So How Much of it Can the Boys Actually Have?

Even though Regan Smith won Saturday's Southern 500, in what was possibly the upset of the decade, there was another big story line following his shocking win. Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch have developed a little bit of a history as of late. Last season at Homestead, Harvick stuffed Busch's #18 into the wall for racing him too hard early on. Kyle's car subsequently caught fire, ending his bid for the victory. This feud was rekindled Saturday night in the closing laps when Kyle ran Harvick's #29 up to the wall. Harvick retaliated by bumping Busch's car going into turn three. Then all hell broke loose when Clint Bowyer made it three wide with the 18 and 29 off turn four, causing a big wreck and allowing Busch the opportunity to dump the 29.

All the fireworks looked to be over and the race restarted like any other. Regan Smith went on to win and the other drivers pulled to pit road while Smith's #78 went for a victory lap. But the 18 and 29 had other ideas. Harvick pulled onto pit road ahead of Busch, parked it, got out and walked towards the 18. But Kyle had other ideas. Since he claims that he lost reverse gear (which is baloney because he backed his car up to get onto pit road) he decided to grab first gear instead and drive through the idling Budweiser Chevy, sending it into pit wall. (Harvick barley got his fist in the window too. What a jip!) Both drivers and their owners were summoned to the Nascar trailer to meet with officials while their crews nearly came to blows outside Busch's trailer. Afterwards, both drivers said that not much was discussed and that this was not over just yet.



Well this is definitely what Nascar was going for when they said "Boys, have at it" last January. At least that's what any normal fan would think. The sanctioning body announced today, that both drivers have been fined $25,000 and placed on probation (which for those who don't know is the equivalent of a slap on the wrist and being told "Now don't do that again". It doesn't mean much of anything). Far from the points penalties and suspensions that were discussed in the media and the message boards since then. I give Nascar credit because they are staying consistent. They haven't yet penalized anyone all that severely for showing a little emotion on the track. This is exactly what the sport needs. We need the drivers to show they are passionate about what they do and that they aren't going to take any crap. In the 60s and 70s, we saw David Pearson and Richard Petty. In the 80s and 90s, we saw Dale Earnhardt and.... well.... pretty much everyone else. Recently we've seen Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski go at it. This Harvick-Busch feud could be the next in a long line of big name rivalries.



But the other thing that Nascar needs to do is draw a line in the sand. A little paint swapping and maybe a few shoves in the garage afterwards are fun and exciting, but these recent feuds have escalated into full scale wars. With what happened on pit road Saturday, seeing that unmanned #29 car careen into pit wall was a little scary. If a crewman had been walking by they could have been seriously injured, or worse. Last season, when Edwards and Keselowski went at it, some pretty wild things happened as well. Edwards retaliated at Atlanta for previous contact Brad had made earlier by dumping BK's #12 down the frontstrech, turning him backwards at 185 miles an hour and sending his car airborne. The drivers side of the roof was crushed and the #12 Dodge was terrifyingly close to going into the stands. Keselowski walked away.



Later in the season, in a Nationwide race at Gateway, Carl and Brad battled for the lead on the final lap. Brad nudged Carl up the track in turn one, a perfectly acceptable move going for the win late in a race. Typical Carl flew off the handle and retaliated again by turning Keselowsi's #22 Dodge in front of the field. The car was destroyed beyond recognition and the onboard camera showed Brad being jarred around like a rag doll in the car. Edwards went on to win. These wrecks were not "Boys have at it". They were "flagrant fowls", to quote Kyle Petty, and deserved something along the line of a one race suspension.


