Sunday, February 20, 2011
Liveblogging the Daytona 500
One of the worst ideas that NASCAR experimented with was a few years ago, when they started the Daytona 500 after 3 PM. Eventually, I suppose, somebody explained that: (1) the weather in February at Daytona becomes more unstable as you get closer to darkness; and (2) a significant percentage of NASCAR fans watch the race between Sunday morning and Sunday evening services. So they've moved the start time back, but I still don't know when they're actually going to start.
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OK, now we're getting the pre-race invocation from an African-American preacher. He did a great job -- and he prayed in "the majestic name of Our Lord Jesus Christ."
ReplyDeleteOn NASCAR radio, they are really trying hard to sell tickets to the spring race at Bristol. The fact that Bristol isn't already sold out strikes me as a bad sign.
ReplyDeleteI think Martina McBride is great.
ReplyDeleteWe will, of course, be watching with the TV sound turned down and the Motor Racing Network on the radio.
ReplyDeleteOn Fox, Darryl Waltrip picks Little E to win the big race.
The command to start engines is given by the stars and director of "Transformers," which just strikes me as goofy.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, in what may be the best regular-season match-up of the year, Purdue (21-5) trails Ohio State (25-1) at home, 13-12.
ReplyDeleteNow we're getting a TV commercial for "Transfomers II," or whatever it's called. I hope they didn't get a discount because their people gave the command to start engines.
ReplyDeletePurdue 14 - 15 Ohio St. (12:13 left in 1st half)
ReplyDeleteThe cars have started their engines, and are circling around the track. Little E won the pole, but he will have to start from the back because he is using his back-up car (and not the one that actually qualified).
ReplyDeleteThe NASCAR Radio announcers -- one at each corner of the track -- are all introducing themselves. They sound very excited.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like they have great weather -- about 75 degrees and no clouds.
There's the green flag and we're off!
ReplyDeleteOn the third lap all of the fans stand in silence and raise three fingers in honor of Dale Earnhardt.
ReplyDeleteAnd we have our first caution. On lap 5, Michael Waltrip bumps into Kyle Busch, who wrecks. I expect many more cautions before we are through.
ReplyDeleteRace fans would take Danica Patrick more seriously if she would stop doing those GoDaddy.com ads.
ReplyDeleteFox is still using those idiotic cartoon gophers -- or whatever they're supposed to be -- as mascots.
ReplyDeletePurdue 19 - 20 Ohio St. (6:52 left in 1st half)
ReplyDeleteOn the radio, they tell us that the "new AOL.com is bigger and better than ever."
ReplyDeleteFox is telling us that the Daytona track has been completely repaved for the first time since 1979. That Daytona 500 ended with a fight between Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison; I doubt we'll be that lucky today.
ReplyDeleteJake Jennings in Madisonville's Messenger this week predicted that Jeff Gordan would win today.
ReplyDeleteLap 8: return to green.
ReplyDeleteThe live leaderboard on NASCAR.com has crashed, so I have only the vaguest notion about what's going on.
ReplyDeleteOh, a second yellow flag. The noted J.J. Yeley appears to be spilling oil.
ReplyDeleteAt this pace, the race should finish around 8 PM.
OK, CBS's live leaderboard is working. Here's where things stand after 12 laps:
ReplyDelete1. A.J. Allmendinger (Ford-43)
2. Mark Martin (Chevy-5)
3. Kevin Harvick (Chevy-29)
4. Matt Kenseth (Ford-17)
5. Jeff Gordon (Chevy-24)
Lap 15: Back to green.
ReplyDeleteI always root for that Mark Martin, who was Matthew's buddy in third grade.
ReplyDeleteApparently, the cars have been changed in such a matter that the best way to race is in groups of two. So instead of the long drafts you used to see, now you see all these little groups of two cars at a time. It looks really weird.
ReplyDeleteIt makes me nervous. I tried to watch for a bit, and I'm just scared to death of seeing a wreck. I'm changing to the NHL game on Channel 6.
ReplyDelete20 Laps:
ReplyDelete1. Paul Menard (Chevy-27)
2. Tony Stewart (Chevy-14)
3. Bobby Labonte (Toyota-47)
4. Brad Keselowski (Dodge-2)
5. Carl Edwards (Ford-99)
Purdue 37 - 33 Ohio St. (Halftime)
ReplyDeleteI wonder if there's ever been a Kentuckian in the NHL.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of the NHL, yesterday's Atlanta Journal-Constitution had an article about how the owners of the Atlanta Thrashers are desperate to sell, but they can't find a buyer.
