Dale Junior Still Hates Daytona

((HT: ESPN))

He's made no secret about it, but when asked what his favorite race track was on the eve of the Firecracker 400 at Daytona, Dale Earnhardt, Junior said something of the equivalent of: "the race after Daytona..."

He, basically, says the butt-buck racing style that has to succeed there isn't racing, and it's actually weird...

He was a little more colorful after the race Saturday night...


The HQ agrees... Daytona is boring and we sat through the whole thing waiting for what went down in the last ten laps...

If you don't have the horses, you'll finish where you oughta...
Have at it, boys...

Earnhardt To The Back For Daytona

That's what happens when you wreck in a pile with Martin Truex, Junior...

Here you go, and Mike Joy couldn't be more correct...
((HT: NASCAR/Speed/youtube))


It will be Earnhardt's third car of Speedweeks. He wrecked the first #88 car in the Budweiser Shootout.

Danica Patrick go Boom...

Well, NASCAR's new wonder kid got her 1st Nationwide Race experience today and quite an experience it was. She was cruising along in 21st place during the DRIVE4COPD300/Impossible to read fast race at Daytona when she got caught up in the leftovers of a crash that happened in front of her.

The story from the Orlando Sentinel RIGHT HERE

((Danica seems to draw a crowd//Courtesy: Gary W.Green/Orlando Sentinel))

The wreck was pretty unavoidable, though from what the experts are saying is something that a veteran might have been able to avoid. She had struggled early in the race, expressing some confusion over restart rules and also stalled her car on pit row at one point. She would finish in the back of the pack, the race would be one by Tony Stewart.

Every indication from the NASCAR folks is that she should be able to make the adjustment to stock car racing. Though different from the Indy Cars she primarily drives, indications are she has the skillset to be competitive. However, we may not find out until 2014, when her contract with Andretti Green Racing ends.

Here is video of said incident...at least until the 4-letter word pulls it. Thanks TwahLah and the You Tube:

Danica Gets 6th In ARCA Debut

((HT: Speed/ARCA))

Danica Patrick finished sixth in her stock car debut at Daytona on Saturday. She had a few white-knuckle moments including a big save through the infield grass after getting popped by Nelson Piquet, Junior, and a rubbin' moment in the final few laps.

"I had so much fun in a race car today," Patrick said in her post-race mob. "I enjoyed mixing it up. I can't wait to do it again."

That opportunity may come in the Nationwide race at Daytona next weekend. Her crew chief, Tony Eury, Junior, is all for the jump up, but word has to come from Patrick early in the week for it to happen.

Oh, by the way, Bobby Gerhart won another race in the ARCA series, and he was asked if he was overshadowed by Danica-Mania...

"Overshadowed? By what? Did I miss something?" he asked. "Honestly, I'm glad [Patrick] was here. She brought some well-needed attention to this series."

If Patrick decides to run in the Nationwide, it will be at the expense of full-time Nationwide JR Motorsports driver Kelly Bires.

Here's your highlights, thanks from our friends at BumpsNotes

2009 NASCAR Hall Of Fame Class Announced

From NASCAR their own selves...

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) announced the inaugural class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame today that includes: Dale Earnhardt, Bill France Sr., Bill France Jr., Junior Johnson and Richard Petty.

The NASCAR Hall of Fame Voting Panel, consisting of members of the Nominating Committee along with 29 others representing NASCAR, the NASCAR Hall of Fame, major race track ownership groups, retired drivers, owners and crew chiefs along with motorsports media representatives, met in a closed session in Charlotte, N.C. to vote on the induction class of 2010.

All this does is give us an excuse to show the following old video...
The 1988 Petty crash at Daytona...
((HT: NASCAR/NASCAR Images/Speed))

Smoke Wins Daytona Race, Busch Wrecks On Last Lap

((HT: Orlando Sentinel/Tania Ganguli))

Kyle Busch got out of his demolished car and went straight toward Victory Lane as he pulled off his gloves ((pictured, thanks Orlando Sentinel/Jacob Langston)).

