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The Daytona 500 has seen its share of intense races over the years, but nothing will ever quite match what happened to the 54th running of the NASCAR premier Sprint Cup event.
First came the rain delays which caused the Daytona 500 to be postponed first until Monday afternoon, and ultimately until Monday evening. For the only time in its 54 year history the Daytona 500 was pushed off for a total of 36 hours.
Then came the fire. A bizarre crash, even by racing standards, involving a race car and a jet dryer truck which resulted in a huge jet fuel fire across the track. It all happened when Juan Pablo Montoya’s car broke and skidded sideways into a truck equipped with a jet dryer. The dryer truck holds a 200-gallon tank filled with jet fuel to power the jet engine used to dry and clean the track of debris during caution periods. The fire caused yet another delay of more than two hours as track workers attempted to douse the flames and make the track race worthy.Track workers had to wash the track with laundry detergent, rinse it with fire hoses, and then dry the asphalt with leaf blowers.
In the end it was Matt Kenseth who emerged as the winner of the 2012 Daytona 500.
“It feels great,” Kenseth said after earning $1.58 million for his second career Daytona 500 victory.
Just as he did three years ago, the Roush Fenway driver claimed NASCAR’s biggest race on a day when the weather — among other things — was as staunch an opponent as anything he would face on the track at Daytona International Speedway. Kenseth provided Roush with its 300th victory at NASCAR’s national level, and himself with a second Daytona 500 title to go along with his Cup Series championship from 2003. A lot has changed for Kenseth since he last rolled into Victory Lane at Daytona — he went through several crew chiefs before finally clicking with veteran Jimmy Fennig, endured some sponsor changes, and even now doesn’t have enough primary backing for the full season. Roush has committed to run the No. 17 out of his pocket this season if he has to.
Earnhardt made a slingshot move around Greg Biffle to run second in the 54th running of the Great American Race at Daytona International Speedway. Biffle came home third, followed by Denny Hamlin and Jeff Burton.
“The thing that comes into my mind is that NASCAR can’t catch a break,” Earnhardt said. “We’re trying to deliver, and we just have some unfortunate things happen such as the rain delay, potholes in the track a couple years ago or whatever, things like that. And we’re a good sport, and we’re just trying to give a good product, and it’s unfortunate that our biggest event was delayed, but I think everybody worked hard to put out a good product tonight, and it was good for us.”
If you’re expect to be a successful NASCAR driver, the only way to contend for a championship is to grab the wheel, take your team on your back, and press the pedal to the metal to make it happen. That is exactly where Dale Earnhardt Jr. stands today.
Rewind: Earlier this Season
Earlier in the 2011 NASCAR season (Dale Earnhardt Jr.) Junior Nation was on top of the world. However, that elusive win would rear its ugly head again soon, but not before he was locked in to the chase more than half the way through the season at third in overall points. Nevertheless, as predicted that elusive win was on his shoulders six races later. The disintegration of their secure chase spot was not of No. 88 team’s doing. The reality in this sport is that uncontrollable things happen very fast: You get put in the wall at Michigan, and then you finish 41st after running into someone else’s accident at Sonoma. When these types of things happen you are going to lose some points, and defeat will seam to scream in victory. The only option available when left in these circumstances is to recover, but we’re not seeing that happen with Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Despite the fact that the No. 88 team is running mediocre and having a round of bad luck to boot implies nothing as they head to Pocono in 10th place with a 19 point lead over Denny Hamlin, until you combine those two names: Pocono & Hamlin. We don’t really need to go there, do we? This is likely the most critical year in the career Dale Earnhardt Jr., with an unsigned contract seemingly waiting on the overall results of this race season. Clearly, Jr. has some recovering to do, but is there any room for a rebound?
Ultimately it’s all up to you Dale as it appears that you have only two options available: Win and compete in the chase, or lose and fade into oblivion…
With the new year comes new inductees into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Out of the 25 nominees, the following five will be officially enshrined into the NASCAR Hall of Fame during induction ceremonies on May 23, 2011 at the Charlotte Convention Center’s Crown Ballroom.
Driver (10-12-32)
Hometown: Newton, North Carolina
Competed: 1953-1966
Starts: 353
Wins: 50
Poles: 35
Ned Jarrett’s charging capabilities combined with consistency led his racing career to two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championships. His 50 career victories are tied for 10th all-time with Junior Johnson. He won a total of 28 races during the 1964 and ’65 seasons.
Jarrett won his first series title in 1961 while driving a Chevrolet for W.G. Holloway Jr. He finished with only one victory, but posted an impressive 34 top 10s in 46 starts. In 1965, he won his second title while driving for DuPont heir Bondy Long, and despite a back injury he finished with 13 wins and 42 top fives in 54 starts that season.