ReplyDeleteMy oldest brother, a huge Purdue fan, said he's more confident in Purdue's ability to win this game than to win at IU.
ReplyDeleteLap 22: Amazingly, we have another caution. Kevin Harvick's engine blew up. That's three cautions in 22 laps.
ReplyDeleteI can see your brother's point, but I don't agree with him. Matt Painter's not going to lose that game at IU.
ReplyDeleteOn NASCAR radio, they suspect that the tight drafting caused by the new car design may lead to more engine blowups.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, Eric, the Washington Post is very down on the Caps.
ReplyDeleteLap 26: Back to green.
ReplyDeleteEveryone is back into their little two-car drafts.
ReplyDeleteI don't even know how anyone's doing in the NHL. Every so often, though, I like to watch a little hockey--I think it's a fun game to watch.
ReplyDeleteSomewhere, a little kid watching this race on TV is bunching all of his toy cars into little groups of two cars each.
ReplyDeleteWell, you had to know this was going to happen eventually. They just had a huge crash that has wrecked a whole bunch of cars. It's too early to tell what happened, but it is simply insane to set up the race in such a fashion that the cars can't get spread out. You keep having caution after caution that keeps the field bunched up, and eventually you are going to have a big wreck.
ReplyDeleteI think the goalie is too important in hockey.
ReplyDeleteMy dad used to always bring me home little hotel soaps from business trips. I would leave them in the paper packages, and on the back I would write the names of various Indianapolis 500 drivers and their car numbers. Then I would push those around on a carpeted room--they worked terrific as little cars. One of the best parts was that when car would slam into a wall, little puffs of soap dust would rise from the package seams.
ReplyDeleteApparently Michael Waltrip bumped into David Reuitimann, starting the wreck. At least 12 cars were involved. But Reutimann is not blaming Waltrip.
ReplyDeleteI generally agree about the goalie.
ReplyDeleteLap 30 (under yellow):
ReplyDelete1. Jamie McMurray (Chevy-30)
2. Clint Bowyer (Chevy-33)
3. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (Chevy-88)
4. Juan Pablo Montoya (Chevy-42)
5. David Ragan (Ford-6)
Love the soap story.
ReplyDeletePurdue 44 - 38 Ohio St. (17:12 left in 2d half)
ReplyDeleteThe little girl, who feels much better today, is out here sorting through her mom's travel toiletry bag. Makes me realize how much she might enjoy receiving toiletries from my (rare) business trips.
ReplyDeleteSadness at NASCAR as the latest wreck has damaged a number of big stars, including Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, and Mark Martin.
ReplyDeleteOh, yeah. Kids love hotel soaps.
ReplyDeleteNow I'm starting to realize that I should have watched the Purdue game, and then switched over to watch the race.
ReplyDeleteJeff Gordon is in the garage with his hood up, so Jake Jennings's prediction is not going to work out.
ReplyDeleteGreg Biffle and Matt Kenseth were also damaged in that wreck.
ReplyDeleteLap 36: Back to green.
ReplyDeleteApparently 17 cars were involved in that big wreck one way or another. Maybe the field can now get spread out.
ReplyDeletePurdue 48 - 42 Ohio St. (15:01 left in 2d half)
ReplyDeleteJake and I serially dated this one girl for a little while, and, about five years ago, my wife and I showed up at a Louisville church one Sunday morning where we were greeted by that girl and her husband and kids. It was great. Maybe I should write in a letter to the editor of The Messenger telling Jake about that.
ReplyDeleteLap 40 of 200:
ReplyDelete1. Brad Keselowski (Dodge-2)
2. Regan Smith (Chevy-78)
3. Paul Menard (Chevy-27)
4. Tony Stewart (Chevy-14)
5. Jeff Burton (Chevy-31)
That would be an entertaining letter.
ReplyDeletePurdue 53 - 42 Ohio St. (12:23 left in 2d half)
ReplyDeleteOver the course of the last 30 years, I don't think any team has won more big regular-season games while doing so poorly in the NCAA tournament than Purdue.
Lap 47 -- Caution No. 5: Fox comes back from commercial only to show that the noted Robert Richardson Jr. has slammed into the wall.
ReplyDeleteAt this rate, there will be 20 caution flags in this race.
ReplyDeleteOK, this has become intolerable. I'm going to watch the end of the Purdue game and then come back to the race.
ReplyDeletePurdue 54 - 46 Ohio St. (10:44 left in 2d half)
ReplyDeleteThe Purdue radio announcers -- who tend to be somewhat whiny -- are complaining that the Buckeyes have gotten more FT's than Purdue.
