Surprises And Disappointments From The Daytona 500

I know I said that I wasn’t going to blog on the Daytona 500 again. Well…. um… I lied. I just wanted to go through some of the surprises and disappointments of last Sunday's race.

 

Surprise

Richard Petty Motorsports had a fantastic race! I’m sure the rain stoppage helped them, but still it was a darn good showing. A.J. Allmendinger finished third, Elliott Sadler fifth, and Reed Sorenson ninth. At lap 143, all three drivers were in the top 5. Elliott Sadler had a shot to win before the precipitation. 

Disappointment

Kasey Kahne being the one RPM car that had a bad finish. I mean who would have thunk it? Kasey Kahne is generally thought of as the strongest driver of the four, but having a tangle with Aric Almirola at lap 146 hurt Kasey’s chances.

Surprise

Matt Kenseth passing Elliott Sadler just in the nick of time before the last yellow flag. You talk about close - Kenseth made it by seconds.

Disappointment

The rain starting to get very heavy after the above mentioned caution flag. I am positive that Kenseth and Roush Fenway Racing is very pleased with the rain, but for the fans, it stunk.

Surprise

Seeing Brian Vickers throw a block like he did against Dale, Jr. I don’t know about you, but that really shocked me.

Disappointment

Yes, here it comes…..again. Junior’s lack of judgment during the episode. I know he was frustrated, but he still needs to mature. Not to mention his overly-talked-about pit errors that should not happen to a driver in his 10th Daytona 500. To be honest, I was more disappointed in his post-race ranting, raving and blame-gaming than I was the accident.

Surprise

After Tony Stewart won the Nationwide race on Saturday, I didn’t hear any more complaints about Goodyear. Hmmmm.

Disappointment

In Tony Stewart’s defense, I am very disappointed that Goodyear is still having tire issues. Albeit, not like the Brickyard last year, we still had a very good amount of tire problems through Speed Weeks. The only driver that I can recall that suffered a blown tire was Travis Kvapil at lap 55. The tires were still blistering very badly on most of the cars. I’m sure the testing ban did not help Goodyear prepare, but tire issues are as commonplace now as the COT.

Perhaps this is my last Daytona 500 post for 2009. Well..probably not…but it sounded good.

Kenseth Wins Rain-Shortened Daytona 500

 

The rain was coming, and Matt Kenseth knew it was time to get going.

It was the Daytona 500, a race where drivers wait until the very end to make their big move for NASCAR's biggest prize.

Only this time, nobody knew when the end would be.

Matt Kenseth Celebrates His 2009 Daytona 500 Win

The rain that had threatened Sunday's season-opening race all day finally rolled in moments after Kenseth slid past Elliott Sadler for the lead. Then the former NASCAR champion was forced to sit out a 20-minute delay before claiming victory after 152 of 200 laps. It was just the fourth rain-shortened 500 in the race's 51-year history, and first since Michael Waltrip's 2003 victory.

"It's going to be really wet out here, because I'm crying like a baby," the usually cool Kenseth said as he choked back tears.

Coming off one of the worst seasons of his career, Kenseth's 2009 start seemed to be headed in the wrong direction, too. He wrecked his primary car, had to go to a backup and started at the back Sunday.

Had rain not been forecast, he might still have been running at the back of the field with 54 laps to go, because that's where veterans usually wait out the dicey Daytona racing before making a late charge.

But the weather radar showed the rain was coming, and crew chiefs up and down pit road urged their drivers to go for it.

Kenseth sliced his way through the field, then used a huge push from Kevin Harvick to take the lead from Sadler. A caution came out moments later for a spin by Aric Almirola, and the sky opened up about the same time.

After two laps under caution, NASCAR stopped the race and brought the drivers to pit road. Most climbed from their cars to await NASCAR's decision.

Kenseth did not, choosing instead to sit silently inside his Ford away from his nervous supporters. He began to cry when NASCAR gave him the victory, his first in the Daytona 500 and first since the 2007 season finale.