He didn't win the race Saturday night, but he had a score to settle with the guy who did. Four officials got in his way, grabbed him and forced him toward the infield care center where he was examined and released.

Minutes before that, Busch tried to make a blocking move to win the Coke Zero 400. As he turned his nose in front of Tony Stewart, Stewart stayed straight. Busch went across Stewart's hood, up the track and crashed into the outside wall.

"You don't want a race to be won like that," Stewart said. "I don't feel as much gratification from winning this race as I probably should just because I don't like the way the outcome happened. It's a product of the racing like [crew chief] Darian Grubb said. I guess tomorrow I might be happier about it."

Four weeks after Stewart's first race win as a team owner, he won again after starting from the pole. It was Stewart's third win in Daytona's July race.

"The guys are racing," said Jimmie Johnson, who finished second. "Tony didn't mean to dump him. Same thing with Talladega. It's just restrictor-plate racing."

The race-ending wreck played out similarly to the race-ending wreck at Talladega Superspeedway in April. The driver in the lead (Carl Edwards) attempted a block in that race, too. The driver behind him (rookie Brad Keselowski) didn't budge to allow the block. Unlike that April crash, Busch's car didn't fly up into the air and hit the catchfence or lead to any fan injuries.

Four drivers had a shot at the win on the race's final restart with four laps to go: Stewart, Busch, Denny Hamlin and Johnson.

Try as they did, though, none of the latter three could get by Stewart's No. 14 Chevrolet. Then suddenly there was a chance.

Hamlin had a decision to make. He could push his former teammate, Stewart, or he could push his current Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Busch. He picked Busch.

"The best chance for one of our cars to win was for me to push the 18," Hamlin said.

The battle that ensued led to disaster for Busch. After Stewart sent the No. 18 up the track, Busch's car was hit twice more — once from behind by Kasey Kahne and once from the side by teammate Joey Logano.

((HT: NASCAR/TNT/TSN))
Here's your finish...

Kenseth Wins Another Rain-Shortened Daytona

Matt Kenseth passed Elliott Sadler with two laps to go before the rains came and ended up winning the 51st Daytona 500 Sunday.

Kenseth was the proud owner of a 36-race winless streak heading in to the the race, and had to start back in the 39th position in the grid. The race was shortened to 152 laps, or 380 miles, because of the rain in the area. NASCAR's head honcho Mike Helton told the Fox network race team that the race itself would not have kicked back in until close to 11:00 eastern time after the track would have been cleared of the rain and dried to meet safe driving conditions.

This daytona was the 4th race shortened in the history of the event- the last being Michael Waltrip's 2003 win.

Kenseth vowed to a columnist, who in 2003 wrote the drive had no personality, that was going to paint the town plaid.

Here are your highlights and Kenseth post.
Jonathan Coachman has the highlights. MRN's Winston Kelly is on the mic:
((HT: ESPNEWS/NASCAR Media Group))

Stewart Gets Revenge In Nationwide Series Race At Daytona

Tony Stewart must have channeled all that anger from Goodyear on his way to taking the checkers in the Camping World 300 Nationwide race Saturday at Daytona International Raceway.

Stewart had to hold off his former Joe Gibbs Racing team mate Kyle Busch to cross the finish line first.

So all was not lost for Stewart Haas Racing at Daytona.

Here's the finish from the 4-letter [HT: ESPN/You Tube]

Tony Stewart On Goodyear Tires - They Blow

Tony Stewart is not a happy man on the eve of the Daytona 500. During the final Cup practice Saturday His Stewart-Haas Racing team mate Ryan Newman blew a tire, a Goodyear tire, and collected Stewart damaging his primary car and forcing Newman to go to his second back up car for the Great American Race Sunday.

Newman's tire blowout lead to another blow up on Goodyear tires by Tony Stewart.

