“First time victor, 22 vehicle, but it was, it just wasn’t the same without Earnhardt there but Daytona’s Daytona”, he explained.
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Matt DiBenedetto was one of the fastest drivers with “open” teams in front-row qualifying, so he was guaranteed a starting spot before the Can-Am Duel. His father holds the record, with 34 at that track, a fact of which Junior was well aware. “He was just one of the best drivers in NASCAR”. Dr. Robert Hubbard, an accomplished professor of biomechanical engineering who got to know Downing as a result of marrying his sister and then buying a Porsche 911 from him, eventually answered that question. Lee Petty (1958 championship, 1959 Daytona 500), Richard Petty (1972 championship; 1973 Daytona 500), Cale Yarborough (1976 championship, 1977 Daytona 500), Jeff Gordon (1998 championship, 1999 Daytona 500) and Dale Jarrett (1999 championship, 2000 Daytona 500) accomplished the feat. Then you have a black flag; whichever driver is given the black flag must respond to a concern from NASCAR.
Helton was entering his first full season at the helm of America’s largest racing organization. FOX and FS1 air the first half of the Cup and XFINITY schedule, with NBC and NBCSN taking over July 2 at Daytona. “The guys at KBM have worked extremely hard to build me a fast truck, so hopefully we can go out, have some fun and bring home a solid finish on Friday night to kick-off Speedweeks”. “I don’t know how you do it, but you have to because you want to continue to be in the sport”. Atlanta Raceway had a deal one year with Mazda. “We’re down to our third-string vehicle”. “Bob Hubbard came along with that process of knowing Jim and in that time we were getting more aggressive in talking with folks like that”. It’s the latest in a string of unfortunate incidents that have plagued him in recent seasons. That ended the race immediately, and gave Busch his third career duel win.
NASCAR fans are remembering the legendary Dale Earnhardt, who passed away 15 years ago today. Many drivers started using a stronger six point harness seatbelt instead of five point type. But Earnhardt wanted nothing to do with the device.
“It’s real special”, Earnhardt admitted. “There was a little desk in there and he threw his leg over the corner of it and kind of sat down”. I just think when you look at how many cars were taken out of the race, we would have a much better race if the grass wasn’t there.
Earnhardt insisted his backup race auto was every bit as good as his primary. Most are now scrambling to renegotiate the driver compensation part of their contracts.
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Earnhardt wasn’t averse to safety. Earnhardt Sr. was inducted to numerous halls of fame including the inaugural class of NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2010. Through Nelson, he was a regular follower of the progress on the so-called “soft walls” being experimented with at the University of Nebraska in a joint venture with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The three drivers who have taken the chequered flag in the 500 two years in a row: Richard Petty (1973-74), Cale Yarborough (1983-84) and Sterling Marlin (1994-95). Perhaps he considered an element of danger to be in his favor.
