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Gatorade Duel at Daytona Results
Posted by: | CommentsDuel 2
Kyle Busch beat Mark Martin to the checkered flag to win the second Gatorade Duel qualifying race at Daytona. Brian Vickers finished third followed by Juan Pablo Montoya and Denny Hamlin.
A.J. Allmendinger and Jeremy Mayfield were the highest finishing drivers that were not previously guaranteed a starting spot and as such have made the Daytona 500.
Ryan Newman, who posted third-fastest time on Sunday, wrecked out of Duel 2 and will likely have to start a backup car on Sunday.
Duel 1
After over a year without a win, Jeff Gordon returned to victory lane by winning Gatorade Duel 1 at Daytona on Thursday. Tony Stewart finished second place followed by Jimmie Johnson, Joey Logano and Aric Almirola.
Tony Stewart was the highest finisher of the cars not guaranteed a starting spot in the Daytona 500. That gives Regan Smith a starting spot based on his qualifying time.
Scott Riggs was the second-highest finisher of those who had to race their way into the 500 and therefore will race on Sunday.
Daytona 500 polesitter Martin Truex Jr. spun late in the race.
Top 35: Let’s Pass on This Mess
Posted by: | CommentsMark me down as an unbeliever of NASCAR's rule that guarantees starting positions for the top 35 car owners in championship points. It unnecessarily adds confusion, de-emphasizes the importance of qualifying, and really hurts the less-funded teams, especially when they post relatively fast times in qualifications. The rule places smaller teams at an even larger disadvantage and all the more draws out the disparity between them and the top teams.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm a big supporter of provisional starting positions. I understand their need and why we have them. Fans pay good money for tickets far in advance and they expect to see the top drivers racing when they show up at the track. You can't have a situation where a popular driver like Dale Earnhardt Jr. spins out on his qualifying lap and misses the show because of it. I also think it's appropriate to reward teams who race on the tour consistently and by doing so help to advance the sport. And this is why I believe that a handful of provisionals makes sense.
But there's quite a big difference between having 35 qualifiers with a handful of provisionals and having 35 provisionals with a handful of qualifiers. It just seems to mock the integrity of the sport. Not to mention how sick I am of hearing about the "top 35" week in and week out: who's in it and who's not. And now we have to deal with all the controversies of car owners "buying points" from other car owners so that their teams are guaranteed a starting spot in the first few races of the season. NASCAR has gone so far as to ban all track testing in an effort to constrain costs, while at the same time we have teams essentially buying their way into races.
Personally, I like the system they had in the early 90s. They would have a first round of qualifying where the top 20 or so were locked in based on time. Then, on the following day, they would have a second round of qualifying where drivers could choose to either stand on their first round times, or make another qualification attempt. This gave drivers who flubbed their first attempts because of a wreck, bad setup, or whatever a second chance. Finally, a small set of provisionals was handed out to those high enough in points who, for whatever reasons, weren't fast enough to make it in through qualifications.
Considering the amount of money sponsors put up to fund these teams, and the amount of money owners are spending to run them, I think it's unlikely we'll see this top-35 rule rescinded any time soon. But I'll admit that sometimes it feels good pretending that the fans' opinions matter. Maybe with sluggish ticket sales their opinions will matter a little more in the future.
Gatorade Duel at Daytona Lineups
Posted by: | CommentsThe Gatorade Duel at Daytona is ready to roll this Thursday. The two qualifying races will set the starting lineup for the 51st Daytona 500 to be run on Sunday. Each race is 150 miles (60 laps) and the lineups for the two races have been determined by qualifying speeds posted this past Sunday. Martin Truex Jr., the Daytona 500 pole winner, will start on the pole for Duel 1 and Mark Martin will start on the pole for Duel 2. Their positions on the Daytona 500 front row are locked, regardless of finishing order in the Duel races.
In addition, the top 35 car owners in the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup point standings are guaranteed a starting spot. Terry Labonte is likely to make it in on a past champion's provisional. The remaining 7 spots will go to a combination of fastest qualifying speeds and any drivers who are capable of racing into the Daytona 500 through the Duel. The two highest finishing drivers not in the top 35 car owner points from each race will qualify for the 500. The three drivers qualifying on speed will be Bill Elliott, Travis Kvapil, and Tony Stewart.
