charging back through the field.

Suddenly, though, Gordon fell off the pace and under caution, his No. 24 came into the garage to fix a bent front control arm.

Casey Mears was looking like he could play a big part in the final parts of the race until an ill-advised late move with 6 laps to go put him in the wall. His No. 5 was in the middle lane through the tri-oval with Tony Stewart and Dale Jr. lining up on the outside and gaining fast.

Mears pulled up to take advantage of a push, but it was too late, and Mears hooked his right-front into the wall.

Jimmie Johnson likely had the most disappointing race of the whole team. Though he did lead, he never looked like a favorite or had the car to beat. A wreck late in the race off of turn 2 sealed his fate to a 27th-place finish.

Just for comparisons as to how this might effect any of the Hendrick team's title hopes, in 2007 Johnson finished 42nd in the Daytona 500 and then made it look easy in winning the 2007 championship.

Hendrick Teams Leave Daytona Disappointed originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 17 Feb 2008 21:53:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ryan Newman Leads Penske Daytona Sweep

Geoffrey Miller — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 20:57:00 EST

Filed under: Ryan Newman, Tony Stewart, Kurt Busch, Penske Racing, Daytona Int'l Speedway, Kyle Busch, Sprint Cup

He wasn't on my picks, and more than likely he wasn't at the top yours.

But that didn't matter to Ryan Newman Sunday evening at Daytona International Speedway. Newman won his first-career Daytona 500 in thrilling fashion, his first win since 2005 in the Sprint Cup Series.

At the white flag, Newman didn't lead but Tony Stewart did with his teammate Kyle Busch coming fast. Off of Turn 2, the outside line that Ryan Newman was leading was gaining on Stewart with teammate Kurt Busch planted squarely in the rear end of Newman's Dodge.

Stewart ducked low thinking that he would head off a a charge by Kyle Busch and that he could use a push to keep the lead, but it backfired, and the Penske freight train powered past with Kurt shoving Newman to the lead.

Stewart later called it one of the most disappointing things to ever happen to him in his racing career as he was once again denied in a bid to win the Daytona 500.

The race ended with 7 cautions and all but 6 of those occurred after the halfway mark.

Amazingly, the highest finishing Hendrick Motorsports team -- all four cars were pre-race favorites -- was in ninth-place by Dale Earnhardt Jr.

NASCAR FanHouse will have plenty more coverage of the Daytona 500 coming to a screen near you.

Ryan Newman Leads Penske Daytona Sweep originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 17 Feb 2008 20:57:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In Progress: 50th-Running of the Daytona 500

Geoffrey Miller — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Daytona Int'l Speedway, NASCAR Live Blogging, Sprint Cup

It's easily one of NASCAR's most-anticipated races in years with a next generation car, new competitors, and higher stakes. Most importantly though? It's still the Daytona 500, "The Great American Race".

Follow along and join in on the fun as NASCAR FanHouse gets revved and ready for 2008. The live blog will start at 3:00pm/ET.

In Progress: 50th-Running of the Daytona 500 originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 17 Feb 2008 13:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NASCAR Warmup: 50th Daytona 500

Geoffrey Miller — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 04:00:00 EST

Filed under: Daytona Int'l Speedway, Sprint Cup

Check out all of the NASCAR Fanhouse Daytona Speedweeks Coverage.
On Sunday, stop by for the live blog of the 50th Daytona 500 at 3:00pm/ET.

It's been a long, long time since the Daytona 500 has built as much anticipation as the 2008 edition has created.

Drivers coming to blows a week before, a near best-ever finish last season in the race, a new car, and the sport's most popular driver now driving for the what has been the sport's best team all have come in beautiful combination at the right time for Daytona's glorious golden anniversary.

It certainly will not carry its nickname as "The Great American Race" lightly on Sunday.

Here's a guide to get you revved and ready for an action-packed weekend of racing in Daytona culminating, of course, the 50th running of the Daytona 500.

Daytona Schedule - TV, Radio, NASCAR FanHouse (all times ET)

Sunday, Feb. 17th
1:30pm: Sprint Cup Driver's Meeting
2:00pm: FOX Sports Pre-Race Coverage Begins
2:30pm: Driver Introductions
3:00pm: NASCAR Fanhouse Live Blog Begins
3:30pm: Green Flag, 50th Daytona 500 (FOX Sports, MRN Radio)

Speed Reads Before Daytona

Think you know who will the Daytona 500? Click here to vote!
Who's the favorite to win? Who are the dark horses? See the predictions.
Check out Mark Green's Scary Nationwide Series crash
Why Does Martin Truex Jr. think Kyle Busch drives like a girl?