Don't get me wrong, I love this new all or nothing, checkers or wreckers style of racing. "Boys have at it" has been nothing but good for the sport. It has produced some of the most exciting racing we've seen in years. Seeing drivers beat and bang for the win and then maybe take a few swings afterwards is just plain exciting! Jeff Burton and Jeff Gordon shoving each other after a wreck on the backstrech at Texas last season was one of the highlights of the season! But for the good of the drivers and crews, Nascar needs to say how far is too far. With the removal of the rear wing from the cars early last season, we have probably seen the last of cars flying though the air. But what if somebody had walked past that unmanned #29 car on Saturday? Nascar didn't suspend Carl at Atlanta, they didn't suspend Kyle Busch for his "flagrant fowl" this weekend. There needs to be a line in the sand. I wouldn't be surprised to see the 18 and 29 cars find each other during this Sunday's race in Dover. In fact, I can hardly wait until they do to see where this whole thing is headed! It's going to be exciting! But it needs to be settled on the track or in the garage. Leave the innocent bystanders out of it.

Mr. Smith Goes to Darlington

Every Sunday afternoon, at every Nascar event, forty three cars line up and all of them have the same chance of winning that race. But with the "regulars" like Kyle Busch, Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin winning every week, the less popular, less funded teams fall by the wayside. Busch, Johnson and Hamlin may as well set up vacation homes next to victory lane since they spend so much time there. So, if you're like me, seeing the same old faces winning every week gets a little bit tiresome and a lot more aggravating. We would love to see an underdog break through and steal a victory just once. Isn't there a David out there that can slay these Goliaths? Well on Saturday night in Darlington, David didn't just slay Goliath, he decimated him.

Regan Smith, a native of Cato, New York, had been trying for some time just to break through and prove he could compete at the Sprint Cup series level. After running a few Craftsman Truck and Busch series races, Smith got his Cup series opportunity in 2007 with Dale Earnhardt, Inc. He would be in a great position, spitting seat time in the #01 U.S. Army car with Mark Martin. There is no better driver out there than Martin to show a rookie driver the ropes of Cup racing. Smith proved that he could at least keep up with the field. Not running a full season, it was hard to get in the groove of running every week and gaining experience at certain tracks. In August of that season, DEI merged with the struggling Ginn Racing. Ginn had recently fired Sterling Marlin and his seat was now promised to Smith. Life was good. This rookie thing isn't all that hard right?

But just as quickly as the ride appeared, it was yanked out from under him so teammate Paul Menard could get in the top 35 in owner points. Regan ran a full season in 2008in DEI's #01 entry, with few good results and even fewer sponsors. Despite this, they made it through the season and Smith won the Rookie of the Year award. He is also the only rookie in Nascar history to run a full season without a DNF (Did Not Finish). The other bright spot for the #01 team came at Talladega Superspeedway. Regan's #01 car was running second to Tony Stewart's #20 on the final lap. As the field entered the trioval, Smith got a run and tried to go high, but Stewart blocked him. So he ducked low. Smoke blocked again, this time forcing the #01 below the "out of bounds" line. The #01 crossed the line first and appeared to win the race. But since his pass was below the line, despite being FORCED down there, Nascar gave the win to Stewart and relegated Smith to 18th. To this day, any fan with any common sense, myself included, will tell you that Smith won the race. In 2009, Smith raced part time for Furniture Row Racing, a struggling team out of Denver, Colorado. He would race full time for them again in 2010 and is still there this season.

Like I said; Furniture Row Racing operates out of Denver, Colorado! You can't get much further from Charlotte, North Carolina where the other 99% of race teams are. They can't win with their lack of technology and resources. Especially on a track as historic as Darlington. Known as "The Lady in Black" and "The Track Too Tough to Tame", the Southern 500 at Darligton was run every Labor Day weekend from 1950 up until 2004. Johnny Mantz won the inaugural race on truck tires to limit his pit stops and gain an advantage. Since then, names like, Yarborough, Allison, Waltrip and Earnhardt all had tamed this tough old track. How could a single car team from Colorado win at a place this historic. They would just be another "Darlington Stripe" along the red and white walls. But they were on the grid for Saturday's Southern 500 so they did have a chance, albeit a slim one. Vegas actually had the Syracuse native at 500-1 odds. The #78 Furniture Row car started 23rd, their worst starting spot of the year. This team also has the best qualifying average in Nascar so far this year. As the laps wound down, it looked like Kyle Busch or Carl Edwards or even Kasey Kahne would claim the 62nd Southern 500. But on a late caution, Smith and crew chief Pete Rondeau elected to stay out on old tires and grab some track position, while Edwards and the other leaders pitted for right side rubber.