By the way, the last two wrecks resulted from those little two-car drafts. So that may be another bright idea from NASCAR that turns out not to be so bright.
ReplyDeletePurdue 56 - 50 Ohio St. (7:15 left in 2d half)
ReplyDeletePurdue 63 - 55 Ohio St. (3:55 left in 2d half)
ReplyDeleteThis is actually a really dull game.
Lap 67:
ReplyDelete1. Jeff Burton (Chevy-31)
2. Clint Bowyer (Chevy-33)
3. Paul Menard (Chevy-27)
4. Brad Keselowski (Dodge-2)
5. Kurt Busch (Dodge-22)
So far, 15 of 67 laps have been run under caution.
ReplyDeletePurdue 65 - 61 Ohio St. (2:34 left in 2d half)
ReplyDeletePurdue 76 - 63 Ohio St. (Final)
ReplyDeleteLSU 61 - 68 Florida (Final)
SEC East Standings:
1. Florida: 10-2
2. Vandy: 8-4
3. Ky: 7-5
3. Ga: 7-5
5. Tenn: 6-6
6. S. Caro: 4-8
Lap 80:
ReplyDelete1. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (Chevy-88)
2. Jeff Burton (Chevy-31)
3. Kasey Kahne (Toyota-4)
4. Kurt Busch (Dodge-22)
5. Kyle Busch (Toyota-18)
Lap 90:
ReplyDelete1. Clint Bowyer (Chevy-33)
2. Jeff Burton (Chevy-31)
3. Ryan Newman (Chevy-39)
4. Joey Logano (Toyota-20)
5. Kurt Busch (Dodge-22)
Everyone is still running in these little groups of two.
Lap 94: That's it for Jeff Burton; the hard-charging Virginian is forced to leave the track with what appears to be a busted engine. For once, this does not provoke a caution.
ReplyDeleteLap 107: The 8th yellow flag comes out after Juan Pablo Montoya spins out.
ReplyDeleteLap 110: Back to green.
ReplyDeleteLap 112:
ReplyDelete1. Robby Gordon (Chevy-7)
2. Kurt Busch (Dodge-22)
3. Ryan Newman (Chevy-39)
4. Regan Smith (Chevy-78)
5. Martin Truex, Jr. (Toyota-56)
This is getting better now. There are four groups of two cars each, all of which are switching in and out and racing around each other. On lap 116, Martin Truex, Jr. takes the lead as part of a team with Trevor Bayne.
ReplyDeleteTrevor Bayne is making the old-school fans happy, because he is driving the old Wood Brothers number 21 car -- it looks like David Pearson has returned to the track.
ReplyDeleteLap 119 of 200:
ReplyDelete1. Martin Truex, Jr. (Toyota-56)
2. Trevor Bayne (Ford-21)
3. Kurt Busch (Dodge-22)
4. Regan Smith (Chevy-78)
5. Clint Bowyer (Chevy-33)
Lap 123: Caution number 9, as the noted Travis Kvapil bumps into the wall, leaving debris on the track.
ReplyDeleteLap 124 of 200 (under yellow)
ReplyDelete1. Martin Truex, Jr. (Toyota-56)
2. Kyle Busch (Toyota-18)
3. Joey Logano (Toyota-20)
4. Trevor Bayne (Ford-21)
5. Ryan Newman (Chevy-39)
Lap 127 of 200: back to green.
ReplyDeleteLap 130 of 200:
ReplyDelete1. Clint Bowyer (Chevy-33)
2. Martin Truex, Jr. (Toyota-56)
3. Trevor Bayne (Ford-21)
4. Paul Menard (Chevy-27)
5. Ryan Newman (Chevy-39)
6. Kyle Busch (Toyota-18)
Lap 134: The tenth caution of the day as Matt Kenseth goes into the wall.
ReplyDeleteLap 136 of 200 (under yellow):
ReplyDelete1. Clint Bowyer (Chevy-33)
2. Paul Menard (Chevy-27)
3. Tony Stewart (Chevy-14)
4. Kyle Busch (Toyota-18)
5. Martin Truex, Jr. (Toyota-56)
6. Trevor Bayne (Ford-21)
Lap 140: back to green.
ReplyDeleteLap 143: Yellow flag number 11 as Juan Montoya spins into Greg Biffle.
ReplyDeleteLap 146: back to green.
ReplyDeleteLap 149 of 200:
ReplyDelete1. Kurt Busch (Dodge-22)
2. Martin Truex, Jr. (Toyota-56)
3. Trevor Bayne (Ford-21)
4. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (Chevy-88)
5. Kyle Busch (Toyota-18)
6. Joey Logano (Toyota-20)
Mark Martin, who was in that huge wreck at the beginning of the race, has worked his way all the way up to 8th.