Pre-Race Festivities

With the drop of the green flag, NASCAR will begin its 60th season of competition
Richard Petty will wave the green flag for the 50th Daytona 500
The 24 living champions of the Daytona 500 will serve as the grand marshals
1960 Daytona 500 Champion Junior Johnson will drive the 2008 Corvette pace car
The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds will handle flyover duties
Brooks & Dunn, Michael McDonald, Chubby Checker, and Kool & the Gang will perform a pre-race concert

Best Finish Ever? The 2007 Daytona 500

One year ago, NASCAR found itself at a series decision on the last lap of the Daytona 500. Coming out of turn four, the biggest NASCAR hero to never win a championship was in contention to win his first Daytona 500 with Kevin Harvick charging to the outside.

Behind them, all hell was about to break loose as Kyle Busch spun off of turn four while running third. Should NASCAR throw the caution and freeze the field? Should they let the leaders finish? Watch and decide:

NASCAR opted to let the race finish and threw the yellow as soon as the leaders passed the start-finish line. Kevin Harvick was your champion.

Don't be surprised if the action on Sunday is on the same level -- though I doubt Clint Bowyer will want to finish on his roof this season.

Looking Back to Dale Earnhardt's Defining Daytona Moment

20 attempts for NASCAR's greatest driver in the sport's biggest event had each slipped away from Dale Earnhardt. Twice, the 7-time champion was leading at the white flag but didn't make it back around in first place.

1998 would be different. In NASCAR's 50th Anniversary season, Earnhardt would win his first ever Harley J. Earl trophy in stunning fashion. Enjoy as Mike Joy, Ned Jarrett, and Buddy Baker call the last five laps of Dale's historic ride.

That truly was one of the most amazing days in NASCAR history.

Celebrity/Athlete Predictions for the 50th Daytona 500

Sorted by driver, here's who the celebrities think will win the Daytona 500. Source: NASCAR

Jeff Gordon - Chipper Jones, Reggie Miller, Tony Dorsett, Charles Barkley, Willis McGahee

Jimmie Johnson - Lance Armstrong, Clinton Portis, Ty Murray, Jimmy Johnson, Johnny Damon

Tony Stewart - Jeff Probst, Jared Fogle, Martin Brodeur, Jennie Finch

Dale Earnhardt Jr. - Vince Young, Barry Switzer, Dierks Bentley, "Goose" Gossage, Chad Johnson

I'd really like to know how NASCAR even got some of people to comment in, but Kevin Harvick had the single best endorsement by none other than Chuck Norris, who chose driver No. 29 because "he likes Mike Huckabee", the Republican candidate for president.

Somehow, someway, I have a feeling Chuck Norris can actually make that Huckabee=Daytona 500 win statement seem true.

Stay with NASCAR FanHouse for plenty of updates and commentary leading up to, during, and after "The Great American Race".

NASCAR Warmup: 50th Daytona 500 originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 17 Feb 2008 04:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Who's Going to Win the 50th Daytona 500?

Geoffrey Miller — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 03:30:00 EST

Filed under: Daytona Int'l Speedway, Sprint Cup

11 days after the start of Daytona Speedweeks, the glitz, the glamour, and the racing action has finally come.

By Sunday evening, we'll know who is the champion of the 50th Daytona 500, likely the greatest of the "The Great American Race", and we'll know how he did it.

In between now and then lies the 2.5-mile mammoth speedway with high banks that 43 drivers must tackle for 500 miles. There will be crashes, mechanical failures, and other problems. Favorites will fall, underdogs will rise.

Who's going to do it? Here's my picks:

Sleeper Picks: The drivers most likely to emerge from the shadows at the end of the day include:

Kyle Busch - He's only a sleeper because of his new team. Two second-place finishes in the last two days have him nearly fed up.
Casey Mears - If you wanted the biggest bang for your buck with a Hendrick driver, put it on Mears. He's been solid all week long and has worked together flawlessly with the Hendrick teammates. A Mears name on the trophy of the Daytona 500 trophy? Now that's a great story.
Reed Sorenson - Chip Ganassi was quoted this weekend saying that he keeps drivers based on wins and nothing else. Reed has a fast enough car to extend his Ganassi contract with a win Sunday, but will anyone work with him?
Mark Martin - He finished second by mere feet last year. If that's not enough motivation, Martin has never been happier with the handle of a car in his life to the same level as he loves his No. 8 Daytona car. The throwback style of racing so many drivers are talking about could suit this veteran perfectly.

