It's the night before the 2008 Daytona 500 and my pulse is quick, my breathing is quicker and small beads of sweat are showing on my forehead. But that's just because I'm watching some "adult entertainment" here on the old pc.
At around 3:30pm ET on Sunday, February 17, the green flag will wave to start the 50th edition of the Daytona 500 and at that moment, 43 cars will theoretically have a chance of winning the race, but only 10 or 15 will realistically have a chance of winning the race. And there are some very interesting possibilities this year.
What about Michael Waltrip? Disgraced last season by a cheating scandal, Waltrip, being a very effective PR person, made us forget all about that scandal by getting loaded and shrewdly wrecking his SUV on a rural North Carolina road.
But Michael Waltrip Racing is back and looking strong this year. Michael put the 55 on the outside front row, while MWR drivers Dale Jarrett and David Reutimann gained entry to the race during Thursday's qualifying races. It could easily be argued that both Waltrip and Jarrett have a good chance of winning the 500, but it's doubtful, simply because they won't get much help from the rest of the field. Their only real allies are the Joe Gibbs Racing drivers, and that group have already made clear they're only interested in helping each other.
Speaking of JGR, this is a motley bunch, isn't it? You have Tony Stewart, already firmly established as a guy lots of people love to hate. Add in Kyle Busch, a guy almost universally disliked, and Denny Hamlin, a likable guy who seems to go out of his way to be disliked, and you have a very volatile mix. All three are very good drivers, but they're also very stubborn, short tempered and ultra competitive.
It's very possible that one of the JGR drivers will win the 500. Denny took the win in their qualifying race and all three have looked good in practice, but the question is how well will they work together at the end of the race? We could see the three of them run nose to tail coming to the checkers, then wreck the hell out of each other when they all spread out and go for the win. Tony's already punched one of the Busch brothers this season and it could be two before the day is over.
And then there's the group at Hendrick Motorsports. Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson are perennial favorites in pretty much any race they enter and they'll have to be considered favorites this weekend as well. Both have run well in practice and JJ is starting on the pole.
There's a newcomer at HMS this season by the name of Dale Earnhardt Jr. Not much is known about him because he doesn't get much mention in the press, but the word is that he's a pretty decent restrictor plate racer, which would be helpful if they were racing restrictor plates. But they're not; they're racing cars. Luckily, he appears to have some ability in that area as well. I just hope that someone will get busy and write about this guy so he won't be such a mystery to us.
There are other possibilites as far as eventual winners of the race, but the odds are that the winning car will be either a Chevy or a Toyota and it will be piloted by a driver mentioned somewhere in this article.
That is, unless Derrike Cope gets a last minute ride, and then all bets are off.
These drivers do not need to be in any race. How many laps do they usually last before they either wreck or drop out for a mystery engine failure? 5 to 10 laps?? Just enought to get a big pay check.
On JGR, It would be remiss not to mention the possibility of the drivers making it to the last few laps but I am betting one of them will take each other out when it gets down to the end.
Mike Waltrip is a possibility only if he can remember to turn left in the corners.
I do feel the HMS boys are going to be a force to beat. How about that new boy they got on board. Whats his name??
Last edited by photogr on February 17th at 8:58 AM.
Oh I forgot to mention I will be fielding a car for the 2009 Daytona 500 from HAWK Racing. We are sure we can qualify on speed. That is the way we designed it. Engine longevity is not important. Just as long as it last for a couple laps. $200,000.00 for last place will be fine for our budget. We might try Dega too if the purse is the same.
Hey if a unknown can get a ride with HMS, I figure we got a chance
Last edited by photogr on February 17th at 9:41 AM.
Dan....thanks for a good morning laugh. Just how did this unknown Evernhardt guy get such a prestigious ride? Isn't he related to Kasey Kahne's car owner? Ray somebody?
He drives a black Chevy for Richard Childress. There was a guy who drove a black Chevy for Childress in the past, and he had a pretty good track record at Daytona. I think he's related somehow to that guy who got the #88 ride at Hendrick.
AND!
Mr Bowyer finished 18th last year. It would have been a higher finish, but he was upside down on his roof...and on fire...when he crossed the finish line.
He'll better that finish this year by winning the whole deal. However this year, he will be upright when he crosses the finish line. For his celebration, he will jump Ol' #07 over a shark tank...ala The Fonz from Happy Days.
Last edited by BigDaddySS on February 17th at 10:18 AM.
Dan - You must not have gotten your copy of SI with Jeffy's wifey's picture in it or you'd know that his winning has nothing to do with HMS, but rather the fact that he can't wait to get home! LOL
Well the winning car was not a Chevy or Toyota. A Dodge driven by Ryan Newman crossed the finish line first. Jeff Burton had the lead with 5 laps to go and got sucked into the pack on the restart.
I'll check into that new comer at HMS.
OSL
Lori; you're thinking of the wrong person I believe. Jimmie Johnson, another of these mysterious drivers employed by HMS has had so many engine failures in the last two years that I've lost count.