Clean air and clear racetrack proved to be all the #78 car needed. Smith held off a hard charging Carl Edwards for one more restart and, despite almost nailing the wall off turn two, Regan Smith managed to get his second (first official) Sprint Cup series victory! Justice had been served and Regan Smith now has a checkered flag that he can keep. Nobody will ever be able to take away this hard fought win. Smith even said in victory lane he would "trade three Talladega trophies for one Southern 500." He's also in the All Star race now and, if he can get in the top 20 in points, this one win could get him a wildcard spot in the Chase! Not bad for a guy from Syracuse New York that nobody wanted to take a chance on. It was great to see Regan climb from his car, exhausted from the hardest 500 miles in Nascar, grinning ear to ear and choking up during his interview with FOX Sports. He told Matt Yocum "Legends win this race. I'm not supposed to win this race. I've never even had a top five!" Regan Smith is a great, very underrated driver and with the right team , he could really surprise a lot of people. But for now, this driver will be smiling for a long time. His name and picture are on the Johnny Mantz Trophy and nobody can ever take it off.

Not NASCAR News, But Big News Nonetheless

As I'm sure you've all heard by now, Navy SEALS team 6 stormed a compound in Pakistan late Sunday night and killed al- Quada leader Osama bin Laden. I personally found out about this event on Twitter when Brad Paisley and Brett Griffin said to turn the news on. Very skeptical, we turned on CBS2 news and there it was! Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the horrific events of September 11th, 2001, killed by US Navy SEALS! I was only in fifth grade on the day of those attacks, but I can recall everything that happened that day fairly clearly. Couldn't tell you anything about any other day that year, but I remember just watching a movie most of the day and the teacher constantly listening to the radio, then coming home and seeing that black smoke rising from the World Trade Center against that clear blue sky. I was little, but I knew this Osama guy meant business and he was pure evil.

Well unfortunately for him, the United States meant business too. It took ten years, but finally, this evil, heartless coward was brought to justice. This does not bring back any of the 3,000 plus people lost on 9/11, but it does bring reassurance that this heartless bastard isn't alive to kill anymore people. Toby Keith was right when he said "We'll put a boot in yer ass, it's the American way!" This raid and this victory were indeed "Courtesy of the red, white and blue."

There are so many people that made this day possible. Thank you to SEAL team 6, and all of our military men and women who put their lives on the line every day to fight these terrorists and keep us free. Also, those who gave their lives fighting for our freedom. They will never be forgotten. The courage that these guys and gals show is unparalleled and we can never thank them enough for doing what they do. Thanks to George W. Bush who gathered the necessary information and did a great job commanding our forces in Afghanistan. Also, thank you to President Obama for giving the order to carry out this mission.

I always thought that wars were a bad, scary thing as a kid. But now I see how necessary this war is. America did not get to be the greatest country on this planet by backing down when we are attacked. If you hit us, you don't know how hard we'll hit back. We mean businesses and will do what it takes to win. This doesn't end the War on Terror, but it is a huge victory and helps towards that goal. All the credit, or at least 95% of it, goes to the SEALS and all of our military. God bless them, their families, those affected by and lost on 9/11 and America!!

"...that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain--that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom--and that government of the people, by the people and to the people shall not perish from the earth."

-Abraham Lincoln

Richmond Provides Much Needed Excitment

Richmond International Raceway isn't known as "The Action Track" for nothing. It definitely lived up to its billing in Saturday night's "Crown Royal presents the Matthew and Daniel Hansen 400" with storylines and fireworks from the drop of the green flag. Would Denny Hamlin sweep the weekend? Would Kyle Busch continue his short track dominance and win three spring Richmond races in a row? Would polesitter Juan Pablo Montoya score his first oval track win? Would Dale Jr finally win at one of his best tracks? All of these questions would be answered in just 400 short miles.