Other Favorites: It's fair bet to say that over 50% of the drivers in the field could win the 500. He's the guys with the best chance, but continue reading to find who my favorite is.

Jeff Gordon - He's won it three times and he's got something to prove after losing last year's championship. And oh yeah, he hasn't said a bad word about his car in practice all week.
Tony Stewart - Of all of NASCAR's crown jewel's, the Daytona 500 has eluded Tony for the longest. He's got two titles, the Brickyard, and tons of other wins. Just one target left, with a fast Toyota mean good things.
Kurt Busch - Penske Racing has never won a points event at Daytona. That alone is tons of inspiration, and throw in Kurt having a consistently fast car and being wrecked while battling for the lead last year, and you can bet Kurt will be strong.
Jimmie Johnson - It's Jimmie Johnson. When is he not a favorite?

2008 Daytona 500 Champion: Dale Earnhardt Jr. - Karma is on the side of Dale Jr. this time around at Daytona. After his struggles last year, Dale Jr. nearly deserves all of the good success that is coming to him. A Budweiser Shootout victory, a Gatorade Duel victory, and a near-win in Satruday's Camping World 300 in a very loose race car all tell me one thing.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. will not be stopped en route to his 2nd Daytona 500 victory. Yep, he's just that good at Daytona in 2008.

Who's Going to Win the 50th Daytona 500? originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 17 Feb 2008 03:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kyle Busch Drives Like a Girl, Truex Says

Geoffrey Miller — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 18:41:00 EST

Filed under: Martin Truex Jr., Chevrolet, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing, Dale Earnhardt Inc., Daytona Int'l Speedway, Kyle Busch

Check out all of the NASCAR Fanhouse Daytona Speedweeks Coverage.
On Sunday, stop by for the live blog of the 50th Daytona 500 at 3:00pm/ET.

Kyle Busch finished second Saturday's Nationwide Series race at Daytona driving like a girl, according to Martin Truex Jr.

Truex was heated after finishing 11th in the Camping World 300 despite challenging for the lead late in the race. A block by Busch as Truex tried to take second place killed his momentum and opportunity to challenge Tony Stewart for the win.

Busch wound up 2nd.

From the NASCAR Scene:

"Kyle drives like a girl," Truex said. "I mean, come on. We're out here racing for fun. We had a hell of a battle. I had a lot of fun racing today with him, and then I had a huge run and he just blocked me. I pretty much knew he was going to do it. I had such a run and had to go."

It sounds like Truex is a fan of the movie "The Sandlot", in which one of the most familiar lines is "You play ball like a girl!".

Busch's comeback wasn't nearly as awesome:

"What else you going to do, man? " Busch said "Shoot, he's pushing me through the tri-oval, wanting to spin me out. I'm sorry I saved it and kept it in front of him. Grow up, bud. What do you want me to do, pull over? Next question."

Kyle's comeback lacked mainly because someone younger than someone else can't tell that other person to grow up. That just doesn't make sense.

Busch is 22 while Truex is 27.

If this turns into a nice rivalry, I can't wait for the short tracks.

Who Will the Daytona 500? Find out at the Fanhouse Warmup: Daytona 500.

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Kyle Busch Drives Like a Girl, Truex Says originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sat, 16 Feb 2008 18:41:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Stewart Grabs 3rd Nationwide Daytona Win

Geoffrey Miller — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 16:39:00 EST

Filed under: Tony Stewart, Brian Vickers, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing, Daytona Int'l Speedway, Kyle Busch, Nationwide Series

Check out all of the NASCAR Fanhouse Daytona Speedweeks Coverage.
On Sunday, stop by for the live blog of the 50th Daytona 500 at 3:00pm/ET.

For as much as Toyota struggled with their entry into the Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series in 2007, they've seemingly made that up already during speedweeks at Daytona in 2008.

Tony Stewart continued that success in his No. 20 Armor All Toyota Camry Saturday afternoon Daytona in winning the Nationwide Series Camping World 300.

