‘08 Daytona Not Shy on Drama

Heading into the 50th running of NASCAR’s “Great American Race”, this year’s Daytona 500 has already proven to us beyond a shadow of a doubt that this track is not shy when it comes to both hype and the ability to produce storylines. The 2008 Sprint Cup season has been one of the most talked about seasons in professional sports history, and every bit of it has transcended itself to Daytona, which is set to kick off here in just a few short hours. As we gear up for the official kickoff of the most elite series in all of motorsports, let’s take a quick look at all the drama and news that has unfolded itself right before our very eyes during NASCAR’s speedweeks that has brought us to the drop of the green flag:

Right from the start of the practice sessions for the Budweiser Shootout, everyone in the garage area was talking about how loose the cars had felt on the track, as this was the first time that the COT would be run at Daytona. This no doubt played a small role in causing an accident during the Friday practice session that sent several teams to backup cars for the Shootout the following day. One has to believe that the loose feelings and the bump stops generated in the COT setup will no doubt play a vital role in today’s race, and many people believe that it’s inevitable that “the Big One” will occur at some point between mile one and mile five-hundred by the end of today.

Shortly after that accident that I was just talking about, Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch made contact with one another, and as a result, decided to rekindle their feud that stemmed all the way back to last year’s Daytona 500. After a friendly visit on pit road by Busch, Stewart decided to admire Busch’s bodywork prior to entering the garage, and it’s since then been alleged that Stewart kindly introduced his fist to Kurt’s face. The result? Both drivers have been placed on a six-race probation by NASCAR, but one has to wonder if that will make any difference in the most prestigious race on the schedule.

Dale Earnhardt Jr then went onto win his very first race under the Hendrick Motorsports banner, albeit not a points race. That hasn’t stopped Junior Nation from going crazy with anticipation, though, as many of his fans now believe that the switch to HMS will reignite Junior’s on-track performance. After bringing home another checkered flag in the first Gatorade Duel and then finishing third in the Nationwide Series race, Earnhardt is a very heavy favorite to win today’s race and get his newly-found relationship with Hendrick off to an amazing start.

Also making headlines throughout the entire off-season was the move of Joe Gibbs Racing from racing for Chevrolet to joining the Toyota bunch. Most fans and critics thought Gibbs had gone off the deep end by even contemplating such a move, but the addition of Gibbs to the Toyota fold seems to be doing wonders for them already. After looking very impressive throughout the pre-season testing, Toyota has since gone onto finish 2nd in the Budweiser Shootout (Stewart), win the outside pole for the Daytona 500 (Waltrip), finish 1st & 2nd in the second Gatorade Duel (Hamlin, Stewart), finish 1st through 4th in the Craftsman Truck Series race (T. Bodine, Ky. Busch, J. Benson, D. Starr), and then finish 1st, 2nd, & 4th in the Nationwide Series race (Stewart, Ky. Busch, Vickers). The Toyota bunch is now being heavily viewed as the only potential threat to keep Hendrick Motorsports out of victory lane this afternoon.

The Gatorade Duels also made several other shocking revelations. Several cars expected to start in the Daytona 500 were left out in the cold thanks to NASCAR’s Daytona qualifying procedures, including the rides of Boris Said, AJ Allmendinger, Bill Elliott Sterling Marlin, Ken Schrader, and rookies Patrick Carpentier and Jacques Villeneuve, amongst others. Elliott’s inability to make the race marked this year as the first time in 46 years that the Wood Bros organization failed to place a car in the Daytona 500. Villeneuve’s performance not only knocked him out of the 500, but also out of the no. 27 car for Bill Davis Racing altogether as a result of failing to produce financial backing from sponsors. He will be replaced by Mike Skinner and Johnny Benson beginning next week.  In an odd string of events, Kurt Busch transferred his car’s owner points over to Penske Racing rookie Sam Hornish Jr. to ensure he would get starts in the first five races of the season. Busch then suffered electrical problems during the first Gatorade Duel event, forcing him to rely on the “Past Champion’s Provisional” to earn his spot in the 500. This meant that the provisional was no longer available to Dale Jarrett, who failed to finish inside the top 35 in points last season and he would have to finish second amongst the “go or go-home” cars in the second Duel. The race started off rough for Jarrett as he sank to the back of the pack, but then car owner Michael Waltrip dropped from the front of the pack all the way to the back to give his teammate a boost. He pushed DJ all the way up to the third spot by the time a caution waved with only a few laps remaining. The push was enough, and despite finishing 9th in the race, DJ still qualified for his final run at the Daytona 500. The events leading up to such, however, has raised several questions surrounding the validity of the past champion’s provisional and the ability of a driver to transfer owner points to another car.

Folks, I’ve barely scratched the surface here with this post, as there’s been so, so much more that’s taken place in both the off-season and during the NASCAR speedweeks that has made this Daytona 500 the most highly anticipated that I can actually recall. This race is sure to live up to the expectations, and I’m extremely confident that it will give us plenty more to talk about come Monday morning!