Daytona 500 Race Thread

[call_me_andrew]

We now have an entry list.


1 Jamie McMurray Chevy McDonald's Felix Sabates
2 Brad Keselowski (PC1) Ford Miller Lite Roger Penske
5 Kasey Kahne Chevy Farmers Insurance Linda Hendrick
7 Dave Blaney Chevy Florida Lottery Tommy Baldwin
9 Marcos Ambrose Ford Stanley Richard Petty
10 Danica Patrick # Chevy GoDaddy.com Gene Haas
11 Denny Hamlin Toyota FedEx Express J D Gibbs
13 Casey Mears Ford GEICO Bob Germain
14 Tony Stewart (PC2) Chevy Bass Pro Shops / Mobil 1 Margaret Haas
15 Clint Bowyer Toyota 5 Hour Energy Rob Kauffman
16 Greg Biffle Ford 3M Jack Roush
17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. # Ford Best Buy John Henry
18 Kyle Busch Toyota M&M's Joe Gibbs
19 Mike Bliss Chevy G-Oil/Plinker Tactical Randy Humphrey
20 Matt Kenseth (PC5) Toyota Dollar General Joe Gibbs
21 Trevor Bayne (i) Ford Motorcraft / Quick Lane Glen Wood
22 Joey Logano Ford Shell Pennzoil Walter Czarnecki
24 Jeff Gordon (PC6) Chevy Drive to End Hunger Rick Hendrick
26 Michael Waltrip Toyota Sandy Hook School Support Fund Brandon Davis
27 Paul Menard Chevy Menards / Peak Richard Childress
29 Kevin Harvick Chevy Budweiser Richard Childress
31 Jeff Burton Chevy Caterpiller Richard Childress
32 Terry Labonte (PC8) Ford CJ Energy Services Frank Stoddard
33 Austin Dillon (i) Chevy Honey Nut Cheerios Joe Falk
34 David Ragan Ford Detail Doctor Bob Jenkins
35 Josh Wise Ford MDS Transport Bob Jenkins
36 J.J. Yeley Chevy Golden Corral Allan Heinke 35/36
38 David Gilliland Ford Love's Travel Stops Bob Jenkins 31/36
39 Ryan Newman Chevy Quicken Loans Tony Stewart 14/36
42 Juan Pablo Montoya Chevy Target Chip Ganassi 25/36
43 Aric Almirola Ford Smithfield Richard Petty 22/36
47 Bobby Labonte (PC7) Toyota Kroger Tad Geschickter 26/36
48 Jimmie Johnson (PC3) Chevy Lowe's Jeff Gordon 3/36
51 Regan Smith (i) Chevy Guy Roofing James Finch 27/36
52 Brian Keselowski Toyota Wreathes Across America Bob Keselowski
55 Mark Martin Toyota Aaron's Dream Machine Michael Waltrip
56 Martin Truex Jr. Toyota NAPA Auto Parts Michael Waltrip
78 Kurt Busch (PC4) Chevy Furniture Row Barney Vissar
83 David Reutimann Toyota Burger King Ron Devine
87 Joe Nemechek (i) Toyota Florida DOT - DAB Consructors Andrea Nemechek
88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevy National Guard / Diet Mtn Dew Rick Hendrick
93 Travis Kvapil Toyota Burger King Ron Devine
95 Scott Speed Ford TBD Bob Leavine
98 Michael McDowell Ford K-Love / Curb Records Mike Curb
99 Carl Edwards Ford Fastenal Jack Roush

PC1 = is the first past champion eligible, PC2 is the 2nd...and so on if more
# Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate
(i) = driver not running for 2013 Sprint Cup Series Championship Drivers Points

[Tkritl]

Boring! How come Danica is fastest? Can't fool me.

[MAX_THRUST]

she just got Pole and my missus said " that's a fix". Why would she say that? I have never said anything bad about Danica....

[Anubis]

Because that's not contrived at all....

[FIAT1]

Congrats to Danica,you're the best!!!

[MAX_THRUST]

I have to say well done to her. Would be good to see her do well in the race.

