NASCAR Nuggets: Daytona 500
By Ryan Frisco
With so much going on in NASCAR every week, I feel the best way to give you the most info for your money is to break it down by specific ‘nuggets’ of topics and excitement. We’ll see how it goes!
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| Photo Cred www.bleacherreport.com |
The Victor: Yes, so Jimmie Johnson drove around out of contention the entire race until the final 20 laps, then took off to his second Daytona 500 victory. Congrats. Now the tweeting sensation is #6pack, since Jimmie is still on his quest for championship number six. My only question; is the 6 pack reference to a 6 pack of abs or a 6 pack of beer?
The First Loser: Dale Earnhardt, Jr. finished the Daytona 500 second for the third time in four years. Not a bad record, but coulda been better. Either way, a fine start to the 2013 campaign for him. This is what he needs to do, continue to contend week in and week out, win races and stay in the hunt come Chase time!
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| Photo Cred www.sportsillustrated.com |
Pat on the Back: This week, I’m giving a huge Pat on the Back to three guys who had a much needed great run. Regan Smith, Michael McDowell and JJ Yeley all had top ten finishes in the 500. To these teams, that’s just as good as a win. Smith has proven he has what it takes to be a full time drive, winning the prestigious Southern 500 two years ago, but still can’t find a seat. McDowell and Yeley are underfunded, and can usually afford to do no better than start the race, run a few laps and park the car. This top ten will give them some money to experiment a little more and take some more stabs at finishing races.
The Girl: Yeah, I know, you were just waiting for me to bring up Danica. Sorry everyone, I know there is a lot of hype over her, but for crying out loud did you see her run? She definitely silenced all of her critics. In her rookie debut, she ran in the top ten all day, and had a legitimate shot at the win in the end. One less lap she finishes third. One more lap she might have won. That’s how it is at this track. She finished eighth, and that right there is a feat. Real question: can she run that kind of race at a skill level track?
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| Photo Cred www.usatoday.com |
The Fans: For those who didn’t see, the Saturday Nationwide race had an exciting finish featuring a scary last turn last lap crash. Kyle Larson’s car went airborne, hit the catch fence and shredded, leaving 28 fans injured from debris. Kyle is fine, and all the fans are stabilized and recovering. Props to NASCAR for their quick response to save lives, and their constant enhancements to cars and tracks for the safety of both the drivers and the fans. Ten years ago, that crash may have had a very different, tragic ending.
Next Week: Phoenix is next up for the Sprint Cup series, with Jimmie Johnson rolling in as the points leader. Tune in Saturday for a breakdown of what’s to come Sunday afternoon!
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