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Daytona 500 Wrap Up

Besides the fact that there was a major size pothole at Daytona International Speedway, there was also some great racing. The wing on the back of the cars, the same one that has taken some of the blame for the quality of racing since the inception of the “Car of Tomorrow”, has to be considered as part of the package that produced the exciting racing in the Daytona 500.

While the wing cannot be given complete credit for the quality of racing, it cannot be take all of the blame when the racing is deemed sup-par.

There is still plan to replace the wing with a spoiler, but there are rumblings that NASCAR may leave the wing alone for the three remaining restrictor plate races. Teams will be trying out the new rear spoilers at an open test at Charlotte Motor Speedway on March 23rd and 24th. The spring Talladega race is a month later on April 25th.

Brian Vickers commented about the change during testing at Texas Motor Speedway, “Theoretically, from what I’ve been told, the difference between the two (spoiler vs wing) is that the spoiler is better in traffic. Once you get in a lot of turbulence, the spoiler’s not going to lose a lot of efficiency while a wing really will.”

Many attributes including the car, the track, the rules and circumstance combine to produce either a good or bad race. Throw in the fact that race fans can be jaded in their view of a race if their driver doesn’t win and what is needed to make everyone happy after a race can be impossible to come up with.

Most fans would have to agree that besides pothole issues, Sunday’s race was one to remember. So, what went into making the Daytona 500 a great race? Mostly, it was rules.

Drivers were told that previous rules regarding bump-drafting were not in place anymore. “We will put it back in the hands of the hands of the drivers and we will say, ‘Boys, have at it and have a good time,'” said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR’s Vice President of Competition. Confusion of where bump-drafting was allowed and the possibility of favouritism in enforcement of those rules were eliminated as drivers were told to police themselves. Without those worries, drivers were free to go out and race in the Daytona 500.

The holes in the restrictor plates were increased. With the size of the four openings at 63/64ths of an inch, more of the air and fuel mixture flows into the engine to increase horsepower and acceleration. The ability to let off the throttle and then get back on it allows the drivers more throttle control without the penalty of the engine starving for fuel when the racer wants to go.

Green-White-Checker rules were changed three days before the Daytona 500. NASCAR now allows up to three restart attempts prior to the white flag being displayed to try to not finish the race under caution. Only one restart attempt was allowed under the prior rules. Sunday’s Daytona 500 used two of the three restarts and eight extra laps. Clint Bowyer looked to be on his way to the win until the caution waved with five laps to go. Bowyer led the field back to the green but then Greg Biffle took away the lead and the yellow flag flew again. As the green flew again, so did Kevin Harvick, who took his turn back at the front. One more caution flag flew and on the second G/W/C attempt Jamie McMurray led the last two laps and held off Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the way to his first Daytona 500 victory. Four race leaders in the final moments of a race makes for an exciting event. Let’s not forget the double-file restarts, without those the lead changes probably would not have happened.

Does this mean that NASCAR racing is fixed and this will be the best racing ever. Let’s not go that far. Racing at restrictor plate tracks is completely different than the rest of the events on the schedule. What we do know is that NASCAR is making the effort to listen to fans and is working on improving their product. So far, so good.

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