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Craziest Day in Racing
2/15/08: SOZ Studios, MI - By Dennis Michelsen "DMIC" (RaceTalkRadio.com)
 Before you can race in the Great American Race you need to qualify for the event. For years the Gatorade 125 qualifying races were some of the most exciting races of the year! In the days of the top thirty-five getting an automatic birth into the race some of that intrigue and drama is gone. But on Thursday afternoon the go or go home guys put on a show to remember! History was made with who made the big race and who went home. It certainly was one of the craziest days in racing. Rules Should Be Different
The biggest race of the season deserves its own set of qualifying rules. While in this day and age we will NEVER see a case of the top forty-three cars qualifying for ANY race, there should be more spots open for the smaller teams. Guaranteeing the top twenty in owner's points into the Great American Race would lock in all your superstars. Take the top ten finishers from the Gatorade Duels and advance them to the big event. The rest of the positions are locked in based on speed, except for the final spot reserved for the past champion. This formula would give new teams a chance to get a starting spot while rewarding teams with strong performances a spot in the first race of the year.
Duel Number One
Seven cars had to go to the back to start the first Gatorade Duel after engine changes. This would leave Ryan Newman and Joe Nemechek up front to lead the field of twenty-seven cars to the green flag! It only took Dale Earnhardt Jr eighteen laps to prove that he is the man to beat at Daytona this week. Just ten laps into the race Kurt Busch would have engine trouble ending his day, but Kurt will race on Sunday thanks to the past champion's provisional. A late caution set up a two-lap dash to determine the two drivers transferring to the main event. Brian Vickers and Kenny Wallace were the emotional winners and will race on Sunday. AJ Allmendinger summed up the agony of defeat when he said, "It sucks!" Boris Said would have one more chance to make the Daytona 500, but he would need David Reutimann to come through for him in the second Duel.
Duel Number Two
Hopefully sponsorship will fall apart for Jacques Villeneuve and he will be gone from the NASCAR scene real fast this year! Otherwise look for the fabricators to get rich replacing the damaged sheet metal this guy will tear up. Jacques found himself in the middle of a three-wide mess when he ran out of talent and took out three other cars. Stanton Barrett was in contention for a transfer spot before Jacques attacked. Meanwhile up front the race was on with the Joe Gibbs Racing threesome doing battle with the Chevys of Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick and Mark Martin as well as the Toyota of Jeff Gordon. Boris Said's emotions would rise and fall throughout the sixty lap event as he saw David Reutimann get black flagged for jumping the start and then rallying for a transfer spot. Michael Waltrip dropped back from the lead to go back and push Dale Jarrett into contention! In true Hollywood scriptwriter style the race wouldn't be settled until a green-white-checker finish. Dashing from the back of the pack on new tires, this year's Cinderella John Andretti would race his way into the Daytona 500 on the last lap along with Dale Jarrett who is making his last appearance in the Great American Race.
Historical Significance
Forty-six times a Wood Brothers' number twenty-one car had raced in the Daytona 500. But this year they will be left on the outside looking in on Sunday. Kenny Wallace continued a streak of twenty-five years with at least one Wallace in the big race. It took "Team Wallace" to get it done with brother Mike spotting for little brother Kenny with a team that fired the Herminator last year! Another amazing streak was broken when Kenny Schrader came up short driving the most colorful car in the field. That broke a string of twenty-three consecutive Daytona 500s for Schrader. (Maybe he will find a dirt race on Sunday instead) Ten years ago Dale Earnhardt won his only Daytona 500. Twenty years ago Bobby and Davey Allison ran first and second in one of the most memorable Great American Races ever. Today it was Dale Earnhardt Jr continuing his hopes of sweeping the Sprint Cup events at Daytona. (Junior could also add a Nationwide Series victory to the mix too) History was also made with Denny Hamlin bringing a Toyota to Victory Lane at Daytona for the first time ever in NASCAR racing. The craziest day in racing is finished but this might be the most enjoyable Speedweeks we have ever witnessed!
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