Lap 152: The team of Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Regan Smith have taken the lead, putting the crowd into ecstasy.
ReplyDeleteActually, the Earnhardt-Smith team led most of the race from lap 147 to lap 152. But on lap 153, they were passed by the team of Ryan Newman and Denny Hamlin.
ReplyDeleteLap 154 of 200:
ReplyDelete1. Ryan Newman (Chevy-39)
2. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (Chevy-88)
3. Regan Smith (Chevy-78)
4. Martin Truex, Jr. (Toyota-56)
5. Trevor Bayne (Ford-21)
6. Brad Keselowski (Dodge-2)
Lap 158: 12th caution of the day as Travis Kvapil hits the wall yet again. This is the record for most cautions in a Daytona 500.
ReplyDeleteThe race is also going to set the record for most lead changes in a Daytona 500. There have already been 56.
Because there have been so many cautions, the pit crews have sort of been irrelevant. But they may become more important as we get closer to the end.
ReplyDeleteLap 159 of 200 (under yellow):
ReplyDelete1. Ryan Newman (Chevy-39)
2. Denny Hamlin (Toyota-11)
3. Regan Smith (Chevy-78)
4. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (Chevy-88)
5. Tony Stewart (Chevy-14)
6. Kasey Kahne (Toyota-4)
Lap 163: Back to green.
ReplyDeleteLap 163 of 200:
ReplyDeleteThe Newman-Hamlin team has jumped out into the lead, followed by the team of Juan Pablo Montoya and Kasey Kahne.
We've now had 63 lead changes, a new Daytona 500 record.
ReplyDeleteNewman and Hamlin are trying to pull away.
But no one is going to pull away in this race. On lap 167, Brad Keselowski hits the wall, and we will have our 13th caution -- another Daytona 500 record.
ReplyDeleteThe sad truth is that for whatever reason -- the new track, the way the cars are set up, the fact that everyone is so evenly matched -- the field simply can't go more than 15 laps or so without a caution. Realistically, this is going to come down to a one- or two-lap sprint at the very end, because no one is ever going to have the chance to build up a decent lead.
NASCAR seems to like this type of racing, because it lends itself to close finishes. But to me it seems pointless. Why race 200 laps if only the last two or three laps have any meaning?
ReplyDeleteLap 168 of 200 (under yellow):
ReplyDelete1. Denny Hamlin (Toyota-11)
2. Ryan Newman (Chevy-39)
3. David Ragan (Ford-6)
4. Trevor Bayne (Ford-21)
5. Jamie McMurray (Chevy-1)
6. Paul Menard (Chevy-27)
Lap 169: back to green.
ReplyDeleteThe Newman-Hamlin team immediately take the lead once again. They are the best team, and it will be a shame if one of them doesn't win.
ReplyDeleteLap 172 of 200:
ReplyDeleteThe Newman-Hamlin team is followed closely by a team of Menard and Tony Stewart. Those two teams are way ahead of everybody else.
Lap 174 of 200:
ReplyDeleteThe Menard-Stewart team has fallen back. Newman-Hamlin are still winning, followed by a team of David Ragan and Tevor Bayne.
Lap 176 of 200:
ReplyDeleteThe Ragan-Bayne team has taken the lead. There are now about five of these two-man teams all bunched together.
Lap 177 of 200:
ReplyDeleteAll of a sudden the team of Clint Bowyer and Kyle Busch has surged into the race, battling with Ragan-Bayne and Newman-Hamlin.
Lap 180 of 200:
ReplyDelete1. Ryan Newman (Chevy-39)
2. Denny Hamlin (Toyota-11)
3. David Ragan (Ford-6)
4. Trevor Bayne (Ford-21)
5. Clint Bowyer (Chevy-33)
6. Kyle Busch (Toyota-18)
Lap 182: Oh, my Lord. Just as we were starting to race, we have the 14th caution flag. Kasey Kahne goes into the wall, and Jamie McMurray drops a cylinder. I don't think those two incidents were related.
ReplyDeleteSo everyone will bunch up again. I'm still betting on the Newman-Hamlin team.
Lap 185: back to green.
ReplyDeleteHamlin-Newman immediately pull away again, followed by a new team: Earnhardt-Stewart.
ReplyDeleteLap 189 of 200:
ReplyDeleteHamlin-Newman still in the lead. Stewart-Earnhardt and Bowyer-Kyle Busch are battling for 3d and 4th.
