Apparently, NASCAR schedule makers did not confer with married men when they scheduled today’s Daytona 500.
NASCAR’s most prestigious race happens to fall on Valentine’s Day.
Many women love NASCAR. My wife is not among them. So I had to beg and plead in the hopes that we could schedule our Valentine’s Day plans around the Daytona 500. She agreed. She’s a saint.
This is not the first time the Daytona 500 coincided with Valentine’s Day. It’s happened six times before.
Some of NASCAR’s most successful drivers own Valentine’s Day Daytona 500 victories, including Jeff Gordon and Richard Petty.
Two of the most famous finishes in Daytona 500 history happened on Valentine’s Day. Dale Jarrett edged Dale Earnhardt during the final lap in 1993. Bobby Allison finished just in front of his son, Davey, to win in 1988, the same race that included a spectacular crash involving Petty.
So who will win this year? It’s a tough call because the field seems even more wide open than usual. Rather than anoint a favorite in such an unpredictable race, I thought I would list several drivers who I think have the best chance to win:
Kasey Kahne: He won the second qualifying race and appears to have one of his fastest cars ever for the 500. He also has a history of solid finishes at Daytona with four top 10 finishes in his last six races there.
Kevin Harvick: He won the Bud Shootout. He nearly won the first qualifying race. He’s a former Daytona 500 winner. If anybody is the odds-on favorite, it’s Harvick.
Tony Stewart: In my opinion, Stewart is the best restrictor-plate racer in the field. He’s won the summer Daytona race three times, but never the 500. Could this be his year?
Kurt Busch: All three Penske Dodges seem extremely fast. Busch has five straight top 10s at Daytona. This seems like a potentially winning combination.
Kyle Busch: It remains to be seen if he’s patient enough to win the Daytona 500. Chances are, he’ll lead a bunch of laps.
Jimmie Johnson: He won his qualifying race due to slick strategy by Chad Knaus. His car doesn’t seem especially fast, but it’s never wise to count out the four-time champion.
David Ragan: He’s the ultimate dark horse. Ragan is still looking for his first Sprint Cup victory, but he does have three top five finishes at Daytona. Plus, he’s driving a Roush Ford. They have been fast all week long. He could pull off a shocking win or draft one of his teammates to the checkered flag.
No single team appears dominant, but the Roush-powered Fords, Childress Chevrolets and Penske Dodges appear to be faster than the rest. In what tends to be a high-stakes, wreck-filled race, luck plays at least a small role in who will be there at the end to battle for the victory.
I’ll be watching with my wife’s blessing, but I sincerely hope NASCAR avoids this awkward scheduling conflict in the future.
Reach staff writer Brandon Oland at 410-857-7862 or brandon.oland@carroll
-countytimes.com.
PS – The Phatforums Staff has a pick for the race Daytona 500- GO 88 – make it happen Jr.
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