But first, I just want to say what a great thing Crown Royal is doing with their "Your Name Here 400" promotion, which started so a fan would have the opportunity to have their name on a NASCAR race and now has turned into a wonderful tribute to our military men and women. This year's race was the "Matthew and Daniel Hansesn 400." Matthew and Daniel Hansen are twin brothers who enlisted in the Marines. Matthew was deployed and served in Operation Iraqi Freedom, while Daniel was selected to protect President George W. Bush at Camp David and Lieutenant General Richard C. Zilmer in Iraq. Daniel was tragically killed in action by an IED while supporting combat operations in Iraq in 2009. This race not only recognized Matthew, but also payed tribute to Daniel and both of their sacrifices. Words like "hero" and "greatness" and "legend" are used a lot in the sports world, but the Hansen brothers, and all of the men and women of our Armed Forces, exemplify these words. They are the real heroes. The bravery and courage they show everyday is unparalleled and they can never be thanked enough. To see Matthew Hansen give the command to start engines Saturday night, teary eyed and filled with pride, put everything into perspective. God bless the Hansen brothers, our Armed Forces and America.

After that poignant moment, Juan Montoya and Regan Smith led the field to the green and kicked off the racing action. Montoya was quickly overtaken by Clint Bowyer's #33, but everyone had their eye on Denny Hamlin's #11 Toyota. As he had done all weekend, Hamlin started out back, but quickly worked his way to the front. The racing was amazing for the first 100 or so laps, but the real fireworks started with the first caution flag. Montoya had been on a backslide and was hooked off turn two by Ryan Newman. Newman, who could have lifted and given a little room to teh 42 that early on, caused the back of the Target car to hit the wall and the spoiler to hook to the SAFER barrier and the decklid to fly off. After lengthy repairs to the Target Chevy, Newman's car would prove to be the car with the bullseye on it.

The race went back to green with Kyle Busch as the leader with teammate Hamlin in tow. Jeff Gordon had also emerged as an early contender in third. After a little more green flag racing, Montoya and Newman found each other again. This time, Montoya (very skillfully) slid his #42 across the back of Newman's #39, sending the ARMY car into the turn four wall. Newman, ever the crybaby, later took his "case" to NASCAR expecting a response to JPM's actions. None was given. Great call NASCAR! If Newman can't handle beating and banging on a short track, then he needs to find a new career because this racecar driver thing isn't for him. Have at it boys!

The action continued with Busch, Hamlin, Gordon and Martin Truex, Jr up front. Truex grabbed the lead in a three wide battle with Busch and Hamlin on lap 246 and proved his NAPA Ultimate Tune Up Toyota would be a force. While these three battled for the lead, the field wrecked behind them. Matt Kenseth thought there was room up top, but when he slid up, Bowyer hooked him and turned the Crown Royal Ford into the wall with Paul Menard. The wreck also collected David Reutimann and Mark Martin. Other than Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski going around, that was the last of the wrecking action.

The other hot topic to surface was the X-rated radio chatter. Kurt Busch was the biggest offender, dropping F-bombs like its going out of style and going as far a calling out Penske Racing management by name. The other was Truex, Jr. With about thirty laps remaining in the race, he pitted for a loose wheel and his crew missed a lugnut, supposedly due to a broken stud. A very livid Truex screamed at his crew, saying "You're all f***ing fired! Every g**damn one of ya!" Debates raged about whether or not these incidents warranted a talking to from their respective owners. In Kurt's case, he's always a hot head, he's always been a hot head and he always will be a hothead. Getting a scolding from Roger Penske is not going to change anything. And Truex said what he said out of heat of the moment anger. He had every right to be upset (his potentially race winning car finished 27th) and he has had a rough four or five weeks in a row. Sometimes enough is enough.