And honest that is what my missus said. Sad really but that's what I lot of people will think. I'm no Danica fan, but she done good, if she does well in the race it'll be great for the series, and its profile globally.

[call_me_andrew]

I don't think it's a fix so much as it is a tailwind on the backstraight.

It may say something about the value of driver skill in a restrictor plate race.

[Rollo]

If anything it says that Stewart-Haas Racing has the best handle on how to build a Gen-6 car. Just look down the list and see where their other cars ended up.
The difference between the first few, is really the width of a tobacco paper.

[call_me_andrew]

Stewart-Haas isn't building the cars. They're just buying premade frome Hendrick.

[Jonesi]

I don't think it's a fix so much as it is a tailwind on the backstraight.

It may say something about the value of driver skill in a restrictor plate race.

It doesn't hurt that she's probably 30 pounds lighter than any other driver.

[dj_bytedisaster]

You go girl. Congrats to Danica :D

[Alexamateo]

There's no fix, Stewart-Haas cars have been at the top of the charts all week and they were ranked 1-4-5, Hendrick was 2-6-11-21, Gibbs was 7-8-10.

In the plate era, Daytona poles have been won by multi-time champs (Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson), and guys for which it will be the highlight of their Cup careers(Loy Allen, David Gilliland). That she won it is no real surprise. I have always said that if she were a man, she would be rated as a good, journeyman driver, and several journeymen drivers have won pole, especially in the plate era.

[call_me_andrew]

It doesn't hurt that she's probably 30 pounds lighter than any other driver.

The cars weigh 3350 pounds without the driver and 3550 with the driver. If a driver weighs less than 200 pounds, ballast is added to make weight.

[Jonesi]

The cars weigh 3350 pounds without the driver and 3550 with the driver. If a driver weighs less than 200 pounds, ballast is added to make weight.

Speed's Nascar show today discussed the changes for this year. They changed to index weight to 180 from 200, and they don't adjust below 150lbs (didn't say why). So if Danica is 100lbs her car could be 50 lighter then others.

[call_me_andrew]

We have a starting grid.

1 10 Danica Patrick # GoDaddy.com Chevy
2 24 Jeff Gordon Drive to End Hunger Chevy
3 29 Kevin Harvick Budweiser Chevy
4 18 Kyle Busch M&M's Toyota
5 16 Greg Biffle 3M Ford 194.729
6 5 Kasey Kahne Farmers Insurance Chevy
7 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Target Chevy
8 33 Austin Dillon(i) Honey Nut Cheerios Chevy
9 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe's Chevy
10 15 Clint Bowyer 5-hour Energy Toyota
11 78 Kurt Busch Furniture Row Chevy
12 20 Matt Kenseth Dollar General Toyota
13 14 Tony Stewart Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevy
14 55 Mark Martin Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota
15 2 Brad Keselowski Miller Lite Ford
16 27 Paul Menard Menards/Peak Chevy
17 13 Casey Mears GEICO Ford
18 31 Jeff Burton Caterpillar Chevy
19 88 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. National Guard Chevy
20 1 Jamie McMurray McDonald's Chevy
21 22 Joey Logano Shell Pennzoil Ford
22 34 David Ragan Detail Doctor Ford
23 47 Bobby Labonte Kroger Toyota
24 9 Marcos Ambrose Stanley Ford
25 38 David Gilliland Love's Travel Stops Ford
26 43 Aric Almirola Smithfield Ford 194.742
27 87 Joe Nemechek(i) Maddie's Place Rocks
28 17 Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. # Best Buy Ford
29 26 Michael Waltrip Sandy Hook School Support Fund Toyota
30 7 Dave Blaney Florida Lottery Chevy
31 95 Scott Speed Leavine Family Racing Ford
32 35 Josh Wise Blockbuster.com Ford
33 21 Trevor Bayne(i) Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford
34 39 Ryan Newman Quicken Loans Chevy
35 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Express Toyota
36 99 Carl Edwards Fastenal Ford
37 56 Martin Truex, Jr. NAPA Auto Parts Toyota
38 98 Michael McDowell K-Love/Curb Records Ford
39 32 Terry Labonte C&J Energy Services Ford
40 51 Regan Smith(i) Guy Roofing Chevy
41 36 JJ Yeley Golden Corral Chevy
42 83 David Reutimann Burger King/Dr.Pepper Toyota
43 93 Travis Kvapil Burger King/Dr.Pepper Toyota

