Coke Zero 400: Big Finale - Big Wreck

Bad day at the office for Kyle Busch -- last lap wreck with one more
big hit yet to come.

Wow, Tony Stewart slammed his way to a Daytona victory for the ages in tonight’s Coke Zero 400. The final laps shaped up to a four car heat with Stewart, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, and Jimmie Johnson all in play after the final caution. Stewart gained the lead just waiting to be ganged up upon from behind. True to form, Hamlin pushed his teammate Busch out in front on the next to last lap. Jimmie Johnson gave Stewart rear support but the battle was in the front between two cars, the #14 and the #18. Coming down the final straightaway, Busch threw a block. Stewart held true and came up on his bumper ready to pass low. Busch blocked again and was eliminated as Stewart barreled right through him. A giant “big one” ensued where several lead lap cars tangled up with Kasey Kahne’s #9 Dodge crashing under the #18 car, then a pile up which collected Busch’s teammate, Joey Logano.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s push for the chase officially came to an end after wrecking and spending much of the race in the pits finishing in 39th just above the quitters in the Start and Park contingent. Just above him in 38th was Mark Martin who spun out off turn two on the 13th lap clipping Matt Kenseth just avoiding Juan Montoya. Earnhardt battled handling problems in the early stages of the race putting him in the danger zone for the first “big one” on lap 77 which involved thirteen cars: Clint Bowyer, David Gilliland, Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick, Kasey Kahne, Brad Kesolowski, Jamie McMurray, Ryan Newman, Reed Sorenson, David Stremme, David Reutimann, and Brian Vickers. Junior went into the garage while Harvick and Gordon came to pit road for minor repairs.

A late caution set the field for the final action on lap 152 when Scott Speed was involved in a tangle of cars from the middle of the pack striking the wall bringing out the yellow flag. Tony Stewart led the field out of the restart holding off challenges from Kyle Busch until the next to last lap, 159, when Busch took the lead creating the dogfight for the finish where Busch successfully blocked Stewart in his first attempt, but Stewart bumped Busch in the second try sending the #18 Toyota aloft crashing into the wall creating total chaos just yards from the finish line.

Mark Martin was the big loser in the point’s standings dropping out of the top 12 dropping him 65 points out of the promised land while Kasey Kahne, victim of the last lap crash snuck into the elite field in 12th place. Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s trouble dropped him two positions into 21st widening his distance from the potential chase field effectively putting him into “wait until next year” status for any shot at serious contention, but winning races can surely make a dark season look not so bad with those photo ops in victory lane.

151 points separate 5th to 12th place in the standings, but now after Mark Martin’s misfortune, the outside contenders for the chase have a little more separation to over come. 103 points separate Brian Vickers in 17th from Martin with David Reutimann, Jeff Burton, and Clint Bowyer sandwiched in the middle essentially providing a field of five outsiders with strong hopes to move into the top twelve before the Chase field is set in September at Richmond. Marcos Ambrose in 18th remains a long shot 50 points out of 17th. Beyond that, even though advancing three positions in the standings, from Jaime McMurray in 19th on back, it is wait until next year, but with Joey Logano taking position of 20th spot, such a position provides for good bragging rights for a rookie challenger, his circumstances of taking a rain shortened victory fading into the background as another week’s action is complete, a win is just a win. They all count the same.

The Coke Zero 400 results helped Tony Stewart open up a 180 point margin in first place, almost a full race worth of points over #2 Jeff Gordon who fell closer to 3rd place challenger, Jimmie Johnson, just 14 points behind Gordon. Kurt Busch now stands 111 points behind 3rd falling closer to the big pack of contenders starting with Carl Edwards in 5th occupying the remainder of the top 12.

