NASCAR redeems themselves with a Daytona 500 for the ages

The 2010 Daytona 500 is one that won't soon be forgotten. Despite two red flags to repair a pothole in turns one and two (caused in part because of the heavy rain storm from Friday), the race really showed how NASCAR loosened the screws on the drivers and let them police themselves on the track. It was also the first time NASCAR had to use its multiple attempts at a green-white-checkered to ensure the race would finish under green conditions. That rule was instituted just prior to the Gatorade Duel races on Thursdays. For the fans that were at the race themselves, they certainly got their money's worth today.

Let's start with the racing. First off, it was a good, safe race where NASCAR allowed the drivers to police themselves, which is the way it should be. Plenty of double-file, and sometimes three-wide racing. The race also had something that was missing at Talladega last November: bump-drafting.

There wasn't a real big one. The biggest wreck of the day only collected six cars, but it did knock two of Roger Penske's cars (Brad Keselowski and Sam Hornish, Jr.) out of contention on the eighth lap of the run.

On the final GWC restart of the race, Jamie McMurray had the lead and had to hold off a big horde of drivers. On the last lap, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., who one day earlier had a wild ride during the Nationwide race, surged from nowhere with half a lap left and almost had a shot at passing McMurray coming to the checkered flag. But McMurray, from Joplin, Missouri, was just a little too strong and held on for his fourth Sprint Cup victory, and his third on a superspeedway (McMurray won at Talladega last November, in a race where NASCAR overly policed the racing to the point where the drivers and fans were less than happy with NASCAR's handling of things).

As a whole, NASCAR did a great job in putting on a great show. I bet that ticket sales for the next superspeedway race at Talladega this coming spring could pick up quite well after today's race at Daytona. By that point, the Sprint Cup car will once again have the traditional rear spoiler back on the car (NASCAR is dumping the awkward-looking rear wing from the Sprint Cup car sometime in late March).

Johnson, Kahne win Duels at Daytona

The Daytona 500 field is set, as four-time defending Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne won their respective Gatorade Duel at Daytona races. But it wasn't easy for either of them, as they had to nose out their finishes coming to the stripe.

How Johnson won his race was courtesy of a gutsy call from crew chief Chad Knaus, as he didn't pit during the final caution of race #1, while everyone else did. And it was a call that paid off. After the final restart, Johnson held off 2007 Daytona 500 winner Kevin Harvick in a side-by-side battle to the flag, winning by inches. Daytona 500 polesitter Mark Martin peeled out of the lead pack coming to the white flag in an effort to avoid potential trouble on the last lap. Getting the transfer spots in race #1 were Max Papis--who did not pit under the final caution along with Johnson--and Michael McDowell.

In race two, Kasey Kahne was locked in a side-by-side battle with Tony Stewart on the last lap, and just like in the first race, Kahne edged Stewart at the finish line. Scott Speed and Mike Bliss finished in the transfer spots, which put them both into the Daytona 500. With Speed's 14th place finish, two-time Daytona 500 winner Michael Waltrip gets into the race by falling back on his qualifying speed, despite crashing out of his duel race earlier. Waltrip will start 43rd in a backup car.