Anonymous

Login / Create Account

The Daytona 500 was a tale of two races. The first 300 miles saw competitive yet patient driving. The last 200 saw urgent and breathtaking moves. And potholes can take some of the credit.

Bigger restrictor plates and less bump-drafting regulation by NASCAR made for a highly anticipated race. Chassis handling on the temperature sensitive asphalt played an unexpected role.

The Great American Race began in bright sunshine and was the first under NASCAR’s new unified, earlier start times. Warmer track temperatures followed suit, as did a slicker racing surface. Pavement has a petroleum base and in sunlight, oils from the composition come to the top, making a slicker track for tires to get a hold of. Teams planned for an afternoon finish and car setups reflected that. Crews tried to tighten up cars while racers complained of a lack of grip.

February 1991 is remembered in American history for Operation Desert Storm as part of the first Gulf War. The security attention paid to Super Bowl XXV in Tampa, Fla., and around the country was increased. Three weeks following the NFL championship game, the largest sporting crowd since the military operation began gathered on Florida’s East Coast a few hours from where the Giants won their second title. Over 100,000 fans filled the grounds of Daytona International Speedway for the 500.

Ernie Irvan won on a day that started with patriotic displays and 200 mph battles, and ended with a fuel-saving maneuver at 55 mph.

Ken Squier coined it the “Great American Race.”

Common men doing uncommon things. Cars racing closer than you park in the parking lot, in turns steeper than the roof of your house. These are all descriptive phrases that are accurate.

The Daytona 500 is the largest race on the NASCAR calendar. The event rivals the Indianapolis 500’s title as the biggest race in the world.

Motorsports are always fighting for attention from the mainstream media. Other sports sometimes overshadow stock car racing for national headlines. But for one day a year, auto racing does not challenge others as the day’s top sports story. Auto racing is the biggest story and all the other headlines must challenge the 500 for attention.

Thrilling finishes - like these five - have helped make the Daytona 500 what it is today.

For Dale Earnhardt Jr., the 2009 season was one of the most frustrating and trying times of his ten-year career. With only two top 5s and five top 10s, the third generation racer was forced to face harsh criticism from the media, fellow competitors and even his loyal fans. The downward spiral seemed to begin right from the start of the season during the Daytona 500.

One of the stronger cars in Daytona, Earnhardt was penalized for pitting outside his box and was held one lap by NASCAR. With rains approaching and threatening to shorten the event, Junior aggressively went to work trying to get his lap back and put himself into contention. In doing so, Earnhardt triggered a massive wreck on the backstretch that took out a number of contenders as he slipped through without so much as a dent.

The criticism rained on the sport’s most popular driver and from then on the season was awash. Throughout the year Earnhardt’s commitment was called into question and so was his ability to compete for wins. The frustration was visible on the 34-year-old’s face and was clear through his comments to the media.

This year, Earnhardt Jr. is recharged and ready to turn his luck around, starting at Daytona. This year, however, Earnhardt and crew chief Lance McGrew are focused on completing races and making the most out of each race to score the most points in the end – easier said than done.