"It's just a Goodyear right-rear tire," Stewart said. "So it's the same thing everybody has been talking about all week. It's the same stuff that we always talk about every year -- the failures that Goodyear has. I think that's part of their marketing campaign. The more we talk about it, the more press they get. I think they forget that it's supposed to be in a good way, not a bad way."

"It was just unfortunate." Ryan Newman said. "We took out my teammate. I don't even know who else was caught up in it. I'm just disappointed in the situation Goodyear has put us in. ... It is ridiculous the situation we are in with these tires."

Tony Stewart has had an issue with Goodyear tires for quite a while. He's not at all happy that NASCAR insists on using one tire manufacturer and not open to competition. While racing in other types of cars, Stewart uses Hoosier tires.

"It's just frustrating because the gold-and-blue down there [where Goodyear is located in the Daytona garage] are the cause of another deal," Stewart said. "I'm just so tired of talking about Goodyear, it's ridiculous. I'm just over it."

Yeah right, you are over it... not. I willing to bet Goodyear tires aren't on his personal vehicle.

"Apparently this is their marketing strategy to get press. I'm just tired of talking about them, tired of them being an issue. And us talking about them right now isn't going to change anything because it falls on deaf ears and won't change." Stewart said.

When asked if he still had a chance to win the Daytona 500 Stewart shot back, "I don't know, rocket scientist. I'm sitting here with a backup car. What do you think?" Well I guess it doesn't take a scientific rocket to figure out Stewart chances are pretty much blown as well as his SHR team mate Ryan Newman.

Of course Goodyear Tires has a different perspective. Stu Grant, Goodyear's director of worldwide racing, is insisting the company brought a competent tire for the Daytona 500 and Newman's blowout has caused by a puncture from debris.

"It's obviously something that was on the race track." Grant said. "It could have been something that had fallen off one of the cars ahead of him. It could have been something that laid on the pavement for a while, and as the cars went by it moved it to a configuration where it could puncture a tire. We see a lot of those kinds of cases."

As for Stewart, he's not ready to make nice with Goodyear.

"Don't get them anywhere near me," Stewart said when asked if he had spoken to any Goodyear officials. "Don't bring them anywhere close; don't let them come close. I don't want anything to do with them."

Here's the wreck from our friends at Speed.

Kyle Busch - Turning The Thing Around

Kyle Busch loves how the 2009 NASCAR season has started. Busch drove his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota across the finish line first in the second Gatorade Duel at Daytona International Speedway Thursday, a much needed win.

"It felt really good," Busch said. "This whole team has really worked hard. This whole offseason everybody has. From where we ended last year, it felt like it was pretty cool to start off the season this way."

Where Busch ended last year was in free fall. After winning 7 Sprint Cup races before the Chase began, Busch was in great position to capture his first Spring Cup championship leading the points race heading into the Chase. Instead the number 18 Toyota broke down and Busch ended up finishing 34th in a 43 car field. After that Busch and his JGR team couldn't recover.

"We left the championship out there, that's for sure." Busch said. "(The) car fell apart in the last 10 races, and you can't have that. We made the Chase but we wanted to run well in the Chase, contend and be there for the championship, which we weren't able to do at the end of the year."

Busch doesn't feel 2008 was a failure and believes his #18 JGR Toyota can contend for the championship this season. I would say with the Duel win, he's off to a great start.

There is a tendency to beat yourself up when things didn't go your way. 2008 is history for Kyle Busch, time to focus on 2009. Part of the maturing of Busch is that he is realizing this and he and the team are keeping their expectations more realistic.

"I'm not as optimistic as I was... The season didn't end on a note that we really wanted it to." Busch said. "Losing isn't fun but you have to learn to deal wit it better. You've got to learn that every day isn't your day but you can make the most of losing sometimes and try to turn it around and win the next week."

Thursday the sweet taste of victory returned to Kyle Busch. After getting his butt kicked in the 2008 Chase it looks as if Kyle Busch is ready to kick butt this NASCAR season.

Photo Courtesy: Geoff Burke/Getty Images

Here's the finish of the 2nd Gatorade Dual at Daytona (Thanks Speed)