Sunday's Pepsi 400 started with fireworks when race favorite Tony Stewart tangled with teammate Denny Hamlin while the two where running 2nd and 1st. Several wrecks throughout the night, but when it came down to 20 laps to go, all the cars, which had struggled just to run single file all night, ran side-by-side and three wide going for the win.
It came down to Kyle Busch, who is trying to prove himself for next year, and Jamie McMurray, who won his only race in his 2nd career start back in 2002, coming down to the line for the win. 0.005 seconds seperated Jamie McMurray from Kyle Busch, as he won just his second career race on the famed Daytona International Speedway.
The finish was tied for 2nd as the closest finish since Nascar started using electronic scoring. It tied with Dale Earnhardt's win over Ernie Irvan at Talladega in 1993, and the closest finish ever was in 2003 when Ricky Craven edged out Kurt Busch at the line.
Here are the top-5 finishers from this thrilling race:
This article is not a report on where Busch will go, it is merely a prediction based on previous occurences.
In modern day Nascar, drivers are leaving big-time teams to go to start-up teams or start their own team. Why is this? Maybe it's because they are sick of being a 2nd or 3rd string driver, and would like the chance to be the leading role in the future of a team. Maybe it's because they want to prove they are capable of winning in any equipment, or for that matter being the driving force that allows a low-budget team to get sponsorship and become a contending team. It's all started to develop in the past few years, and I've seen it happening.
Robby Gordon was the driver of the #31 AT&T Chevy for Richard Childress Racing in the 2004 season. However, Gordon decided to leave the team at the end of the season, despite the offer for a contract extension. Gordon had been 2nd to Kevin Harvick at RCR, and with the import of Jeff Burton, he would likely be the tag-along driver of RCR. In 2005, he started his own team, with four sponsors lined up to sponsor him through the season, Gordon only managed to qualify for 29 races and had only 2 top-10's, but the high point ofthe season came at Watkins Glen, where he charged from the back of the pack and finished 2nd to Tony Stewart, proving that although not in stellar equipment, Gordon was still able to contend for the win at tracks that he specialized at. In 2006, he again ran well at the Glen, with a 4th place finish, qualified for all the races, and had 3 top-10's. However, he had 17 top-20 finishes, a more consistent stat. In 2007, he has 7 top-20's in 17 races, and scored a top-10 at Dover. Gordon has proved that he can still contend in races even in sub-par equipment, which may be why he left RCR for a much worse situation that is, however, steadily becoming a good investment.
Michael Waltrip was the driver of the #15 Napa Chevy for Dale Earnhardt Inc. However, he left DEI, the team he won two Daytona 500's with, at the end of the 2005 season to start his own team. He too was second fiddle to Nascar Superstar Dale Earnhardt Jr. at DEI. In 2006, Waltrip struggled with his single car team, having just 5 top-20's ,due to many mechanical issues and poor handling cars, and failed to make 3 races. 2007 hasn't gone much better for Waltrip, with controversy at Daytona with an unknown substance found in the intake manifold of both his cars, and making only three races all year. However, in those three races he has a top-10, which came at Michigan, and was 5th fastest in qualifying for the Pepsi 400 through 39 cars before rain eventually cancelled qualifying and set the field by points, bumping out Waltrip. His performance is steadily improving, but he's already seen sucess in his other teams, the #44 of Dale Jarrett and the #00 of David Reuttiman. Although those two have also failed to make all the races, they have had some strong runs. For Jarrett, it's his All-Star Race performance, finishing 12th while racing Nascar's elite. And Reuttiman has run well, with a top-15 and a potential top-5 at Talladega that was taken away due to an engine failure with 4 laps to go. This is just Waltrip's first year managing a multi-car team, and he does so with the unproven Toyota. So far, if you look at it in perspective, Waltrip's cars are improving and his decision to manage his own team, although it's unproven, could contend in future years.
Brian Vickers was the 2003 Busch Series champion. He announced midway through the 2006 season that he would leave Hendrick Motorsports, which since it's founding in 1984 has always contended for wins, and had been a dominating force in years past. (We've seen that dominance again this year, but we're talking back when Vickers made his decision at the moment.) Vickers was, lets face it, the least accomplished Cup driver from the Hendrick stable, with, at the time, no wins and inconsistent runs. Vickers would go on to earn a controversial victory later on in the year at Talladega. He went to a Toyota team for 2007, the new team Red Bull Racing, which featured, along with Vickers, the unproven driver of A.J Allmendinger and the new Toyota Camry, which itself was unproven. Vickers has made history this year, earning a top-10 in his first start in California(He failed to qualify for the Daytona 500, the first race of the season) Which was Toyota's first top-10. Then he earned the first top-5 for a Toyota in the Coca-Cola 600, a race in which he also led 76 laps, the most laps led in a single race for a Toyota in it's short history. He may have only qualified for 9 races, he has 6 top-20's in those 9 races, and the three races that he hasn't finished in the top-20, it was because he either had been involved in a wreck or had engine trouble. In fact, his 823 points in his first 9 starts this year is just a little off track of his total of 978 in his first 9 starts last year with the mighty Hendrick Motorsports. Vickers is making a name for himself and history thanks to his move to Red Bull Racing.
