The big story of the day was "The Big One" as Dale Earnhardt Jr. appeared to intentionally turn Brian Vickers after Vickers blocked him on the backstretch. This set off a ten car crash which knocked out some of the top contenders.
Qualifying
Martin Truex Jr. and Mark Martin claimed the front row during last Sunday's qualifying. The rest of the field was set during Thursday's Gatorade Duel qualifying races.
Hendrick Motorsports' Jeff Gordon and Joe Gibbs Racing's Kyle Busch won their respective Duels to claim the second row and start third and fourth.
Drop Of The Green
The inside line moved forward as Martin Truex Jr. lead the first lap. The outside line got a run on lap two and Mark Martin lead the second lap. Kyle Busch took over the lead on lap three.
The lead draft settled down behind Busch as the top three were Busch, Martin and Juan Montoya until the first caution came out on lap eight for Aric Almirola's spin.
Storylines
With 77 laps to go we finally got "The Big One." Brian Vickers threw a block on Dale Earnhardt Jr. Junior came up from below the line and spun Brian Vickers up into the pack.
Ten cars were officially involved including Kyle Busch who had dominated much of the race. Others included Jimmie Johnson and Carl Edwards who were also fast.
Vickers was very clear about how he saw the incident. He said that Earnhardt turned him intentionally. It also seemed like the television crew agreed.
How will Junior Nation defend their hero's actions after this one?
Chasing The Checkers
Just past halfway weather became a factor. Rain was said to be approximately 30 minutes away. The threat of rain changed the character of the race as the temperature dropped and drivers started battling to be out front when the rain came.
The rain became noticeable with about 53 laps to go. Matt Kenseth was out front. After riding around under caution for a few laps NASCAR threw the red flag. The continued to dry the track for a bit but finally called it.
Top Ten
- Matt Kenseth
- Kevin Harvick
- A.J. Allmendinger
- Clint Bowyer
- Elliott Sadler
- David Ragan
- Michael Waltrip
- Tony Stewart
- Reed Sorenson
- Kurt Busch
The Points
Winning the Daytona 500 gives Matt Kenseth the point lead. The top twelve drivers in points will, obviously, look a lot like the finishing order from the 2008 Daytona 500.
The top twelve are now:
- Matt Kenseth
- Kevin Harvick -20
- A.J. Allmendinger -25
- Clint Bowyer -30
- Elliott Sadler -30
- David Ragan -40
- Tony Stewart -43
- Michael Waltrip -44
- Reed Sorenson -52
- Martin Truex Jr. -55
- Kurt Busch -56
- Jeff Gordon -61
Next Week
The Sprint Cup series drivers head west next week as the series visits California Speedway.
The hype and pageantry of the Daytona 500 are now over. The Sprint Cup series teams can now get down to the business of winning the Championship. The rest of the season begins next week in California.