Stewart led 46 laps -- just one less than teammate Kyle Busch who led the most -- en route to his third career win in the opening event of the Nationwide Series. The two Gibbs drivers were the class of the field all day long.

Toyota took three of the top 5 spots and took it to the field most of the day. Brian Vickers, who qualified for Sunday's Daytona 500 by virtue of his Gatorade Duel qualifying race, finished 4th after battling for and taking the lead after a late restart.

Incredibly, the largest wreck of the day only involved roughly seven cars in a long slide off of turn four. The hardest hit, though, was suffered by Mark Green who get hung in the right rear by a spinning David Gililland and slammed the turn 2 wall head on.

Stewart's win was the first time a driver has won the Nationwide Series race at Daytona from the pole.

Stewart Grabs 3rd Nationwide Daytona Win originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sat, 16 Feb 2008 16:39:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Michael Waltrip Racing Cars Will Have Gold Wheels for Start of 50th Daytona 500

Geoffrey Miller — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 14:10:00 EST

Filed under: Dale Jarrett, Michael Waltrip, Toyota, Daytona Int'l Speedway, Michael Waltrip Racing, David Reutimann, Sprint Cup

Check out all of the NASCAR Fanhouse Daytona Speedweeks Coverage.
On Sunday, stop by for the live blog of the 50th Daytona 500 at 3:00pm/ET.

Last year, Michael Waltrip and his race team, Michael Waltrip Racing, faced one of most-publicized cheating scandals in NASCAR history. An illegal additive in Waltrip's No. 55 had set his team on its collective ear, and proved to be a barometer of the season MWR would have.

2008, though, is a much different story.

Waltrip put his No. 55 NAPA Toyota on the outside of the front row for Sunday's 50th-running of the Daytona 500 and his teammates, David Reutimann and Dale Jarrett, secured starting positions in the event.

The team has sported silver wheels for the past year and in all on-track activities during the 2008 Daytona Speedweeks. Sunday though, that will change.

Michael Waltrip and his three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams will pay tribute to the golden anniversary of the Daytona 500 on Sunday by starting the 50th running of The Great American Race sporting specially-designed gold wheels.

Following the 200-lap event, the wheels will be autographed and sold to raise money for charities supported by the France family.

[...]

The Waltrip teams will run the gold wheels only for the start of the race, moving back to their traditional chrome wheels after the first round of pit stops.

I don't think I can remember too many cars in history that have sported gold wheels, but if anyone in the NASCAR garage would do this, it'd be Waltrip.

With only 12 of these wheels available for auction, I'd imagine the price will be pretty steep, and if one of the MWR cars wins on Sunday -- it wouldn't be as surprising as you'd think -- expect that price to raise ten-fold.

Michael Waltrip Racing Cars Will Have Gold Wheels for Start of 50th Daytona 500 originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sat, 16 Feb 2008 14:10:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Earnhardt Jr.'s Nationwide Debut Sputters

Geoffrey Miller — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 12:43:00 EST

Filed under: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Daytona Int'l Speedway, Michael Waltrip Racing, David Gilliland, David Reutimann, Nationwide Series

Check out all of the NASCAR Fanhouse Daytona Speedweeks Coverage.
On Sunday, stop by for the live blog of the 50th Daytona 500 at 3:00pm/ET.

In addition to Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s well-publicized move to Hendrick Motorsports in the off-season, his personal team, JR Motorsports, merged operations with Hendrick for the Nationwide Series campaign.

That hasn't started off well at Daytona International Speedway.

Earnhardt Jr.'s No. 5 National Guard Chevrolet will start 19th Saturday afternoon in the Camping World 300 (1:15/ET ESPN2), but qualifying for the race has been about the only bright spot.

Prior to qualifying, Earnhardt Jr.'s No 5 was impounded Thursday night by NASCAR after they noticed illegal rear spoiler modifications. The crew had changed something about the decklid and spoiler after inspection on Thursday morning, and NASCAR wasn't happy.

Friday morning, the No. 5 was returned to the team minus a decklid and spoiler, forcing the team to unbolt the decklid and spoiler assembly from the team's backup car and transfer it to the primary.

Earnhardt Jr. wasn't too happy.