It was also the first Daytona 500 win for team owner Jack Roush.

"I tell you what, after last year, winning a race means a lot to me," Kenseth said. "I've had a lot of great opportunities in my life -- from my family getting me in racing and really ... all the sponsors that we have that have stuck by us and made this happen in an up-and-down economy.

"Man, I don't know. Winning the Daytona 500 is definitely a dream moment. It's just an unbelievable feeling."

Harvick, who used a push from Kenseth to win the 500 in 2007, finished second and said Kenseth would be a popular winner among his competitors.

"I think Matt's obviously a pretty stand-up person and a great race car driver," Harvick said. "I think he's one of those guys that he can win seven or eight races in a year and never receive any credit. He's a really good race car driver. He's a champion, Daytona 500 champion."

A.J. Allmendinger, who had to race his way into the field in one of Thursday's qualifiers, finished third.

Richard Petty And Team Were Very Pleased With A.J. Allmendinger’s Third Place Finish In The Daytona 500

Clint Bowyer was fourth, and Sadler was fifth, devastated he lost the lead moments before the rain stopped the race. He led 24 laps and was out front during an earlier caution, hoping the sky would open up at that moment to give him the win.

"That's just my luck," he radioed his crew. "It's raining on the radar and not on the track. Welcome to the team."

Sadler nearly lost his job in December, when team management decided to replace him with Allmendinger. He filed an injunction to stop the move, and the team changed its mind after merging with Petty Enterprises in early January.

A chance to win the 500 would have been sweet redemption for Sadler, who instead was left wondering what he did wrong.

"If I would have made a better and smarter move, I'd be in Victory Lane right now," he said. "I put my heart and soul to come in here to Daytona, Speedweeks, try to compete at the top of my game, 'cause I knew I had a lot of eyes on me to run good.

"It would have been cool to finish like that, but just wasn't meant to be. Very hard to swallow. Very emotional."

David Ragan was sixth and was followed by Michael Waltrip, Tony Stewart, Reed Sorenson and Kurt Busch.

Pole-sitter Martin Truex Jr. was 11th. Defending race winner Ryan Newman was 36th. Joey Logano, who at 18 was the youngest starter in race history, finished 43rd.

The racing picked up much earlier than usual, as most everyone knew it was really a race against the rain.

So it was no surprise when Dale Earnhardt Jr., frustrated by two pit-road mistakes that had dropped him a lap down, aggressively raced Brian Vickers for position on a restart just past the halfway mark.

 

 

Vickers blocked an attempted pass by pushing Earnhardt down below the yellow out-of-bounds line. When Earnhardt re-entered the racing surface, he clipped the left-rear corner of Vickers' car to trigger a nine-car accident.

"My goal is to keep Junior behind me," Vickers said. "I went to block him. I beat him to the yellow line and then he just turned us. To wreck somebody intentionally like that in front of the entire field is really kind of dangerous. That's my problem with it."

The accident knocked out Kyle Busch, who had led a race-high 88 laps and figured he was in position for the win.

Kyle Busch’s Wrecked Toyota During The 51st Annual Daytona 500

"Some guys having some bad days and not doing their best out there, just made their bad day our bad day," Busch said. "It's just a shame. It's just unfortunate that two guys got together that were a lap down that were fighting over nothing."

 

2009 Daytona 500 Results

 

