Daytona 500

This race seemed to have fewer wrecks than other Daytona races I’ve watched in the past few years. And the wrecks there were had fewer cars involved, and less damage. That’s a good thing.

Although many people watch NASCAR to see spectacular wrecks, and I’ll admit to being interested in seeing them, too, a race is much more exciting when more of the top drivers make it all the way through to the end. Having two dozen top drivers battling it out in the last 20 laps is much more fun than having just 10 or 12 top drivers fighting at the end.

This was a good Daytona race even though the last 20 laps were packed with caution flags. They’d get a few laps in, the tension would be building, the jockeying for position would be set up, and then bam, someone would scrape the wall or spin off the track and everyone had to slow up for the caution flag.

Only a few of the top drivers fell out in wrecks, and the last few laps were some of the most exciting racing I’ve seen. Granted, Daytona is the only race I regularly watch (like the Super Bowl is the only football game I regularly watch). But still, this was a good race.

I almost feel sorry for Jeff Burton. He was leading at that final restart, and looked like he was going to take it to the finish. But then the two trains lined up on either side of him, and he got passed on both the left and right by a dozen cars. That has to hurt to go from 1st to 13th within 6 seconds without a wreck on the track.

And I bet Tony Stewart is mad as hell for dropping from in front of Ryan Newman down to block Kyle Busch. That opened the door wide for Newman to take it all.

Good race. Would have been better if there had been fewer yellow flags in the last laps, but still, it was exciting.

Bullgrit
bullgrit@totalbullgrit.com