Triple Gold Daytons - Daytona 500 Recap

K-Dawg's recap:

WOW. The race was going to script for 160 of 200 laps until all hell broke loose. Jimmy Johnson (my pick) spun coming off of turn 2 with 40 laps to go. Dayum…… That was the beginning of a series of expected crashes and blown tires to come. NASCAR threw in the “suspect debris” yellow flag with 20+ laps to go because the field was too spread out coming into the home stretch (my hunch). That flag bunched everyone together and made for a shoot out with about 30 drivers having an influence on the outcome of the race. Back and forth banging and bumping was exciting to see.

Kyle Busch (darkhorse M&M No. 18) was the dominate car of the day leading 86 of 200 laps but I think that they employed the wrong strategy with almost every caution getting 4 new tires. The cautions where only spread out about 3 to 4 laps and new tires sacrificed good track position. Two tires would have just as good and less time the pits. He kept coming from 6th to 10th place on most restarts instead of just staying near the front. Anyway, with 8 or so laps to go, Clint Bowyer (Jack Daniels Car – DEI Racing) was suddenly in the lead. You hadn’t heard from him all day. He had a strong car but was spun out by Juan Pablo Montoya on the frontstretch going into Turn 1. That ruined his day.

On the restart, Jeff Burton (Cingular/AT&T Car –DEI Racing) takes the lead. Same scenario, you hadn’t heard his name all race and now with 5 laps to go, he is in the lead. Casey Mears (Car No. 5 ) was contending in third place heading into Turn 1 when he noticed the Tony Stewart (Home Depot Car) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. were hooked up and moving forward on the outside line. Everyone in racing knows that Tony and Dale Jr. are on the track and off the track homies. They pair up a lot during races because they trust each other. Therefore, whenever they are together you need to be aware of where they are. Casey saw them and I’m sure that his pit crew informed him of the duo teaming up. Coming into Turn 1 with 5 or 6 laps to go, Casey Mears hesitated and did not commit to go up the track to block early…. then decided to GO for the block…... TOO LATE……. He cuts across Tony Stewart’s front grill and hits the wall at about 185 mph. Dayum……

The race restarts with 3 laps to go and Jeff Burton is leading the race but he was moving to slow and got mauled by the sea of cars racing around him after the y crossed the start/finish line. Kyle Busch goes low and Tony Stewart goes high. Everyone of the 200,000 fans in the stands are standing and screaming for their favorite drivers because that melee caused about 10 cars to go about 3 cars wide going into Turn 1. Every driver has a chance now to win the race. Everyone was so focused on the Kyle and Tony (Joe Gibbs Racing) leading the race that sneaking into the fray was Team Penske. Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch had been making their way up front for the last 40 laps. Their cars didn’t have a scratch on it meaning that they were playing it very smart all race long in staying out of trouble. To everyone’s surprise the final lap had Tony Stewart out front with Ryan and Kurt right behind. Kyle was starting to come on strong on the low side of the track and Tony decided to go with Kyle, his teammate, on the bottom. That left the door wide open on the top side for Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch, in a classic display of teamwork and bump drafting, zooming past Tony Stewart on the high side. You couldn’t fit a slice of cheese between the two Penske teammates on the backstretch which created a vacuum effect for both cars to get past Tony Stewart going into Turn 3. The race was over then. All Ryan Newman had to do was hit the pedal to the metal and bring it home which he did. His teammate Kurt Busch finishes second with the Joe Gibbs Racing teammates finishing 3rd and 4th.

The race lived up to the hype and safety of the new Car of Tomorrow (COT). The spoiler that is new to NASCAR kept the cars very stable throughout the race and was a heavy factor in the reduced number of serious incidents that could have marred the race. Instead a thrilling last 40 laps had me on edge as cars were battling for position. Teammates screwing each other over to get better track position, cars slamming into each other, racers blocking each other momentum and in the end TEAMWORK prevails.

WHOA……. I need an Apple Smirnoff with some Beef Jerky, Creamy Ranch Dip and Lays Potato Chips to calm my nerve.

Thanks again to Gangsta D, for allowing me the opportunity to spit some racing game to you all. Holla.

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The Black Cale Yarborough

What's up class? We got something special for you today. My boy K-Dawg is going to school us on the ins and outs of NASCAR. K-Dawg is the only black person I know, in my age group, that likes motorsports. Let me rephrase that. He LOVES motorsports. I don't get it, but dude is passionate about it so I decided to let him clue us in.

A Black Race Fan? What???