So with little help from caution flags and little challenge from Hamlin, Kyle Busch went on to win his third spring Richmond race in a row. It seems to be turning into a springtime ritual. The flowers bloom, the leaves turn green and Kyle Busch wins at Richmond. But Busch fan or not, you have to be excited by the racing that we saw. Three and four wide passes almost all night long, wrecks here and there, a newly formed rivalry and best of all... Jimmie Johnson was nowhere to be found!! It's always nice when the #48 team gives someone else a chance to win a race once in a while. So now it's on to Darlington Raceway. Denny Hamlin scored the win there last season in NASCAR's lone trip to "The Lady in Black." Will he repeat or will someone else conquer the track "Too Tough to Tame?"

Duels Prove Importance and Excitment of "Two Car Tango"

The Bud Shootout started Speedweeks 2011 and introduced a new phenominon. Two cars locked bumper to bumper around the freshly laid asphalt of Daytona, can gain about ten miles per hour on cars that run in a large pack. If you were not partnered up in the Shootout, you were shuffled to the back and had no chance at the victory. The same was true for the Gatorade Duels yesterday. If you wanted to take maximum advantage of the new, grippier tarmak, you had to find a dancing partner. That led to record lead changes and some exciting, dramatic racing to see who would make the Great American Race.

Going into the Duels, Bill Elliott, Travis Kvapil and Joe Nemechek were guarenteed spots in Sunday's 500 field from their qualifying laps last Sunday. And if one of those drivers managed to race in through the Twin 150s, Michael Waltrip and Dave Blaney were next in line to get in on qualifying speeds. As the first Duel went green, it became evident that the "Two Car Tango" would be the key to winning. It also became apparent what a nessesary evil this new kind of drafting is. On the second lap, Tony Stewart was pushing teammate Ryan Newman off of turn two, when Newman broke loose and spun down to the infield. That was the extent of the on track contact, but the close quarters racing was far from over.

The early conetnders were the tandem of Kurt Busch and Regan Smith. Another potent duo was Kevin Harvick and Matt Kenseth. Mark Martin, Juan Montoya and Kasey Kahne were also factors. Now, there is a downside to this two car breakaway. And that is the fact that the car that is pushing will eventually need to duck out of line for air. Otherwise, the radiator will start pushing water out the overflow and the motor will overheat. The way the drivers eliviate this problem is to switch off and have the lead car move back and push their partner. This change takes just a few seconds, but they will lose considerable time and speed in the process. Despite the potential for overheating problems, Kenseth never left Harvick's back bumper and pushed the Budweiser Chevy for a vast majority of the event.

Despite a late race restart, Kurt Busch and Regan Smith, one of the most potent tandems throughout Speedweeks, managed to break away to settle the finish amongst themsevles. Coming off turn 4, Smith ducked low, Busch blocked, Smith looked high and ran out of time. Kurt Busch went two-for-two and won his second race in a row in his new #22 Shell-Pennzoil Dodge. This further proved that Busch has a legitimate shot to win his first 500 on Sunday. But Regan Smith and his Colorado based Furniture Row Chevy team proved they can get it done as well. With the strength of the ECR engine program, especially on plate tracks, the sky is the limit for the Cato, New York native and his little know #78 team. Bill Elliott netted the first transfer spot, meaning that another spot on the grid opened up and Michael Waltrip got in on his speed from quals last Sunday (Way to go Mikey!!!) and J.J. Yeley passed teammates Kevin Conway and Joe Nemechek on the final restart and snuck his shoestring budget race team into the big show, sending Conway to the house. And that was just the FIRST race of the day!!

The second duel proved to be just as exciting, as veteran Jeff Gordon and youngster Trevor Bayne led the field to the green flag. Just to give you some perspective, it was mentioned during the SPEED broadcast that Bayne was born the year that Gordon ran his first Cup Series race. Yea, he's that young! And he's also that talented, as Bayne's #21 and Gordon's #24 were inceperable all race long. But they could not go on restarts (Remeber that for later). Teammates Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards led several times, as did the Childress Racing machines of Clint Bowyer and Jeff Burton. But the Michael Waltrip Racing Toyotas were extremely strong as well. David Reutimann, Martin Truex, Jr and Michael Waltrip had plotted and planned all week to try and push Waltrip into a spot in his 25th consecutive Daytona 500. But now that Bill Elliott had locked him in through the first duel, all that mattered was trying to win.

