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INDIANAPOLIS _ Chip Ganassi celebrated in victory lane at the Indianapolis 500 completing an auto racing double dip that no car owner had ever accomplished. In February Ganassi hoisted the Daytona 500 trophy with NASCAR driver Jamie McMurray. And four months later he shared a sip of victory milk with Indycar driver Dario Franchitti. This gave Ganassi a first for an auto racing team owner, victories in the Daytona 500 and Indy 500 in the same year.

Franchitti dominated the action at Indianapolis leading 155 of 200 laps but the win was in doubt until the race’s final moments. His last pit stop was completed with 37 laps remaining, on the outer edge of the team’s fuel window.

Mad Mikie over at Laidback Racing has written an interesting post about the death of Dale Earnhardt Sr. The author read the official accident report and found that Earnhardt had quinidine in his system when he crashed at the 2001 Daytona 500. Quinidine is used to treat an irregular heartbeat, also known as arrhythmia. Tracing back to 1997, when Earnhardt blacked out during a race in Darlington, Mad Mikie thinks it is possible that NASCAR kept the illness a secret from fans. It is quite a conspiracy theory. And it was written by a guy named "Mad Mikie." Still, it raises some interesting questions.

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.