Duel 1 Starting Lineup
| 1. | 1 | Martin Truex Jr. | 2. | 21 | Bill Elliott |
| 3. | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | 4. | 8 | Aric Almirola |
| 5. | 24 | Jeff Gordon | 6. | 14 | Tony Stewart |
| 7. | 98 | Paul Menard | 8. | 16 | Greg Biffle |
| 9. | 187 | Joe Nemechek | 10. | 20 | Joey Logano (R) |
| 11. | 17 | Matt Kenseth | 12. | 26 | Jamie McMurray |
| 13. | 6 | David Ragan | 14. | 47 | Marcos Ambrose |
| 15. | 36 | Scott Riggs | 16. | 55 | Michael Waltrip |
| 17. | 34 | John Andretti | 18. | 09 | Brad Keselowski |
| 19. | 9 | Kasey Kahne | 20. | 7 | Robby Gordon |
| 21. | 07 | Casey Mears | 22. | 2 | Kurt Busch |
| 23. | 77 | Sam Hornish Jr. | 24. | 127 | Kirk Shelmerdine |
| 25. | 37 | Tony Raines | 26. | 66 | Terry Labonte |
| 27. | 123 | Mike Skinner | 28. | 146 | Carl Long |
Duel 2 Starting Lineup
| 1. | 5 | Mark Martin | 2. | 39 | Ryan Newman |
| 3. | 42 | Juan Pablo Montoya | 4. | 28 | Travis Kvapil |
| 5. | 96 | Bobby Labonte | 6. | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. |
| 7. | 78 | Regan Smith | 8. | 18 | Kyle Busch |
| 9. | 82 | Scott Speed (R) | 10. | 00 | David Reutimann |
| 11. | 08 | Boris Said | 12. | 33 | Clint Bowyer |
| 13. | 11 | Denny Hamlin | 14. | 99 | Carl Edwards |
| 15. | 43 | Reed Sorenson | 16. | 19 | Elliott Sadler |
| 17. | 31 | Jeff Burton | 18. | 83 | Brian Vickers |
| 19. | 44 | A.J. Allmendinger | 20. | 12 | David Stremme |
| 21. | 41 | Jeremy Mayfield | 22. | 171 | Mike Wallace |
| 23. | 73 | Mike Garvey | 24. | 29 | Kevin Harvick |
| 25. | 175 | Derrike Cope | 26. | 51 | Kelly Bires |
| 27. | 64 | Geoff Bodine | 28. | 157 | Norm Benning |
Racing Replay: 1992 IROC Round 1 at Daytona
Posted by: | CommentsIROC XVI kicked off the 1992 season with Round 1 at Daytona and provided one of its finest finishes.
Ricky Rudd (white) leads Dale Earnhardt (powder blue), Davey Allison (orange), and Harry Gant (red) to the white flag to start the final lap.
But who wins?
Paul Page, Bobby Unser, and Sam Posey with the call for ABC.
Click here for a condensed version of the race and be on the look out for Rusty Wallace's incredible save on lap two.
Bud Shootout Tops Ratings, But Down from Last Year
Posted by: | CommentsThe 2009 Budweiser Shootout at Daytona gave Fox an easy win in Saturday night primetime ratings. According to Hal Boedeker of the Orlando Sentinel, the preliminary numbers show Fox drawing 7.6 million viewers for its race coverage.
But Jayski.com reports that the Shootout ratings are down 9% from last year:
Both the Bud Shootout and [Daytona 500 pole] qualifying posted declines compared to last year's ratings -- 9% for the Shootout and 22% for the qualifying -- and the Shootout fell to its lowest overnight rating ever on FOX.
It's been easy to blame sluggish ticket sales and empty seats on poor economic conditions. Last year high gas prices took the fall. But these TV ratings declines have been going on for a few years now and it's hard to pin that on the economy. For awhile now fans have expressed dissatisfaction with NASCAR's direction, including its much-touted "Realignment". Perhaps these fans are serious.
One thing to consider... the Shootout race ran only 78 laps and yet was able to spawn eight cautions. That's pretty embarrassing for an "all-star" event. Extrapolated out to 500 miles and that could speak to the quality of racing to expect on Sunday.
Update on Driver Patrick Sheltra
Posted by: | CommentsSheltra Motorsports has issued the following press release on the condition of its driver Patrick Sheltra, who was involved in a late-race accident in Saturday's ARCA Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona:
ARCA RE/MAX Series driver Patrick Sheltra remains hospitalized at a local Daytona Beach, Florida hospital Sunday evening following an incident in Saturday’s Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona International Speedway.
The 22-year old driver underwent several tests Saturday night and into the day Sunday with most of the results returning negative. Nevertheless, Sheltra, the Indiantown, Florida native is suffering from a compression fracture in his back from injuries sustained in the first ARCA race of the season. At this time, no surgical procedures are planned for Sheltra, who finished 14th in Saturday’s race.
The family and the Whitesville, Kentucky-based Sheltra Motorsports team has expressed extreme gratitude and appreciation of Sheltra’s well-being and recovery. The outpouring support of emails, phone calls, prayers, text messages and voicemails have been overwhelming.
We are glad to hear that Patrick is doing relatively well and wish him a quick and full recovery.
The full statement can be found at PatrickSheltra.com.
Truex, Jr., Martin Make up Daytona 500 Front Row
Posted by: | CommentsMartin Truex, Jr. and Mark Martin will lead the field of 43 starters to the green flag for the 51st Daytona 500 next Sunday. Truex, Jr. recorded a lap of 188.001 mph to take the pole, the second of his career in NASCAR Sprint Cup competition. Martin's lap of 187.817 mph was just one one-hundredth of a second faster than third-place qualifier and Daytona 500 defending champion Ryan Newman. Juan Pablo Montoya was fourth fastest and Bill Elliott rounded out the top five.
Only the front row starting positions are set for the race. The remainder of the starting lineup will be determined by the Gatorade Duels at Daytona -- a pair of 150-mile qualifying races -- scheduled to be run on Thursday.
Jimmie Johnson, Aric Almirola, Travis Kvapil, Jeff Gordon, and Tony Stewart comprised the remainder of the top ten.
Speeds for all 56 qualifiers are available at NASCAR.com.
