A lot of crazy stuff went down on today's Daytona 500 in the NASCAR Nextel Cup. The final 50 laps were just wild with an unbelievable ending. Many of the prerace favourites crashed and the finish was somewhat controversial to Mark Martin fans. I think in the end NASCAR was correct in not throwing a caution on the final lap as the race was on the final lap and the mayhem was behind the leaders. David Gilliland was on the pole.
The first part of the race was calm enough. David Gilliland's #38 M & M's Ford led until Boris Said's #60 No Fear Ford spun on lap 16. After pit stops, Kurt Busch's #2 Miller Lite Dodge led. Tony Stewart's #20 Home Depot Chevy took the lead on lap 49. These two would swap the lead for most of the first part of the race. A blown tire for Kyle Petty's #45 Wells Fargo Dodge brought out a caution on lap 67. Stewart ran over some debris and took time to fix the vallance on his pit stop. In the pits, Gilliland spun out Robby Gordon's #7 Jim Beam Ford.
Kurt Busch continued to lead but Tony Stewart came from the back to take back the lead on lap 150. Then disaster for the leaders. Stewart gets loose when he hits the apron a bit and Busch is unable to keep from tapping Stewart. Both guys hit the wall and are finished for the day. After pit stops, Martin Truex Jr.'s #1 Bass Pro Shops Chevy led with Mark Martin, Kyle Busch, Johnny Sauter & Matt Kenseth the top five on lap 159. Matt Kenseth's #17 DeWalt Ford takes the outside line pushed by teammate Jamie MacMurray. Kenseth gets the lead on lap 170.
Jimmie Johnson's #48 Lowe's Checy gets loose on lap 174 and hits the wall. He collects Jeff Green, David Reutimann, Tony Raines & Denny Hamlin. Everyone makes final pit stops. Mark Martin, Carl Edwards, Reed Sorenson & Johnny Sauter take two tires to get up front. Greg Biffle & Matt Kenseth move up to second and third. On lap 186, Reed Sorenson's #41 Target Dodge makes contact with Carl Edwards. Dave Blaney speeds down pit lane to avoid the wreck but a flat tire sends him spinning into Ken Schrader.
Mark Martin's #01 US Army Chevy leads when the green comes back out on lap 191. Kyle Busch's #5 Carquest/Kellogg's Chevy pulls in behind Martin. Jamie MacMurray's #26 Crown Royal Ford hits the wall and takes Ricky Rudd, Dale Earnhardt Jr. & Martin Truex Jr. with him on lap 196. NASCAR throws the red flag and sets up a green/white/checker finish.
Can anyone pass Mark Martin? He protects the bottom but on the final lap, Kevin Harvick's #29 Shell Pennzoil Chevy gets a run at the top of the track pushed by Matt Kenseth & Jeff Burton. Harvick pulls alongside Martin while Kyle Busch spins and takes Jeff Gordon, Sterling Marlin & others with him. Harvick wins the race by a nose while Clint Bowyer crosses the finish line on his roof. The crash makes this a controversial finish but it sure was exciting.
Congratulations to Kevin Harvick, crew chief Todd Barrier & car owner Richard Childress for winning the Daytona 500. The crash at the finish gave big top ten finishes to Mike Wallace, rookie David Ragan, David Gilliland, Joe Nemechek & David Stremme. NASCAR is in Fontana, California next week. Here's the top ten of the race.
#/Driver/Sponsor/Make/Owner
1.29/Kevin Harvick/Shell-Pennzoil/Chevy/Richard Childress
2.01/Mark Martin/US Army/Chevy/Bobby Ginn
3.31/Jeff Burton/Cingular/Chevy/Richard Childress
4.09/Mike Wallace/Miccosoukee Casino/Chevy/James Finch
5.6/David Ragan/AAA/Ford/Jack Roush
6.19/Elliott Sadler/UAW-Dodge Dealers/Dodge/Ray Evernham
7.9/Kasey Kahne/UAW-Dodge Dealers/Dodge/Ray Evernham
8.38/David Gilliland/M & M's/Ford/Robert Yates
9.13/Joe Nemechek/CertainTeed/Chevy/Bobby Ginn
10.David Stremme/Coors Light/Dodge/Chip Ganassi
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