Pos	Driver	Car #	Make	St.	Laps	Led	Points
1	Matt Kenseth		Ford	39	152	7	190
2	Kevin Harvick		Chevrolet	32	152	0	170
3	AJ Allmendinger		Dodge	20	152	0	165
4	Clint Bowyer		Chevrolet	22	152	0	160
5	Elliott Sadler		Dodge	30	152	24	160
6	David Ragan		Ford	33	152	0	150
7	Michael Waltrip		Toyota	27	152	0	146
8	Tony Stewart		Chevrolet	5	152	15	147
9	Reed Sorenson		Dodge	34	152	0	138
10	Kurt Busch		Dodge	13	152	0	134
11	Martin Truex Jr.		Chevrolet	1	152	1	135
12	David Reutimann		Toyota	28	152	0	127
13	Jeff Gordon		Chevrolet	3	152	14	129
14	Juan Pablo Montoya		Chevrolet	8	152	0	121
15	Casey Mears		Chevrolet	25	152	0	118
16	Mark Martin		Chevrolet	2	152	1	120
17	Marcos Ambrose		Toyota	23	152	0	112
18	Carl Edwards		Ford	16	152	0	109
19	John Andretti		Chevrolet	37	152	0	106
20	Greg Biffle		Ford	35	152	0	103
21	Regan Smith		Chevrolet	42	152	0	100
22	Bobby Labonte		Ford	12	152	1	102
23	Bill Elliott		Ford	40	152	0	94
24	Terry Labonte		Toyota	43	152	0	91
25	Scott Riggs		Toyota	17	152	0	88
26	Denny Hamlin		Toyota	10	152	0	85
27	Dale Earnhardt Jr.		Chevrolet	14	152	1	87
28	Jeff Burton		Chevrolet	26	152	0	79
29	Kasey Kahne		Dodge	15	152	0	76
30	Aric Almirola		Chevrolet	11	152	0	73
31	Jimmie Johnson		Chevrolet	7	152	0	70
32	Sam Hornish Jr.		Dodge	29	151	0	67
33	David Stremme		Dodge	24	151	0	64
34	Robby Gordon		Toyota	31	151	0	61
35	Scott Speed		Toyota	38	151	0	58
36	Ryan Newman		Chevrolet	36	150	0	55
37	Jamie McMurray		Ford	21	139	0	52
38	Paul Menard		Ford	19	138	0	49
39	Brian Vickers		Toyota	6	134	0	46
40	Jeremy Mayfield		Toyota	18	126	0	43
41	Kyle Busch		Toyota	4	123	88	50
42	Travis Kvapil		Ford	41	90	0	37
43	Joey Logano		Toyota	9	79	0	34

Race statistics

Time of Race: 2 hours, 51 minutes, 40 seconds.

Average Speed: 132.816 mph.

Margin of Victory: Under caution.

Caution Flags: 8 for 35 laps.

Lead Changes: 9 among 9 drivers.

Lap Leaders: M.Truex Jr. 1; M.Martin 2; Ky.Busch 3-52; D.Earnhardt Jr. 53; T.Stewart 54-68; J.Gordon 69-82; Ky.Busch 83-120; B.Labonte 121; E.Sadler 122-145; M.Kenseth 146-152.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Led, Laps Led):  Ky.Busch, 2 times for 88 laps; E.Sadler, 1 time for 24 laps; T.Stewart, 1 time for 15 laps; J.Gordon, 1 time for 14 laps; M.Kenseth, 1 time for 7 laps; M.Truex Jr., 1 time for 1 lap; M.Martin, 1 time for 1 lap; B.Labonte, 1 time for 1 lap; D.Earnhardt Jr., 1 time for 1 lap.

Top 12 in Points:  1. M.Kenseth, 190. 2. K.Harvick, 170. 3. A.Allmendinger, 165. 4. C.Bowyer, 160. 5. E.Sadler, 160. 6. D.Ragan, 150. 7. T.Stewart, 147. 8. M.Waltrip, 146. 9. R.Sorenson, 138. 10. M.Truex Jr., 135. 11. Ku.Busch, 134. 12. J.Gordon, 129.

Could Kyle and Richard Have Saved Petty Enterprises?

I just finished reading an article on USA Today’s website pertaining to Kyle Petty’s frustrations over being left without a ride for 2009. When Petty Enterprises was bought by Boston Ventures then merged with Gillett Evernham Motorsports, to form Richard Petty Motorsports, Kyle found himself outside the loop. The organization brought in young drivers A.J. Allmendinger and Reed Sorenson, which left the No. 45 team defunct.

