Posted on 02/20/2011 2:39:56 PM PST by Steelers6
Edited on 02/20/2011 3:15:23 PM PST by Admin Moderator. [history]
I was hoping Dale, Jr. would win on the 10th Anniversary of his father's death and had a chance until 1st Green, White, Checker.
But what a story that a 20 year old rookie wins the Super Bowl on his 1st attempt!
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Dale Earnhardt Jr. insisted he didn't believe in fairy tales and happy endings.
Trevor Bayne was too young to know any better.
Bayne, in just his second Sprint Cup Series start, pulled off a stunning victory in his first Daytona 500 on Sunday, becoming the youngest winner in the 53 years of the Great American Race. Bayne, who turned 20 the day before the biggest race of his career, took the Wood Brothers back to Victory Lane for the first time since 2001.
+1, I used to go the Nats in Ennis every year but 1000 feet just ain't the same kind of drag racing. Drop the nitro percentage down or something, but drag racing was born to be 1320 feet.
I had 3 of 4 doing great until smoke stunk it up. Trevor is a rising star and has proved he has the mental capacity and crowd pleasing humbleness to be an All-American. Congrats to the young man.
Yeah, I didn’t care for that style of racing but the ending was quite exciting.
Where is that.....Mexico
Junior is, was, and always will an overrated driver
Just seeing number 21 in the winner's circle, with Motorcraft on the hood, and with a 20 year old who proved throughout the week that he had a right to be there made it a good opener. I only wish that Pearson had been there with him.
There's hundreds of names that we miss (I finally had to trash my Donleavy #90/Dick Trickle T-shirt because you could see through it). But in a few years I'll bet Baine will be at the same level as they were in the fan's eyes.
I totally agree that NASCAR has stumbled as it expanded and I'm really ticked that they've dropped so many iconic tracks (for cookie cutter media venues). The only track that deserves two events a year IS Daytona - NOT Fontana and not Texas Speedway. The COT was a step over the line and restrictor plates are an embarrassment. The mega teams are still too big and one or two car teams consigned to start-and-park, or derision by some on FR, only underline the scope of the problem (would Wendell Scott have accepted the start-and-park concept?).
But NASCAR is probably clever enough to fix some or all of those errors and at least the 2011 cars look something like the real thing - STOCK. Moving drivers a bit to the right has likely avoided some serious injuries. (Dale Sr. stalwarts might remind themselves that it was his self inflicted Daytona crash that inspired all the current safety rules. Dale Jr. stalwarts might remind themselves that Junior is NOT Senior (and Mikey is NOT "Iron Head"). And, yes, I know I'll be hated for those comments.)
If you want racing go to the local, or regional, dirt track...anything on dirt is better than anything on pavement.
But if you want to spend a sedentary Sunday on something other than baseball, basketball, football, or golf; write a letter to NASCAR telling them that you miss Smokey Yanuk, Cale Yarborough, '73 Chevys, STP, Winston West, and (if your REALLY old) Herschel McGriff.
Tell them that "stock" generally meant "run what you brung".
The secondary meaning would be (generally speaking) "if it's only available with four doors - then run a four door"!
And, the tertiary meaning would be "If it's only available with injection and variable timing, then so be it".
It’s in Mehico del Norte.
You got that right!
Since you're from West Texas, do you remember Eddie Hill? back in the early sixties he had a twin-Pontiac-side-by-side engined dragster with twin slicks on each side. He came up here to Continental Divide Raceway and completely tore up the freshly paved asphalt at the starting line. He was one of my heroes since I was a big Pontiac guy at the time.
Is he the youngest to have ever won it?
I don’t remember that, but I was there when the old Wichititty City boy broke the 5 second barrier. As I recall, it was an IHRA event, down at my beloved Motorplex. I wanna say April, 1988. Eddie and Ercie, where are they now?
Nascar jumped the shark about 15 year or so ago when they implemented the rule that “if you’re not on the lead lap, you cannot pit on the first lap of a caution”.
That was the beginning of the end.
What they need to to id limit the displacement to 4 liters, end the restrictor plates, and give them electronic fuel injection with open access. Make the garage, and the pits part of the racing again.
Ditch some of the rules that have driven off those who were avid fans and make the racing more competitive and we might come back.
As for the “show” today, Daytona used to start at 12:00 sharp. Now they have an hour and some of crapola that has absolutely nothing to do with racing. Race time was @ 13:19
It used to go; national anthem and fly-over at 11:45, start your engines at 11:47, out of the pits at 11:50, pace car off the track at 11:59 and green flag at noon.
Yikes! I hear Ajo is getting kind of tepid for the ASU crossing.
I remember Eddie Hill from the top fuel drag boats.
“...and (if your REALLY old) Herschel McGriff.”
Hey! I resemble that remark. I rooted for McGriff many Sundays at Evergreen Speedway in Monroe WA, back in the 60’s. He was one tough racer. I understand he actually won a race last year but I don’t know all the details. Good on him, anyway.
Yay, some guy drives a car in circles ...fast.
Wow.
Okay, I haven’t watched drag racing in maybe 7 years. Did they shorten the track? They don’t do quarter miles anymore?
Yeah, after a couple of guys got killed they drew down the track. They run under 4 seconds now, but it ain’t the same.
I was rooting for Junior too but what a great story.
Not just a 20 year old kid winning the Daytona 500 but the Wood brothers back in victory lane.
What a great story. Hopefully, this is the start of a great NASCAR season.
2008 I guess, the dropped the fuelers down to 1000 feet:
http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/racing/nhra/news/story?id=3484086
RIP Scotty Kalitta. It’s all your fault (kidding, kidding, I miss old Scotty, he was a real racer like his dad).
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