During the 2008 Daytona 500, I picked the M&M’s car as my favorite, because it was so cute. It also won the race. (Photo courtesy the M&M’s Racing website)The rain began to creep into Daytona early in the morning of Sunday, Feb. 15, and my husband and I wondered if we weren’t in for an overdue drenching. It hadn’t rained much since the end of hurricane season in October, and not at all since the beginning of February, but God decided to pick today, of all days, the annual Daytona 500, to give Central Florida a much needed watering. Although we went out at noon to see pre-race activities amidst the cloudy drizzle, my husband and I decided to watch the race in the comfort of our own home in front of the TV.
Everyone knows that the first day of rain after a long dry spell spells trouble on the roads as the first sprinkles mix with grease and pollen and turn the road into a skating rink. The race track was no exception as wreck after wreck occurred. Although exciting to watch, it turned the race into a real nail-biter. I cringed with disappointment as my favorite driver from last year, Kyle Busch, was knocked out of the winning spot after Dale Earnhardt, Jr. turned a hard right into traffic, overcompensating to get back “in zone” after being nudged out of bounds by driver Brian Vickers.
Despite numerous cries of foul from the stands, Earnhardt, affectionately known as Junior, was neither blamed, nor penalized for the nine-car pileup, which badly damaged all three front runners: Kyle Busch, Jimmie Johnson, and Carl Edwards. I mourned when I watched film footage of pit crews hammering out the dents and applying patching tape to the formerly beautiful cars. Fortunately, no one was hurt. (New York Times, Feb. 15, 2009) (thatsracin.com, Feb. 15, 2009)
Last year, I picked Kyle Busch as my favorite because I liked his car. It’s true. I love M & M’s and the car was super cute, so I decided to root for whoever was driving it. Lo and behold, the car won the Daytona 500 in 2008, and from that point forward, Kyle Busch became my favorite driver. You might think I have cotton candy for brains to pick a favorite that way. Not true. Many, many years ago, I used to volunteer at qualifying races in Darlington and Rockingham and I got to know many of the drivers personally. I’m just tired of seeing all the famous race names and dynasties win over and over and over again. Who wants to see a heavily financially supported team win when the rest of us are worried about how we’ll pay for groceries?
This year, perhaps due to the bad economy, I had a fervent desire to see the underdog win. News stories of financial trouble in NASCAR worried race fans this season. Ticket sales were down and companies were cutting sponsorships in the wake of the failing U.S. economy. Fortunately, the Daytona 500 sold out after track management wisely cut ticket prices. Auto makers also justified supporting the sport because of the return advertising value in car sales to avid race fans. Race teams merged to cut costs. (Washington Post, Feb. 15, 2009) (Detroit Free Press, Feb. 15, 2009)
As a result, over a thousand NASCAR workers were laid off last year. (Fox News, Feb. 10, 2009) Rather than disappear from the race scene into unemployment, some race mechanics agreed to work for free as volunteers. I suppose that it’s better to be busy and part of something great, even if you don’t get paid for it – that is, as long as no one else is getting paid, either.
Such is the case for the all-volunteer crew supporting the new one-car Tommy Baldwin Racing (TBR) Team, formed at the eleventh hour on January 6, 2009, after Baldwin lost his job at Bill Davis Racing, which closed it’s doors in December, 2008. (Hartford Courant, Feb. 14, 2009) (Wikipedia) (Bleacher Report, Jan. 7, 2009)
TBR’s goal: qualify for the Daytona 500 and earn a minimum of $250,000 for a last place finish. (Hartford Courant, Feb. 14, 2009)
The gamble paid off and TBR’s #36 Toyota not only qualified under 38-year old driver, Scott Riggs, TBR also earned two sponsors for the team’s Daytona 500 debut: Red Bank “Ale and Quail” Outfitters, a hunting trip organizer; and a last minute sponsor of Mahindra USA Tractors after their sponsored R3 Motorsports #23 driven by Mike Skinner didn’t qualify due to an oil pressure problem. (Hartford Courant, Feb. 15, 2009) (Wikipedia)
Driver Jeremy Mayfield also decided to take the opportunity to race under his newly formed, driver-owned team, driving the #41 Toyota Camry sponsored by All Sport drinks. (New York Daily News, Feb. 14, 2009)
After Kyle Busch was knocked out, I needed a new favorite for this year’s Daytona 500. True to form, I based my pick on “curb appeal” and decided to root for the Cheerios Chevrolet Impala. Perhaps I picked the car because I saw someone sporting a bright yellow Cheerios jersey shopping in the Altamonte Springs Costco on Saturday before the race and felt a kind of kindred spirit. There’s something very basic and no frills about Cheerios — no sugar added, just pressed and pre-cooked rolled oats — which I’ve relished since I was a kid and still eat every morning to this very day (except when I’m on a low-carb diet, of course). Plus, “33” is my favorite number.
This years’ Cheerios car driver was Clint Bowyer. I was excited to learn that Bowyer won the NASCAR Nationwide Series drivers championship last year. Cheery-O! He actually has a chance to win!
My favorite driver in this year’s Daytona 500 was the #33 Cheerios car driven by Clint Bowyer. I picked the underdog because I like Cheerios and the bright yellow car. This year, my favorite car came in fourth. (Photo courtesy the Cheerios Racing website). Three quarters into the race during the 152nd lap, the race was called for rain. Like musical chairs, the lucky frontrunner, Matt Kenseth, found himself to be the surprise victor of the 2009 Daytona 500.
It didn’t matter to me that I had never heard of Matt Kenseth, driver of the #17 Dewalt tools car owned by Roush Fenway racing out of Concord, North Carolina. I was thrilled for him and his team and celebrated his victory. I also took comfort that I’d never heard of the other winning drivers: Kevin Harvick, #29 Chevrolet Impala SS, sponsored by Penzoil, and owned by Richard Childress Racing in second place; and A.J. Allmendinger, #84 Toyota Camry, sponsored by Red Bull and owned by Richard Petty Motorsports in third place. To my surprise, there he was, Clint Bowyer in the Cheerios car in fourth.
Picking an underdog to win is completely a psychological decision and not derived by logic, nor based on facts. I don’t follow the qualifying races the rest of the year, so I have no idea who’s favored to win and who’s got the big bucks to back them.
While doing research for this editorial, I was surprised to discover that although Bowyer might be a lesser known driver, his team is an institution. The Cheerios / Hamburger Helper car is managed by the incredibly successful, Richard Childress Racing team (RCR) out of Clemmons, NC, and was Dale Earnhardt’s old team. In fact, Bowyer started racing for RCR in 2005, perhaps as a replacement for Earnhardt’s oldest son, Kerry Earnhardt, who left the team to be a mechanic that year.
I was also surprised to discover that although this was Matt Kenseth’s first Daytona 500 win, he is no stranger to NASCAR. He’s paid his dues by winning multitudes of races since 1999. The Daytona 500 was his 17th Sprint Cup victory, a perfect climax for the number 17 car. (Dewalt Racing)
I was happy to learn that the new TBR team car driven by Riggs came in 25th, earning him a much needed $273,513, which team owner, Baldwin, said is already spent.
Jeremy Mayfield also qualified and finished at 40th.
Perhaps the biggest winner is Ford Motor Company, auto maker of the new Ford Fusion, the car which won this year’s Daytona 500. My guess is that potential car buyers will be lining up at dealers to test drive the winning vehicle this week. (Ford Racing)
Junior came in 27th. Perhaps, there is justice in the world.