DNQ 19 Mike Bliss(i) G-Oil/Plinker Tactical Toyota 189.438 DNQ
DNQ 52 Brian Keselowski TruckerFan.com Toyota 183.876 DNQ

#Rookie
(i) Not running for Sprint Cup points

[Alexamateo]

Harvick's lookin' strong this speedweeks,I bet Slo's really looking forward to Sunday! :)

[Tazio]

Wow, just wow. Horrible crash.
Sports - CBSSports.com Sports News, Fantasy Scores, Sports Video (http://www.cbssports.com/#!/)

[call_me_andrew]

10 years ago NASCAR wanted to break up packs for safety. Are we just assuming the cars are death proof now?

[Tazio]

Just the opposite I think NASCAR is in trim engineering wise, but they go too fast for their **********

[ShiftingGears]

Could've easily been fatal for several spectators. Let's hope the spectator in critical condition pulls though. Something I didn't see from the TV coverage was a wheel ending up in the stands.

mDiKZi3j-K8

[call_me_andrew]

I saw video of the track crew carrying the wheel away. It took about 3 guys because it was still attached to the suspension.

I’m amazing more fan videos haven’t hit YouTube yet. I figured everyone would have their cameras ready to record the finish.

[Alfa Fan]

I’m amazing more fan videos haven’t hit YouTube yet. I figured everyone would have their cameras ready to record the finish.

There's loads, but NASCAR is instant censoring them. There were loads last night, but all going down within minutes.

[maineman]

I think they are going to have to get rid of the crossover gates on all the speedways. It looks like Larson's car caught that opening. (I know it's not "open," but it's different.) And the dogleg shape of the front "straight" at Daytona adds a lot of danger compared to a real straight.

(Regardless of what everyone says, that part is not "the tri-oval." The whole circuit is a tri-oval. But then again, this is a world where "boogity-boogity" (for the millionth time) is considered poetry...)

I think that tire/wheel may have gotten launched before Larson hit the fence. Not even sure whose wheel it was. But clearly the fence needs to be higher and curve out at the top more. I did not record the race, so cannot look back at it now. Did the tire clear the fence before or after the flag stand?

NASCAR will never do anything to break up pack racing. Most fans love it. If the fence had not been breached, and no one had gotten hurt, it would have been declared an awesome race, and highlights of the finish would be used on NASCAR and network promos from now until forever.

They should consider making overt blocking illegal. But if Dale Jr. (or Danica) were to win the race on a blocking move, do you really think they'd take the win away? Naaah.

[Alfa Fan]

"Drivers and Danica start your engines"

Funniest, unintentional line of the day so far. Bit of a Freudian slip perhaps...

[call_me_andrew]

I think they are going to have to get rid of the crossover gates on all the speedways. It looks like Larson's car caught that opening. (I know it's not "open," but it's different.) And the dogleg shape of the front "straight" at Daytona adds a lot of danger compared to a real straight.


Why would the accident have been less severe if it hit somewhere other than the gate?

[José_Morelli]

Got very frustrated about Danica Patrick....I also felt this Daytona went too quick....specially compared to last year LOL. Anyway, great racing.

[slorydn1]

Harvick's lookin' strong this speedweeks,I bet Slo's really looking forward to Sunday! :)

Yeah, I was until shrub decided that the first 10 percent of a plate race is the perfect time to start bump drafting someone in the middle of the tri-oval which caused Harv to check up and Mark Martin to run him over....

Hey no worries. It was 60+ degrees here in New Bern so we washed the Mustang instead of watching the 150 lap single file parade that my brother told me the race had become after that wreck "up"

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww34/slorydn1/Mustang%20Pics/Township8-20130224-00888_zps9d838b05.jpg

[maineman]

Why would the accident have been less severe if it hit somewhere other than the gate?