Reutimann and Waltrip pushed their way from running ninth and eleventh respectivly at the start to running fifth and sixth by the second lap. Truex also found a pusher in Toyota teammate Denny Hamlin, both of whom started at the rear of the field and wasted no time rocketing to the front. The first yellow flew early in this race too, as Casey Mears blew his second engine in as many days, ending his hopes of racing this weekend. And the image shown on television of Mears sitting on the window, half out of his Geico machine, helmet on and motionless, shows just how crushing and harsh a reality that can be.

When the race went back green, the drivers teamed up again. There was a lot more pack racing in this duel than in the first, more like the old, worn out, bumpy Daytona, but the tandem draft was still the key to sucess. It also proved to be the downfall of Joey Logano. In an incident similar to the one that claimed polesitter Dale Earnhardt, Jr's car, as well as Martin Truex, Jr's, Logano came up on a goup of cars that was slowing down just a bit. Since you can't see though these racecars, Michael Waltrip didn't see the pack slowing up ahead, so when Logano went to slow down and duck out of line, Waltrip couldn't see and was still pushing Logano. This sent the #20 Home Depot Camry carening off the inside wall on the frontstrech, forcing the team to roll the backup off the truck for the 500. Logano didn't blame Waltrip in his interview afterwards, he just said it was a product of this new style of racing.

On the next green flag run, Reutimann and Waltrip got seperated making a run at the Childress cars that led the pack. Reutimann was picked up by stablemate Truex, and Mikey was pusjed by Toyota teammate Kyle Busch. Denny Hamlin was later squeezed out of line down the backstrech, just like Newman earlier, bringing out the final yellow and setting up an exciting finish. Remeber how I said Bayne and Gordon couldn't get going on restarts? Well that was the case again, and they were shuffled to the rear to attempt to make a later run. Back up front, Burton led Bowyer and Waltrip was getting pushed by Busch. It looked like the Toyota tandem was in a great position to pass the Bowtie bergaid, but they never got a good enough run. Jeff Burton won his first Gatorade duel and Bowyer finished second by a hair. Waltrip got third and Busch netted fourth. But the action didn't stop there.

Jeff and Trevor were still trying to make a run at the finish, and Jeff got loose in the process. Trevor ducked low to avoid contact, but the #24 came down off the wall and got into him, collecting the #6 of David Ragan in the process. Not what any of these teams wanted with only a few hours of practice left before the big show this Sunday. The underdog from this race was Brian Keselowski, who was not even on the same same budget as a team like Yeley's. Brian took a 2006 Dodge chassis he bought and, with a lot of pushing help from little brother Brad, Brian made the Daytona 500 and will now have the money to race at Phoenix next weekend.

But the feel good story was definitly Michael Waltrip making it into his 25th consecutive Daytona 500. This weekend is also the tenth anniversary of his first Daytona 500 win, which remains shrowded in sadness, as that was the race when NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt was killed. That was Waltrip's first race for his close friend Earnhardt's team and it was Dale's belief in Mikey, telling him "You'll win in my cars" that helped him to realize a dream and snap a 462 race winless streak by winning the biggest race you can win. Waltrip is running a special Toyota Camry this weekend, branded with the NAPA shield, yellow stripes and #15 that he wheeled to victory on that day ten years ago, and again in 2003. The car has a NAPA blue stripe from the hood to the decklid, but the sides, front and rear are matte black to pay tribute to the life of the legend that gave him the confidence and the opportunity to win races and cahmpionships.