So now that brings us to Kyle Busch, the star from Hendrick Motorsports who will be a free agent at the end of the year. According to Scene Daily, Busch has had offers from and is considering, amongst others of course, a team outside the top-35 in owner points. Before I say anything, I would like to repeat that these are predictions of mine, and no report is backing up what I am about to say. I think the team that has made this offer is a Toyota team, or for that matter I believe that it is Red Bull Racing. I believe that Busch may, in an unlikely sequence of events, follow the path of former teammate Brian Vickers, going to Red Bull Racing either replacing the struggling AJ Allmendinger or joining as the driver for a third team. If it is not Red Bull Racing, then it has to be Bill Davis Racing(if it is a Toyota team) which could have a third team started, having Busch be the star of a team that includes Jeremy Mayfield and Dave Blaney, who earned the first pole for Toyota in New Hampshire. The reason it couldn't be Michael Waltrip Racing is because that team already had three cars in it's stable, and I don't see it going to four for quite some time, if ever, and already has Dale Jarrett signed through next year, and Reuttiman has performed too well to be replaced, and I don't see Waltrip completely giving up his spot. To think more realistically, I think that Busch will go to Joe Gibbs Racing.
The Daytona International Speedway is Nascar's second largest track. At 2.5 miles it is the sister track of Talladega, and like Talladega restrictor plates are used to reduce speed, although the cars will still go around the track at 190 mph. The most famous track in stock car racing is under the lights, so who are the favorites?
The Favorites:
Tony Stewart- Daytona may be unpredictable because of the unavoidable big one. However, you can't bet against Tony Stewart here. He has won the last two Pepsi 400's, and in 2005 won from the pole while leading 151 of 160 laps. In 6 of his last 7 races here, he has finished 7th or better, and the occasion that didn't was this year's Daytona 500, when he was wrecked while leading the Great American Race. Tony will run up front Saturday night, it's just a matter of being in the right place at the right time.
Kurt Busch- The numbers are decieving for the driver of the Miller Lite Dodge. An average finish of 28th in his 12 career starts doesn't show the plate racing potential Busch has. He has 3 top-5's in his last 6 starts, and was the class of the field at Daytona earlier this year before he wrecked with Tony Stewart while running 2nd. Busch has had bad luck and poor runs since his run in with Stewart at Dover, but there couldn't be a better place for Busch to get his Chase hopes back on track.
Jeff Gordon- You can't bet against the point leader. Even though he's racing with interim crew chief Jeff Meendering on the box, Gordon is continuing to run strong like he has all season. Gordon's poor performance in the Daytona 500 this year made the 10trh place finish a surprise, considering that he had run outside the top-20 most of the race. However, with a new body and the momentum this team has, expect the man who has 6 wins at this track to try to repeat his 2004 Pepsi 400 performance, where he won from the pole while leading the most laps.
Other Noteables:
Jimmie Johnson- 2006 Daytona 500 champion looking for first Pepsi 400 win. No brainer.
Denny Hamlin- He has yet to prove himself on plate tracks, but won the 2006 Bud Shootout, and after his win last week he would like nothing better than to go back-to-back.
Kevin Harvick- Won the Daytona 500 this year, and has always run well at plate tracks. Watch out for this man on the last lap.
Who to Avoid:
Juan Pablo Montoya- The Sonoma winner has an average finish of 25th on the plate tracks in his first two plate track races. With Montoya's style of racing where he want's to get up front as quick as he can, he could be a driver who helps start the big one.
Clint Bowyer- He has greatly improved this season, but has yet to prove himself on the plate tracks. Also, to succeed on the plate tracks you have to keep your car right-side up.(lol)
Nascar made it clear at the beginning of the season that they didn't want anyone modifying any aspect of the COT. From the DEI #8's wing support bracket modification to the fender adjustments on both the #24 and #48, Nascar has laid down the harshest penalties in history, fining all these teams 100 driver and owner points, and suspending the crew chiefs of each team 6 races. However, all these teams have gone on to contend for wins even without their crew-chiefs, and the 100 point penalties on the 24 and 48 were only a speedbump in these two team's fantastic seasons, and the 8 team has made it's way back into the top-12.
Nascar has already made movements to try to prevent suspended crew chiefs from having contact with the teams, and have now forbidden their presence at the track. However, anybody can text from anywhere, and with technology now available online to hear radio conversations, crew chief suspensions are inefficient. With this considered, the next time a team violates the integrity of the COT, don't be surprised if you don't see that team at the track the next week. Nascar CEO Brian France said that,
"We feel very strongly that we're going to be very, very tough on people that test us with the Car of Tomorrow. We'd like not to get to [suspending drivers]. We'd like to make the deterrent, a portion of the penalty, significant enough that that isn't necessary for us to do," said the Nascar CEO. "But are we willing to go there? Of course we would. We have in the past and we will in the future. We're not hoping to do that. That's sort of a death penalty."
And if fudging of the rules continue, the death penalty will be given.
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