Oh snap, dude just got blasted on the backstretch going into Turn 3 at 175 mph!!!! Accidents…… that is how I got into being a race fan when I was little. My love of cars got me into becoming a race fan….. then I saw an Indy 500 one year and witnessed an Indy Car flip over dozens of times going about 220 mph. It was the scariest thing I had witnessed. My heart was pounding nervously for the driver of that car. I couldn’t believe that I had seen such a thing. The commentators kept replaying the crash over and over explaining the dynamics of how, why, when, and where on the track it happened. Understanding all of those factors made me become a fan. Ever since that day, I have been a fan of NASCAR, Indy Car, Formula 1, Motocross, and Drag Racing. When Gangsta D asked me to do a blog on the 50th Anniversary of the Daytona 500 I was really taken back because this and the crew are the same Negroes that clowned me in school because on Sunday afternoons I was watching NASCAR versus going to the mall. However, Gangsta D is my Negro for life so I am honored to bring this to you today.

Some major players in the race have changed teams on the offseason. First and the biggest name in NASCAR is Dale Earnhardt Jr. He had a strained relationship with his former boss and mother –in-law Teresa Earnhardt at Dale Earnhardt Incorporated Racing (DEI). Ever since Dale Sr. died in 2001, their relationship continued to worsen because he felt he should be part owner of the company his father founded. She balked at the negotiations and that eventually led to Dale Jr. going to powerhouse Hendrick Motorsports. Hendrick Motorsports is the equivalent of the Yankees in the baseball. They are the team with the payroll, drivers, and technology to continually dominate the sport. Jeff Gordon (5 time NASCAR champ), Jimmy Johnson (2 time defending series champ), Casey Mears (nephew of Rick Mears - 4 times Indy 500 Champ) and now Dale Earnhardt Jr. makes up the “Dream Team” of NASCAR. In order for Dale Jr. to get to Hendrick Motorsport someone had the short end of the stick and Kyle Busch was that person. However, that lead to next big acquisition of the offseason Kyle Busch to Joe Gibbs Racing.

Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR)???? Washington Redskins Head Coach Joe Gibbs?? YES! Joe Gibbs been in the race game for about 10 years now and has three series championship to boot. Tony Stewart has won two of those championships and along with talented youngsters Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch; this team should challenge the “Dream Team” this NASCAR season.

However, the biggest move of the offseason involved not people but manufacturers. JGR switched from Chevrolets to Toyota this season. Toyota is new to the game. They came last year with Michael Waltrip racing and Red Bull Racing teams and did not do very well. In fact, it was a pathetic effort. By acquiring JGR, it gave Toyota the marquee team it desperately needed to become a factor. JGR’s resources and equipment will definitely make Toyota a force this year. It has already been seen when the top 10 qualifiers for the Daytona 500 this year are either Chevy or Toyota. That is major considering Ford hasn’t stepped their game up yet.
The Ford teams are led by Rousch Racing. Carl Edwards, Jamie McMurray, Matt Kenseth, and Greg Biffle make a strong and formidable team to go against the Chevy and Toyota teams. However, testing and the such suggest that they may have a difficult year.

Foreigners have invaded NASCAR changing the landscape of the “Good ole boy” series into an international flavor. Led by Juan Pablo Montoya and Dario Franchitti, the international flavor this year will present a different experience in NASCAR unlike ever before. Hot Dogs, Beer and beer bellies, are now supplanted with international media, Brazilian flags, gorgeous women, Ashley Judd (Dario’s wife and movie star), and most important color of skin. Unfortunately, there aren’t many blacks in NASCAR but this is a start. These guys don’t get tans from the sun and they like music other than country and bluegrass. I’ll take that for now until I get on the track!!!!! I’m bringing Jay Z and Chuck D to pit road dammit!!!!! I digress.
Now to the racing……….

This year’s Daytona 500 looks to be pretty exciting. I fact I predict that it will be the best race this year. Last year’s Daytona 500 was sick…… with the accident on the last lap coming off of turn 4 and the NASCAR officials allowing the race to continue to the flag with Kevin Harvick narrowly passing perennial favorite Mark Martin at the checkered flag. This year I think there are 5 major players that could win this year. I think that Dale Jr., Jeff Gordon, Jimmy Johnson, Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch will have a strong say in the outcome of the race. The favorite and my prediction is Jimmy Johnson. He is a very poised driver and always seems to be in the right place at the right time at the end of a race. Some darkhorses include Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr. , Brian Vickers, Mark Martin and Ryan Newman. The big crash will happen but I think it will happen about 25 to 30 laps from the end of the race allowing the real drivers to leave it on the track against each other. The International racers will be mid to back of the pack for the most part of the race with Juan Pablo Montoya leading the way with about a 12th place finish. The Ford teams will finish in the top ten with Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle finishing about 7th to 10th place area.

I’ll return to the bat cave during the race and give you non-believers the recap once completed.

ed note: This was supposed to have run yesterday morning, but due to technical difficulites...it didn't. Sorry, it happens.

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