Top Row Seat - Daytona Pepsi 400
Dateline: 07/08/97Congrats to John and Cale!
This week John Andretti scored his first ever Winston Cup victory by dominating the Pepsi 400 at Daytona. I used to be a big Cale Yarborough fan and it was really nice to see him back in Victory Lane again.
Last Lap Shoot-Out
Unfortunately, the big story of this weekend is the last lap wreck. Should NASCAR have thrown the green and white flags together for one last shoot-out or should they have simply let it finish under the yellow flag? Some of the racers have pretty strong opinions about this. Dale Earnhardt said "That was a slugfest, a wreckfest. They know better than to do that." Kyle Petty said "What they had is a recipe for somebody getting hurt real bad."
Now I can truly understand their point. After all, it is their lives that are on the line out there. However, you have to look at this from NASCAR's perspective. They had an excellent race all day, a popular driver from a smaller team poised to pick up his first career victory, a NASCAR legend poised in second place to try to break the longest losing streak of his career, and thousands of race fans who would all be complaining if the race could have finished under green and didn't. People pay to see racing, and NASCAR has always tried to give the fans the best possible show under the conditions. In this case, the racetrack was ready so they threw the green.
After the Daytona 500 people complained because the race didn't go green, this week people are complaining because it did. NASCAR can't make everybody happy. If the track is ready then the rules call for them to go green, no politics, no room for errors in judgement, it's a yes/no question. It really is that simple.
Lots Of Action
Early on in the race we saw Skinner and Spencer racing hard, both of them going three wide to pass each other. So it was no surprise later on when Skinner slid up and put Spencer into the wall. These two guys are constantly getting themselves into trouble. And when they are together you just know that somebody is going to lose.
Also, Ward Burton was driving very aggressively. He put Kenny Schrader into the wall early in the race. Then, I believe it was his error that caused the last lap incident. I watched the tape over and over again. Mark Martin was very aggressive in getting into turn three between Jarrett and Trickle (who didn't give the guys below him any extra room), however all three of those drivers held their line. It was Ward who was down below the white line and in fact he was in the grass. He is the one who slid up in front of Jarrett and into Mark. Thankfully, Ward is OK and will be back on the track this weekend in Loudon.
Up Next On The Schedule
This week the teams head north to Loudon, New Hampshire for a 300 mile sprint around a one mile oval. This track has traditionally been good for the guys who run well on the road courses. Mark Martin has run well here as well as Ricky Rudd. However, and you all know it pains me to say this, but since he has been dead on with his setups all year, and NHIS is a handling track, the Dupont #24 has got to be the favorite.
Driver quotes from www.journalnow.com
Go Fast, Turn Left, Stay Safe!
Send your tips, rumors and comments to me at nascar.guide@miningco.com.