The car also advertises Michael's new book "In the Blink of an Eye" (Now #10 on the NY Times Bestseller List). This is Mikey's memoir, chronicling his journey to earn a NASCAR ride like his brother, Darrell, to his start as a team owner in 2007. But the book centers around the 2001 Dayona 500 and Waltrip's dealing with the grief and coming to grips with the loss of his owner, mentor and closest friend and the profound effects it has had on his life. If Mikey could win the Great American Race this Sunday, it would bring him full circle, pay tribute to his friend Dale Sr, and maybe finally give him a sense of closure. He definitly has the car and the skills to pull it off.

As Daytona Approaches, So Do Memories of Earnhardt

February 18th, 2001. The 43rd annual Daytona 500. A day that NASCAR fans everywhere will remeber not for the great racing, but for what happened after the checkered flag waved. This race should have been remebered as the day that journeyman driver, Michael Waltrip won his first points paying Winston Cup Series race driving for Dale Earnhardt, Inc. But instead it will go down in history as the day that Dale Earnhardt lost his life in a last lap crash blocking to protect Waltrip's lead and his son, Dale Earnhardt, Jr's, runner up finish.

The day started just as any other race day did. The pre race drivers meeting, driver intros, the invocation and the national anthem. Then it would be "Gentlemen, start your engines" and "Boogity, Boogity, Boogity! Lets go racin' boys!" The races at Daytona and Talladega always produce the best racing of the year, and this race was no exception. With the rules package that included a gurney lip across the rear spoiler and a wicker bill across the roof, the packs were tight and the slingshot pass was back. The cars of Sterling Marlin and Earnhardt were very strong all race long and it appeared they had the cars to beat. Then Dale Jr and Waltrip had their cars where they wanted and shot to the front of the pack.

Waltrip's #15 NAPA Chevy led a lot of the race after halfway, closely followed by teammate Dale Jr and team owner Dale Sr. As the race wound down, it appeared that this would be one of the greatest Daytona 500s in history. Michael Waltrip would win his first race in 462 tries in his first race with Dale Earnhardt, Incorperated, Junior would get second, making it a DEI one-two finish, and the proud owner would finish in third. However, that storybook ending did not go that perfectly. As Waltrip and Jr led the field off turn four for the final time, Rusty Wallace got Earnhardt's car loose while protecting third, sending him down the track. The back of the black #3 car made contact with Marlin's #40 and sent the Intimidator head on into the wall, collecting Kenny Schrader's #36 in the process.

The two cars came to rest near the entrance to pit road, as Michael Waltrip's came to rest in Daytona's famed victory lane. Mikey was celebrating the greatest day of his career, maybe of his entire life, blissfully unaware that the man who had given him the chance to win, the man who had given him the confidence by telling him "you'll win in my cars", the man who made this whole day possible was in the back of an ambulance bound for Halifax Medical Center where he would be pronounced dead a short time later. The best day of Michael Waltrip's life had quickly become his, as well as NASCAR's, darkest.

Even if you are not a Michael Waltrip fan, you have to feel for this guy. To lose his owner, his friend and his mentor in the same race as his first career win? How are you supposed to feel? Where do you go from here? And Dale Jr lost his father. Enough said. On February 20th, the 53rd Daytona 500 will go green and mark the tenth anniversary of that dark day when NASCAR lost one of its greatest drivers and many drivers lost a friend. How fitting it is that Dale Jr won the pole this past Sunday for the event marking a decade since his father's death. Another cool tribute to the "Man in Black" comes from the man that won the 2001 event. Michael Waltrip will start his 25th consecutive Daytona 500 behind the wheel of a black and blue #15 NAPA Toyota. The blue hood, roof and decklid harken back to his inaugural year with NAPA Auto Parts and the anniversary of their first win and the matte black sides pay tribute to the man that gave him the opportunity to win that race ten years ago. Hopefully, the 500 will end the way it is supposed to; with Dale Jr and Michael Waltrip battling for the win on the last lap, one of them crusing to victory in a fitting tribute to "The Intimidator."