Ned Jarrett won the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway by 14 laps, (17.5 miles), still the largest margin of victory in NASCAR Sprint Cup history.
Driver (12-3-37)
Hometown: Hueytown, Alabama
Competed: 1961-88
Starts: 718
Wins: 84
Poles: 58
Bobby Allison was the 1983 champion of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and ended his career with 84 victories. He was tied for third on the all-time victory list with Darrell Waltrip.
A charter member of the “Alabama Gang,” Allison has become one of NASCAR’s most beloved former competitors, in large part because of his remarkable resilience after a career-ending accident at Pocono Raceway in 1988 – just months after he won the Daytona 500.
Bobby Allison continues to be cherished by the millions of fans who remember his long list of accomplishments, which include:
- 1978, ’82 ’88 Daytona 500 victories;
- His 1983 championship season;
- Two NASCAR Modified Division championships, in 1964 and 1965
- Two NASCAR Modified Special Division titles in 1962-63.
His fantastic 1972 season, when he won 10 races, had 12 second-place efforts and 11 poles, in the process finishing second to Richard Petty in the series championship standings.
Fittingly, Allison was named one of NASCAR’s “50 Greatest Drivers” in 1998.
Owner (5-25-25)
Hometown: Spartanburg, South Carolina
Competed: 1961-2000
Starts: 959
Wins: 63
A decorated World War II infantryman, Bud Moore became a successful NASCAR Sprint Cup owner almost immediately upon fielding a team in 1961. Moore won back-to-back championships in 1962-63
with Joe Weatherly. Earlier, in 1957, Moore – who referred to himself as “a country mechanic” – was crew chief for champion Buck Baker.
During 37 seasons in NASCAR’s premier division, Moore’s cars won 63 times and finished 298 and 463 times respectively among the top five and top 10. His cars also won 43 poles in the team’s 959 starts. Moore-owned cars have visited Victory Lane in most of the sport’s biggest events including the Daytona 500 and Southern 500.
Moore’s cars, both fast and dependable, attracted the sport’s top drivers. They included Weatherly, Dale Earnhardt, Fireball Roberts, David Pearson, Billy Wade, Darel Dieringer, Bobby Isaac, Buddy Baker, Benny Parsons, Bobby Allison, Ricky Rudd and Geoffrey Bodine.
As a top performer among Ford’s motorsports stable, Moore frequently was tapped to spearhead the company’s other racing endeavors. Among his successes was the 1970 Sports Car Club of America championship with Parnelli Jones.
Driver (3-14-14 – 4-5-2000)
Hometown: Randleman, North Carolina
Competed: 1949-64
Starts: 427
Wins: 54
Poles: 18
It took a while – three whole days – for officials to declare Lee Petty the winner of the first Daytona 500.
So in many ways, we have Petty to thank for the yearly spectacle that is “The Great American Race.” That’s because he created the very first spectacle.
On the final lap, Petty and Johnny Beauchamp barreled toward the finish line, in what would become one of the closest finishes in the prestigious race’s history. So close, in fact, that race officials put a hold on the results for three days. A photo snapped at the finish line confirmed Petty’s win, his first in another championship winning season.
But that first Daytona 500 is only one of many Petty accomplishments. His career was a long list of “firsts” and “mosts.” Along with winning the first Daytona 500, Petty also was the first driver to capture three championships in what now is the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
And up until the time his own son, Richard, caught and passed him, Lee won more races than any other driver – 54. That number still ranks ninth all-time.
But maybe his greatest legacy is his own name – and lineage. Petty, who started Petty Enterprises, is the father of “The King” Richard Petty and the grandfather of Kyle Petty.
Driver (12-22-34)
Hometown: Spartanburg, South Carolina
Competed: 1960-86
Starts: 574
Wins: 105
Poles: 113
David Pearson, a.k.a. The Silver Fox, was the model of NASCAR efficiency during his career.
With little exaggeration, when Pearson showed up at a race track, he won.
His 105 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victories ranks second all-time, and he amassed that figure in only 574 races – a winning percentage of 18.29.
In a career that spanned 27 years, Pearson never once ran every single race in a given season. When he came close to running the full schedule, he won a championship – or came darn close.
In 1966, Pearson ran 42 of 49 races to win his first championship. In his 1968 championship winning campaign, he ran 48 of 49 races. And in 1969, he ran 51 of 54 en route to his third and final title.
His consistent greatness might best be defined by his 1974 performance, a season he did not win the championship. He finished third that year behind Richard Petty and Cale Yarborough – but raced only 19 of 30 races.
Ranking second in wins and poles, Pearson’s numbers are eclipsed only by Petty. Pearson won the Daytona 500 once (1976), but had six victories overall at Daytona International Speedway.
Inductee information courtesy of NASCAR HALL Of FAME