Lap 191 of 200:
ReplyDeleteI have no idea how Hamlin and Newman decide who wins and who comes in second.
192 of 200:
ReplyDeleteThe Hamlin-Newman team split apart for about a quarter of a lap, and the Bowyer-Kyle Busch team roared past them.
193 of 200:
ReplyDeleteNow the team of Regan Smith and Kurt Busch have passed the Bowyer-Kyle Busch team!
Lap 194 of 200:
ReplyDeleteRegan Smith-Kurt Busch
Newman-Hamlin
Bowyer-Kyle Busch
Lap 196: After ten laps of spectacular racing, a gap opens up between Regan Smith and Kurt Busch. When they tried to reconnect, Busch slammed into the back of Smith, who went up the track and wrecked a bunch of other people. It's too early to tell which of the leaders has been eliminated, but it looks as though Bowyer and Newman were damaged.
ReplyDeleteSo we are under the 15th caution of the day, and it looks like this:
ReplyDelete1. David Ragan (Ford-6)
2. Trevor Bayne (Ford-21)
3. Kurt Busch (Dodge-22)
4. Kyle Busch (Dodge-18)
Earnhardt has been forced into the pits with a flat tire.
They've now gone 200 laps, so we will have a green-white-checker finish. That is, when the track is ready, they will wave the green flag. After one lap, they will wave the white flag, and then that will be the last lap.
ReplyDeleteI hate these green-white-checker finishes. I would just let Ragan have the win under caution.
Kyle Busch says that he knew it would end with a green-white-checker finish, and I can see why he thought so.
ReplyDeleteDavid Ragan has never won a Winston Cup race; Trevor Bayne has never previously been in a Winston Cup race. So this should be quite an ending.
ReplyDeleteIf Ragan or Bayne win, they will become the youngest winner in Daytona 500 history.
ReplyDeleteAnd there's the green!
ReplyDeleteAnd before finishing the first lap, we get another caution as Martin Truex, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Ryan Newman all slam into each other.
ReplyDeleteDavid Ragan, meanwhile, has been black-flagged for changing lanes too soon. He was up at the high lane -- in first place -- and cut down to the lower lane before he was allowed to do so.
For all my complaints about NASCAR, I actually feel bad for them about this race. I can see why they wanted to have the two-man racing -- when the cars were all going at speed, it was absolutely spectacular to watch. Unfortunately, it just results in too many caution flags.
ReplyDeleteNow Trevor Bayne -- the rookie from Knoxville -- is in the lead, but the Wood Brothers are afraid he may run out of gas. (Apparently this is his second race, not his first.)
ReplyDeleteHere's the green again!
ReplyDeleteTrevor Bayne still leads at the white flag!
ReplyDeleteTrevor Bayne was working with Bobby Labonte, with Kurt Busch and Juan Montoya coming after them. But just as Busch and Montoya were about to make their move, they were passed by the team of Carl Edwards and David Gilliland. It looked as though Edwards might win, but Bayne moved down to the bottom lane and blocked Edwards, and then hung on for the win!
ReplyDeleteThis is one of the most amazing results in Daytona history. The Wood Brothers -- who were a great power in racing 30 years ago -- are now a part-time team who don't run a full schedule. Trevor Bayne isn't a regular tour member -- he isn't even eligible to be the Winston rookie of the year because he runs full-time on the Nationwide Series (NASCAR's minor league).
ReplyDeleteBayne, who is from Knoxville, becomes the first Southerner to win the Daytona 500 since Dale Earnhardt, Jr. in 2004, and the first Tennessean to win it since Sterling Marlin in 1995.
Final Standings (208 laps):
ReplyDelete1. Trevor Bayne (Ford-21)
2. Carl Edwards (Ford-99)
3. David Gilliland (Ford-34)
4. Bobby Labonte (Toyota-47)
5. Kurt Busch (Dodge-22)
6. Juan Pablo Montoya (Chevrolet-42)
7. Regan Smith (Chevrolet-78)
8. Kyle Busch (Toyota-18)
9. Paul Menard (Chevrolet-27)
10. Mark Martin (Chevrolet-5)
Trevor Bayne, who just turned 20 years old yesterday, says that he prays a lot and that this result shows "just how great God is."
That was a great ending. I'm sure there is a very good reason for it to have happened, but Ragan's mistake seems so easy to avoid (to an ignorant viewer like me).
ReplyDeleteTwenty years old ... that's amazing.
Congratulations, GoHeath, on a riveting report, by the way. Thank you for posting.
ReplyDeleteGreat stuff. It's a shame that they had to ruin a great sport and a great event.
ReplyDelete