"Everybody tries to get a little bit on the cars and the rules and get in the gray area," Earnhardt said in a television interview. "Our guys were trying too hard on a car that didn't need it. The car's pretty good. We all learned a lesson and probably deal with penalties next week, which is pretty much standard. We'll be all right."

In other words, Earnhardt Jr. is ticked that his team is going to be fined and penalized for a race car that before the infraction could have won the race.

Other pre-race rules infractions included Michael Waltrip Racing's David Reutimann having his carburetor confiscated and drivers Cale Gale, Johnny Sauter, David Gililland, David Stremme and Kertus David having post-qualifying issues with their oil tank lids.

Earnhardt Jr.'s Nationwide Debut Sputters originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sat, 16 Feb 2008 12:43:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bodine Survives Wild Craftsman Truck Race

Geoffrey Miller — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 12:11:00 EST

Filed under: Daytona Int'l Speedway, Craftsman Truck Series, Kyle Busch

Check out all of the NASCAR Fanhouse Daytona Speedweeks Coverage.
On Sunday, stop by for the live blog of the 50th Daytona 500 at 3:00pm/ET.

In a race that saw at least 12 of the 36 trucks entered in Friday night's Chevy Silverado 250 wrecked in the first 25 laps, Todd Bodine managed to dodge everything and win his first career race at Daytona International Speedway.

Bodine, driving the No. 30 Germain Racing Toyota, held off Kyle Busch and Johnny Benson for the win.

Busch nearly didn't finish after a big wreck on lap 19 took out several pre-race favorites, including Mike Skinner and Ted Musgrave. Watch below as P.J. Jones, the first driver to ever win a Craftsman Truck Series race in 1996, erupts in a fireball amid the carnage on the backstretch.

Jones was treated and released from the infield care center.

A majority of drivers interviewed blamed Kyle Busch for driving erratically too early in the race and causing the wreck.

What say you?
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Bodine Survives Wild Craftsman Truck Race originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sat, 16 Feb 2008 12:11:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hamlin Wins Race No. 2; Jarrett Makes 500

Geoffrey Miller — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 19:17:00 EST

Filed under: Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Joe Gibbs Racing, Hendrick Motorsports, Daytona Int'l Speedway, Denny Hamlin, Sprint Cup

Check out all of the NASCAR Fanhouse Daytona Speedweeks Coverage.
On Sunday, stop by for the live blog of the 50th Daytona 500 at 3:00pm/ET.

Things have changed quite a bit since the last time Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin competed against one another at Daytona International Speedway.

Last July, Stewart and Hamlin tangled early in the Pepsi 400 while up front, with Stewart blaming Hamlin for the wreck despite being behind his teammate.

In Thursday's second Gatorade Duel, one might have sensed that Stewart would have been boiling with anger after his teammate ducked low in the final laps and took his No. 20 out of the draft, and away from a win. Sure, Hamlin went on to win the 150-mile event, but the car behind him?

None other than Hamlin's teammate, Tony Stewart.

With the assistance of the No. 20, Hamlin was able to lead a single-file line to the checkered flag.

Jeff Gordon finished third with Kasey Kahne and Mark Martin just behind.

The second race of the two duels had much more drama and excitement than the first race that saw Dale Earnhardt Jr. continue his streak of perfection in racing events at Daytona in 2008.

There were two red flag periods, a four-car wreck, and plenty of slicing and dicing for the lead. David Reutimann got things going early by jumping the start and drawing a black flag from NASCAR and on lap 15, rookie Jacques Villeneuve got loose in turn 4, spun off the apron, and collected Stanton Barrett, Dario Franchitti and Jamie McMurray.

Gordon, who started deep on the grid due to his engine change, found himself battling for the lead on lap 23 before Dave Blaney -- one of the stronger Toyotas at Daytona -- blew his engine and brought the first red flag for oil clean up.

Patrick Carpentier then hit the wall off of turn 2 after blowing a tire on lap 57, causing NASCAR to throw a second red flag that set up the green-white-checkered finish for Hamlin and Stewart.

The two drivers from race No. 2 who secured their positions in Sunday's Daytona 500 were Dale Jarrett and John Andretti. Jarrett, a former 500 champ, was helped immensely by his Michael Waltrip Racing teammates Waltrip and David Reutimann, who both helped the retiring driver secure a spot in his final Daytona 500.

Hamlin Wins Race No. 2; Jarrett Makes 500 originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Thu, 14 Feb 2008 19:17:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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