After the all-too-quiet months that follow Homestead, race fans were treated to an exciting pre-season race last night. 2011 began with the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway with newly designed cars, some new sponsors for a few drivers, and new asphalt on the track at Daytona for the first time since the 1970s. Twenty-four drivers lined up to vie for a purse of $200,000 and pride. No points are awarded that apply to Sprint Cup Standings which one might think would lessen the excitement, but such was not the case. The field raced hard. Few drivers went into the race with any concrete strategy and went out on the track just to see what would happen. A lot of drivers had some tight hands during the 10 minute half-time break after 25 laps of white-knuckle racing.
What was very apparent early on and in the second section of 75 laps was the fact that some of the same old feelings between drivers held over from last year. What comes around definitely seems to go around.
If you do not bump draft at Daytona you don't win. Drivers must pair up with another car in order to have any chance at finishing in the money. This year two car packs seemed to fair just as well or better than packs of multiple cars. Very few of the two-pack cars were teammates. Drivers went with who they thought had the fastest car that would help them. However, one very fast car was often left to fend for himself. The bump-draft style of racing commands attention from spectators. Anything can happen at any moment in the race, as was the case last night.
The Toyotas were fast, real fast. Kyle Busch drove his #18 car with the pedal on the floor but he often had trouble finding anyone to draft with. I found myself scratching my head when Kyle blew around the pack at one point then fell back to almost last place when many of the stronger cars passed him by. One of those stronger cars was teammate Joey Logano who kept the nose of his #20 tight to the back of Jimmy Johnson's #48 Chevrolet. Also, it did not go unnoticed that Denny Hamlin in the #11, also a teammate of Busch, went by him as well. When Kyle finally did hook up with Mark Martin in the #5 the results did not prove well for either driver as both ended up turned around and watching the finish from the garage area. I doubt Kyle Busch was excited about having to team up with a driver who may be just on the waning edge of his great career but he did not appear to have any other choice.
Kasey Khane in the #9 was the first to hit the pit road and he did not return. Junior, who started on the pole, founded his #88 Chevrolet, much like most of last season, amidst some turmoil that included Carl Edwards in the #99 as well. When it came down to the last quarter of the race the field had shrunk from 24 to around 14.
If I was to predict anything from last night it would be that Jeff Gordon in the #24 looks like he may continue his backslide. Last year he seemed unable to sustain the level of driving that he displayed for so many years prior to the 2010 season. Unless he is keeping his cards close to his chest I did not see any of the spectacular driving or decision making from the pits that made him a top contender for so many years. Gordon drives for Rick Hendrick so you never knowhow the rest of the season will unfold...unless you, unfortunately, drive the #88 car.
Four cars were in contention on the final lap. Ryan Newman in the #39 looked like he had the victory locked up until he slid up the track and left an a opening for Hamlin. The #11 tried to pass on the bottom and almost had him until the #39 slid back down and forced Hamlin to go beneath the double yellow line in order to finish the pass. Hamlin was black flagged for this, but he should be awarded a nice steak dinner from Newman for not wrecking the #39 and allowing him to finish in third place.
With all the jockeying going on between the #11 and the #39, the higher side was the place to be. Kurt Busch sporting a new paint scheme, new sponsors, and a new number - 22, went by to the right and crossed the finish line first thanks to very generous racing by Jamie McMurray in the #1. This was the first restrictor plate win for Kurt Busch who had to have been ecstatic to start 2011 in a very positive manner after all the changes he dealt with in the off season.
Points racing begins next week at Daytona. If the start of Sprint Cup racing looks anything like pre-season then the fans of NASCAR are in for some excitement. Qualifying for next week's race continues today and will be broadcast on Fox at 1pm EST.
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