Daytona 500 - 2009

The long awaited "Great American Race" finally arrived earlier this afternoon. All during the off season, teams were not allowed to go to tracks to practice, including Daytona. There were no testing sessions, and many wondered how this would effect the new season of NASCAR. But surprisingly, it seemed to just increase the anticipation. The drivers had been out of their cars for weeks, so when Speed Weeks began, they were finally allowed to race again.

They had their practice sessions and qualifying (with the Duals) leading up to the big race today. And today's race started the 2009 season well. It was shortened by rain, but the drivers were able to complete 151 of the 200 laps. All the great aspects of Daytona were present today. There was great passing, the draft worked well, there were penalties (which is common in every race), and the "Big One" happened near the end of the race.

And the 2009 season has begun with controversy as well. Who caused the big wreck this year? Some will say Dale Jr. while others will point fingers to Brian Vickers. They were both involved, and no one will ever know who was truly responsible, but when it was over, 10+ cars were damaged. This changed the race, and with rain on the way, even more drivers raced harder. They took big risks when passing, and more wrecks occurred as a result. It became crucial each lap to gain the lead, and that is just what Matt Kenseth did prior to the final caution. During that caution, the rain came. When NASCAR saw that the rain was there to stay, and that they would not be able to get the track died until late into the night, they decided to call the race. So this year, Matt Kenseth is the Daytona 500 champion!

Jeff Gordon had a good start to the season. He had a dominant car, but through the serious of wrecks, he was shuffled backwards. If there had been one last restart, he would have probably surged to the front. But he did not have the opportunity to show his dominant car again, and he ended up finishing 13th. Jeff stands 12th in points, and with 25 races to go until the Chase, Jeff needs to remain consistent, win races, and work hard. I expect to see the 24 car in the chase for the cup come September.

Matt