The big story leaving Florida will obviously be the dramatic last lap tangle between the 2nd and 1st place cars creating more controversy over restrictor plate racing further complicated by Brad Kesolowski’s move that threw Carl Edwards’ car into the fence along the front stretch at Talladega in April. That this is the second consecutive plate race where a car elevated substantially in a last lap shootout must raise safety concerns regardless of how dramatic the spectacle is for TV viewers. When Tony Stewart appeared shaken and nervous about how he achieved his win, race fans can be assured something is out of whack.

Restrictor plate racing has been controversial since first being installed for races at Daytona and Talladega since a tragic accident involving Bobby Allison in 1987 when his wreck injured fans in the stands. At that time, cars were routinely driving well in excess of 200 mph at the Alabama track and down the backstretch at Daytona. Around 200 mph, the cars’ aerodynamics reach a threshold where cars can more easily become airborne. In a 2004 test, Rusty Wallace reached a top speed of 228 mph without plates at Talladega clocking a lap speed of 221, a situation Wallace described as “out of control.”

While restrictor plates have prevented crashes like Bobby Allison’s 1987 tragedy, events at the circuit’s two longest, fastest tracks have had severe consequences most notably the crash that killed Dale Earnhardt in 2001 and Carl Edwards’ crash in April sending wreckage into the stands injuring several fans including one who sustained a broken jaw.

Attempts to come up with an alternative to restrictor plates simply have not passed the test yet but using existing engines, restrictor plates still seem preferable choking down horsepower from around 750 horsepower down to 430. With the cars’ aerodynamic and handling properties, such a restriction keeps cars under 200 mph.

NASCAR is now faced with two major episodes in back-to-back plate races with one more remaining at Talladega in October. What will be the solution short term? Long term? The prospects of cars flying into the stands are not acceptable under any circumstances. Tinkering with aerodynamics and making the plate openings smaller might be the short answer, but coming up with an acceptable permanent solution must be one of NASCAR’s major on track priorities.

As such, NASCAR is faced with yet another dilemma, what makes for bold, exciting racing on television is an entirely different situation live and in person. While race fans are a brave breed who quickly right off such incidents, the possibility of anyone being killed or disabled for simply watching a live sporting event is unacceptable. Twenty two years after the Bobby Allison/Talladega episode, the right solution still seems elusive but just as demanding as ever.

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A court ruling cleared the way for Jeremy Mayfield to resume his racing career while the appeal process plays out. This writer is one fan who wishes Mr. Mayfield would just go away. He’s not capable of being a serious contender and his whining makes more noise than his engines.

If he truly was tested positive for meth, the thought of a man commanding a 750hp machine with 42 other drivers on the track in that condition is beyond terrifying.

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Kudos to TNN for their fine race coverage. A hotel incident before last week’s New Hampshire race led to play-by-play announcer, Bill Weber’s suspension, which has now been made permanent. Ralph Sheheen’s move from pit road to the booth has proven a real bonus for the network’s coverage. Sheheen is professional, enthusiastic, and knowledgeable working well with his both partners Kyle Petty and Wally Dallenbach.

TNT has accomplished what good race coverage should always be, a transparent window to the action on the track. While no network can completely avoid missing some action on the track or being in a commercial break when something happens, their coverage has come along way since being the low point of Cup racing coverage before the big TV deal kicked in for the 2001 season. TNT was victim of being the junior partner to NBC until the 2007 season, but now covering just six races in June and July, the network is making the most of their small window of exposure until ESPN takes charge with the Brickyard 400 at the end of the month.

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The 2009 July Daytona race marks the 25th anniversary of Richard Petty’s 200th win witnessed by President Ronald Reagan. What could be more glorious NASCAR imagery than the site of Air Force One landing at the Daytona airfield directly behind the back straightaway? The “Gipper” gave the command to start engines aloft in Air Force One en route to the race track.

What a historical occasion, NASCAR’s greatest driver celebrates his final win with the 20th century’s greatest President. Note to Barack Obama, don’t even think about it. We don’t like your kind at NASCAR tracks where there’s no place for Euro-Socialism.