The Corner of Controversy and Criticism: Daytona 500 Edition
This weekend was the return of NASCAR as the three touring series returned to Daytona. The action kicked off Thursday Night with the qualifying races for the Daytona 500. Chase Elliott won the first duel race and Denny Hamlin won the 2nd duel race. For the last month I’ve been wondering how NASCAR was going to be since they made all these rules changed. Friday Night the Camping World Truck Series kicked off and what a wild race that was. Johnny Sauter won the first two stages but wrecked in the closing laps of the race. Kaz Grala made some history on Friday night becoming the youngest truck driver to ever win the pole and win the race at Daytona. The stages also played a huge factor into a wild race on Saturday. Elliot Sadler won the first two stages in the Xfinity Race but was also wrecked in the closing laps. I do like the stages because they reward the effort of the drivers during all parts of the races. Sauter and Sadler are perfect examples this weekend because they dominated most of their respective races but unfortunately didn’t make it to the finish line.
The one thing I don’t agree with is the five minute clock to make repairs to your car or if you end up going to the garage you are out of the race. This really effected the Daytona 500 because only 17 cars were on the lead lap when it ended. Most of the big names like Earnhardt, Johnson, Keselowski, and Kenseth were all knocked out early and were not able to come back into the race. I really think the five minute rule needs to be re-evaluated. The last couple of laps of the Daytona 500 were intense. At one point it looked like Chase Elliott had it won but he ran out of gas which allowed Kurt Busch to make an incredible run to win the race. Kurt Busch’s NASCAR career has been a wild roller-coaster ride with a lots high’s and a lot of lows. There was a time where I didn’t think he would be in NASCAR due to his behavior on and off the track. For Tony Stewart it has to be bittersweet. He never won the 500 as a driver but this is his first Daytona win as a car owner.
A lot of people were disappointed in this years Daytona 500 due to so many of top names wrecking out but in a way it was great to see some new names in top ten. Aside from Busch you had Ryan Blaney, AJ Allmendinger, Aric Almirola, Paul Menard, Joey Logano, Kasey Kahne, Michael Waltrip, Matt DiBenedetto and Trevor Bayne rounded out the top ten. These are names you normally don’t see in the top ten on a regular basis which makes it to watch if you truly enjoy the sport. I think the new format is going to make every race exciting. I really hope fans give this a chance and not just base it on the first race. Viewers have to understand that things at Daytona and Talladega are two of the craziest tracks on the circuit which makes the strategy much more difficult to plan out. I personally enjoyed the race today even if my favorite driver didn’t finish the race. I like that drivers have to be more aggressive and crew chiefs have to be more strategic then ever. This is only the beginning of what is surely going to be a crazy 2017 season.
Congratulations to Kurt Busch on his Daytona 500 win and congratulations to Michael Waltrip on a great career. He started in his 30th and final Daytona 500 today, and ended up finishing 8th. Today was full of emotions with Busch’s win, Waltrip’s final start and the return of Dale Earnhardt Jr. I expect to see a lot more emotion as the year progresses. Welcome to a new NASCAR ladies and gentlemen. You’re in for a wild ride this season. Until next time remember Controversy Doesn’t Come Without Criticism.
