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NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
CUP: Daytona Welcomes Real Racing
Two very close finishes seem to signal that racing is back and better than ever....
Mike Hembree  |  Posted February 11, 2010   Daytona Beach, FL
Kasey Kahne and Tony Stewart race to the finish line of the second NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Gatorade Duel at Daytona International Speedway. (Photo: Getty Images)

There has been much discussion at Daytona International Speedway over the last week or so about the quality – or lack of it – of Sprint Cup racing.

NASCAR has responded to fan complaints about lackluster racing by massaging rules and by giving drivers a new open door to be more aggressive and proactive in challenging competitors.

People leaving the speedway following Thursday’s two qualifying races for Sunday’s Daytona 500 might be convinced that the talk and the changes are working.

There was dynamic racing in both 150-mile races Thursday – and the finishes were superb. And the green-white-checkered concept that NASCAR is expanding wasn’t even needed.

Jimmie Johnson won race one by .005 of a second with Kevin Harvick racing him door to door to the finish and a raft of other drivers on their rear decks.

Kasey Kahne won race two by .014 of a second with Tony Stewart racing him door to door to the finish in what was almost a carbon copy of the conclusion of the first race. And they also had a pack of contenders behind them.

It was the kind of racing that sells tickets and draws television viewers.

“I didn’t know who was going to win until I crossed the line,” Kahne said. “It’s a little nerve-wracking, but at the same time it was exciting. I like this kind of racing, and I’ve liked it for a long time. We’ve had a lot of wrecks here over the last few years, but I feel more comfortable making moves now.”

The new aero package for Daytona and the slightly larger restrictor plate approved by NASCAR have combined to give drivers more throttle response and better momentum even without a drafting partner.

“The extra plate definitely carries a lot of speed off into the corner,” said Jeff Gordon. “We’re still seeing a lot of bump-drafting, and you’ve really got to use the tools that NASCAR is giving us to make the cars handle good, too, which means the drivers have got to drive the heck out of them.

“Usually, the 150s are pretty calm. So if that’s what it’s like, then the fans are in for a treat with the 500.”

Michael Waltrip drove in the first race and wrecked late. He appeared to have missed the Daytona 500 but slipped into the field when Scott Speed qualified by finishing 14th in the second race.

“I overheard some people talking the other day,” Waltrip said. “They said they didn’t really think the racing in the Shootout (last Saturday) was very good. … I know how hard it is to do what Brian Vickers and Kurt Busch and Kasey Kahne did (Thursday). They’re running 185 miles an hour sideways, two-wide, threatening to be three-wide, bumping, passing. I’ve never seen anything more exciting in my whole life than that 125 (150) right there.

“The race for the win – those guys mixing it up, that’s hard. If you don’t like that, then you need to become a fan of a different sport because that right there is as good as it gets.

“I just think we have unrealistic expectations at times about what we can do with a car. I challenge you to look back over the history of NASCAR … and show me when a race was better than that. That was awesome.”

Mike Hembree is NASCAR Editor for SPEEDtv.com and has been covering motorsports for 28 years. He has written several books on NASCAR, including "NASCAR: The Definitive History of America's Sport" and "Then Tony Said To Junior: The Best NASCAR Stories Ever Told". He is a six-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year Award.

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