Maybe NASCAR should run the Daytona 500 at night all the time?

All is right with the world once again. Dale Jr. wins the Daytona 500.

What a race. Maybe they should run it at night all the time.

Everyone that stayed with Fox on Sunday night and didn’t get caught up in the Sochi closing ceremonies was rewarded with a pretty good race and a win by NASCAR’s most popular driver. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. fended off repeated challenges from teammates and Roush Fenway, Penske and Joe Gibbs Racing drivers to capture his second Daytona 500. With the top 25 cars separated by less than 1 second, it was a buzzing pack of wild action once the rain cleared.

The first 35 laps were run under daytime conditions and while the race was not as boring as the truck or Nationwide races, it was pretty obvious no one was going to take a lot of chances before the rain came. And boy did it come. I don’t think NASCAR was quite prepared for what it got next with a tornado warning and lots of lightning that led to an eventual 6+-hour rain delay. Fortunately, Daytona has lights and the race could be run at night it need be. You have to hand it to NASCAR on this one. They dried the track pretty quickly and were able to get the race in for the thousands of fans who stuck it out and filled the stands once the rain quit. It reminded me of the 1995 Brickyard 400 when rain delayed the race for several hours and the fans stuck around to see Dale Earnhardt win his only Brickyard 400.

In an unexpected bonus, the Daytona package for this race made for some pretty tight racing on a green track in cooler temperatures. The lead exchanged hands repeatedly and it was obvious that Jr. had a stout car. But could he win or would he be the bridesmaid once again? Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, Jimmie Johnson, Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards were among the drivers all vying for the lead and the race win. Biffle and Edwards had not looked this fast all week and were proving that the Fords were going to be contenders. Ultimately, it was not to be. Jr. seemed to be just a tad stronger and was better in the draft.

Austin Dillon sat on the pole and quickly faded but was happy logging laps until the finish. Unfortunately, he seemed to be in the eye of the storm once the wrecks started happening all around him. I think the only car he did not hit all night was the pace car. Somehow he managed to keep the car out of serious trouble and finished in 9th. But I have a feeling that many of the drivers will be looking for some payback on the 3 car in the races to come. Kind of fitting if you think about it.

RCR cars were expected to make some noise but only Paul Menard was able to lead a significant number of laps. Harvick was near the front when it got down to crunch time but fell to 13th in the final melee. Hendrick cars were stout as expected and claimed 3 cars in the top 5. All three Joe Gibbs Racing cars were in the fight and all finished in the top 11 and only Matt Kenseth did not lead any laps.

Mechanical problems claimed Martin Truex, Jr. and Clint Bowyer early on and later, Tony Stewart. Only 20 cars finished on the lead lap with the rest being caught up in wrecks or having mechanical issues. Kyle Larson made his Daytona debut and would rather for get it. He had tire issues and got caught up in wrecks that led to his demise. He can’t wait to get to Phoenix.

The rest of the races this week were so-so. The Sprint Unlimited and the Duels were both run under the lights but could not have been any different. While the Unlimited was a decent race, the Duels were high-speed parades that had exciting endings. The truck and Nationwide races looked a lot like the Duels – exciting finishes without a lot of race action.

Now we head to Phoenix where we get to see how the cars will really race this year with the new changes. And with 8 rookies in the filed, it will be interesting to see how they relate to coming from a high-speed drafting race to a close quarters one-mile track.

Now, this week’s WINNERS….

Dale Jr. won his second 500 and got the winless monkey off his back. And he has pretty much guaranteed himself a Chase position.

Denny Hamlin won the Unlimited and a Duel and came in 2nd. Any questions remain?

Matt Kenseth won a Duel was racy at the end of the 500.

Kyle Busch led 19 laps but finished the 500 going backwards. JGR looks pretty good though.

Jimmie Johnson led laps and seemed content to keep Jr. in front at the end.

Jeff Gordon did not lead any laps and looked racy. While he would have preferred the win, he was also pleased to help Jr. stay in the lead.

Brad Keselowski was not pleased to keep Jr. in the lead and had a very stout car.

Greg Biffle had a car that could have won but Jr. was the better drafter.

Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. did not hit his girlfriend in this race and managed to keep his Roush Fenway car up front when it mattered.

Casey Mears had a very nice race and it will be interesting to see if their new engines will have the same affect the rest of the season.

Joey Logano had a decent race and looks like he is picking up where he left off in 2013.

Kevin Harvick was there at the end and it was like, where did he come from? Had he been able to get to the front, he had a car capable of winning.

Austin Dillon was on the pole and somehow managed to avoid disaster. He has some learnin’ to do though.

Landon Cassill had a 12th pace finish that had to have him ecstatic. It may be his last top 15 for quite some time.
And this weeks LOSERS…..

Martin Truex, Jr. was on the outside pole but had to go to the back. Then his engine blew.

Clint Bowyer had to go to the rear and blew his engine.

Tony Stewart had to go to the rear and had an electrical issue that took him out of competition.

Danica Patrick had to start at the rear, ran well but got caught up in a wreck with a nasty head on hit in a section with no safer barrier.

Kyle Larson, much heralded, had a lousy race. Maybe he should take the target off his car?

Paul Menard looked racy early on, led laps and then… a wreck.

Kasey Kahne, well, read about Paul Menard. Same thing.

Trevor Bayne and the Wood Brothers are running a fill Cup season and look forward to a decent finish. Not Sunday. Another wreck for the former 500 winner.

Kurt Busch led laps early on but had some problems and then… a wreck. It was an expensive weekend for SHR.

Ryan Newman had an OK race, until he wrecked.

Carl Edwards went from leading and challenging for the win to “what happened?”

Brian Scott ran one heck of a race until he got caught up in, you got it, a wreck.

What were your impressions of the 500?

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