I believe that all the big, regular posts are on the spectator side, so mostly the fence is relatively "smooth," on the track side. But to have a gate, there have to be some additional posts that are not behind (on the spectator side of) the fencing, so that the gate can open. It is hard to tell, it was all so fast, but it looked to me like Larson's car caught one of those exposed posts at a gate. Whether that was true in this case or not, having the gate introduces uncovered posts into the equation. I also suspect that the gate area is not as strong as the rest of the fence, which could make that part more likely to give and sort of grab the car.

[call_me_andrew]

The posts at Texas Motor Speedway are all on the track side of the catchfence. Is that a death trap now?

[Alexamateo]

Yeah, I was until shrub decided that the first 10 percent of a plate race is the perfect time to start bump drafting someone in the middle of the tri-oval which caused Harv to check up and Mark Martin to run him over....

Hey no worries. It was 60+ degrees here in New Bern so we washed the Mustang instead of watching the 150 lap single file parade that my brother told me the race had become after that wreck "up"

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww34/slorydn1/Mustang%20Pics/Township8-20130224-00888_zps9d838b05.jpg

Nice Crape Myrtle and Pfitzer Junipers you got there, slo. ;)

[speedsville]

10 years ago NASCAR wanted to break up packs for safety. Are we just assuming the cars are death proof now?


Knock down the banking, at least in 3&4 That'll get some break up and show some real driving.

[Wasted Talent]

There's loads, but NASCAR is instant censoring them. There were loads last night, but all going down within minutes.

Interesting insight....

Sorry Nascar, but on the internet, you aren't above the law (http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/technology/williamhenderson/100008899/sorry-nascar-but-on-the-internet-you-arent-above-the-law/)

WT

[slorydn1]

Interesting insight....

Sorry Nascar, but on the internet, you aren't above the law (http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/technology/williamhenderson/100008899/sorry-nascar-but-on-the-internet-you-arent-above-the-law/)

WT

Yep, and the first comment in the comments section pretty much covers the situation as it really exists:


AnnaWvy3 minutes ago (http://www.motorsportforums.com/#comment-813444705)

Sorry but youll find on the back of the ticket that fan had who took that video a condition that states "NASCAR owns the rights to all images, sounds, and data from this NASCAR event." its a standard boiler plate condition that youll find on nearly every sports ticket you care to check. And NASCAR do have the legal rights to enforce it as they see fit, as many governing bodies or rights holders do all the time, this is far from an unusual occurence in the realms of published media and sports, you dont have to conjure conspiracies or engender cynicism for it.
the problem is as soon as you accept a ticket with a condition like that, and are on private property only with the express permission of the rights holders, you really are giving away alot of the normal rights youd get on your own work normally.
there is a fair usage defence, but this is clearly a bit beyond fair usage for a video that is obviously going to attract alot more attention given the interest in the incident, than a generic fanvideo of a normal race.
if anything the problem here is that the only way you can take down videos on youtube quickly to enforce these ticketing conditions if your a big corporation, is to issue a DMCA takedown request to them.


Youtube better hope they can find a judge to back them on their decision to reinstate the video, because if NASCAR sues them (and the patron that shot the video) it may be a expensive day for them and maybe even for the patron that shot the video.

[Nem14]

NASCAR can print whatever they want on the back of their tickets, but they can't subvert US Federal Copyright law. U.S. Copyright Office (http://www.copyright.gov)

NASCAR can try to enforce it by suing, but that doesn't meant they will win. Often the entity they sue just doesn't have the financial resources to fight back and has to cave in.

While track property would be private property, the race is in public view and using images or video in an editorial rather than a commercial use does not often require property owner permission.

[zako85]

I am not a NASCAR fan, but I liked this race. It was much better than the silly draft dominated racing of the past. This time the race was more "analytical" with the car reliability as well as the timing and execution of pit stops dominating the positions of drivers. It seems like Danica lost a few positions during the pit stops, though she was good on the track. I was surprised to see Mark Martin come out of nowhere on the last lap to take 3rd place.

boring race