Reutimann and Tums Team Fast Acting in Windy City Victory

If you still don't believe that nice guys can finish first, you weren't paying close enough attention to Saturday nights race at Chicagoland Speedway. The perfrmance that David Reutimann put on was one not t be missed. Reut led three times for 52 laps, including the final 32 and he held off a hard charging Carl Edwards to net his second career victory.

The race started with a very spirited rendition of the national anthem by Jim Cornelison, the Chicago Blackhawks anthem singer. Then the field was in the hands of polesitter Jamie McMurray who led the field to the green. His lead was short lived however, as Jimmie Johnson grabbed the top spot before lap one was completed. Jamie Mac continued his slide through the field, getting shuffled to fourth by lap six. Reutimann was climbing and by lap 36, he was battling Greg Biffle for fourth place after starting seventh.

The first yellow flag of the night waved on lap 39 when David Stremme slapped the wall. Johnson led the field to the restart on lap 43, followed by Martin Truex, Jr, McMurray, Biffle and Reutimann. Johnson's #48 Chevy led for a long time, while McMurray's #1 Chevy was right on his tail. Meanwhile, Michael Waltrip Racing teammates Martin Truex, Jr and David Reutimann were solidly in third and fourth respectively.

The lead changed hands on lap 96 when McMurray grabbed the lead when Johnson ducked into the pits for service. However the 48 missed its pit and Jimmie was forced to come back around to his crew again. David Reutimann slid his Tums Camry in front of Truex Jr's NAPA Camry to grab second place on lap 116.

The caution flew again on lap 129 for debris in turn two. After pit stops, Jamie Mac and Jimmie Johnson led the field back to the green on lap 137. It didn't take long for the yellow to come back out when Jimmie's #48 made contact with Martin Truex's #56, sending the Lowe's Impala spinning through the backstrech grass. Neither car received damage. McMurray and Jeff Gordon led the field as the green flag flew again on lap 140.

Gordon grabbed the lead on lap 166, making him only the third leader of the evening. On the next lap, Reutimann passed McMurray for second place and set his sights on the #24 car up ahead of him. Reutimann's teammate, Truex, had slid back to eighth place by lap 178. The yellow flag came out for the fourth time on lap 180 when Bill Elliott's #21 Ford got into the wall and then T-boned by Robby Gordon's#7 ending both drivers nights. Elliott and Gordon both walked away, despite the severity of the damage.

The green flag on lap 189 saw Jeff Gordon, leading Clint Bowyer, McMurray, Reutimann and Carl Edwards down into turn one. It was at this point that points leader Kevin Harvick took his #29 Shell Pennzoil Chevy behind the wall for his crew to adjust on. Points frontrunner Kurt Busch was also having a terrible run of it, racing around 30th place all night.

By lap 203, the race was on! Reutimann was giving Jeff Gordon all he wanted as the two duked it out for the top spot. Reutimann finally grabbed the lead on lap 213 and his #00 Camry was on a rail as he proceeded to gap the #24 car. Then final pit stops began to take place. This was the money stop. If you want to win, you have to have a flawless stop.

Reutimann and Gordon were the first to blink, pitting on lap 233, handing the lead to Bowyer. Clint pitted on the next lap and passed the lead to Edwards. Juan Montoya grabbed the top spot next time by as Edwards and Truex pitted. Then on lap 236, Reutimann regained the lead and never looked back. Despite complaining of a bad vibration and a closing Carl Edwards, Reutimann held on to stun the field and grab his second career Cup Series win!

A tearful Reutimann pulled into victory lane and stood on his car, arms raised in triumph in a shower of beer. This was not just another win, it was vindication. It validated what Reutimann had worked for his entire life and proved that his win in last years Coke 600 was not a fluke, that his run at the Chase was not a fluke and that he will be a driver to contend with in the future. It was also nice to see a driver be genuinely excited about winning a race, instead of the Jimmie Johnson's and Denny Hamlin's that win every week with the same manufactured excitement. David's win, as well as his emotion, was real and you could see the relief on his face. The questions about whether or not he could win a race that went the full distance were answered now. Another question was also answered that night: Yes, nice guys CAN finish first!