First off, I have been a Richard Petty fan since I could stand up. My mom always told people that the first word I ever uttered was Richard Petty. Not “Momma”, not “Dada”, but Richard Petty. Growing up about 45 minutes from Rockingham, we often visited North Carolina Motor Speedway. I was die hard Richard Petty all the way. Every t-shirt I owned had a 43 on it. Since I followed The King, I had to follow his son as well. I instantly became a Kyle Petty fan, too.

Right off the bat, I knew Kyle would become the megastar his dad was. I knew Kyle would become one of the most successful drivers in NASCAR history. Kyle started out in that fashion, but over the years settled into “back-runner” status.

In 27 seasons, Kyle Petty posted eight wins. Kyle has been an important part of the sport, but that’s not the stellar career he should have had. He did enjoy some success during his time at Felix Sabates Racing driving the Mello Yello Pontiac in the late 1980’s and 1990’s.

Here comes the reader warning. Some of the things I’m about to say might offend some long-time race fans, but I have to call it how I see it – good or bad.

Richard and Kyle Petty are two of the biggest reasons Petty Enterprises is now basically non-existent. How could I say such a thing? Well, let’s examine this a bit.

It has been 13 years since Kyle parked a race car in Victory Lane. During that span he has struggled to finish races in the top 20, and since the top 35 rule, has struggled to maintain a top 35 points standing. Many times in the last several years, Kyle was unable to qualify for races. Running like that bodes difficult on keeping and finding sponsors. The Petty name will get you by only so far, especially during tough economic times.

Years ago, Kyle should have realized that his best racing days are behind him and relinquished his seat at Petty Enterprises. Now, I know just giving up something you love is a difficult, sometimes impossible, thing to do. I really believe that Kyle tried to keep racing in the name of his deceased son, Adam. But Kyle should have given up his seat for the sake of the company and his family’s legacy.

Let’s face it, if Kyle was with any other team, he would have been released of his driving duties a long time ago.

At this time, Petty Enterprises could have went out and aggressively sought a young, talented driver, such as a Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, or Kyle Busch, that could do something with the No. 45 car and team. Petty Enterprises should have began a driver development program, like Hendrick, Gibbs and Roush.

Perhaps the Petty’s were too set in their ways. Maybe they felt that they could keep up in today’s NASCAR by running it old school. But too many times we have seen teams fall by the wayside because they did not do the things needed to stay with the pack. Sure, some of that reason could be finances – not everyone has Gibbs’, Roush’s, or Hendrick’s pocket book. Even without the big money, I feel that the Petty’s could have done more to keep Petty Enterprises alive years ago.

I’m sure both Richard and Kyle have had many a sleepless night pondering over the same thing.

It was a very sad day for me personally when I heard that Petty Enterprises had been sold to Boston Ventures. It was also a sad day when Petty Enterprises merged with Gillett Evernham Motorsports. Even though the team has been renamed Richard Petty Motorsports, I really feel like Richard Petty is just the team mascot, and has nothing to do with the business side of the organization.

Watching the 51st Annual Daytona 500 tomorrow without a Petty driving for the first time since 1965 will be heart-breaking. I hope the Petty’s can somehow make a comeback, but the possibility looks bleak.

Garage Insider

Here’s more recent news leading up to the 51st Annual Daytona 500. I think the NASCAR rule change on single file restarts is very interesting. I really agree with this change. I believe the lead lap cars should have more laps to duke it out at the end, which should promote better racing during the final laps.

If you are interested in the full article, just click the “headline” of each topic.

 

NASCAR Modifies Restart Rules

NASCAR will implement single-file restarts over the final 20 laps instead of the final 10 in all three series during the 2009 season, officials said on Thursday.

The rule was changed to give lead-lap drivers a better chance to go for the victory instead of having to battle lapped traffic on the inside as they do on double-file restarts.

NASCAR also is evaluating the 50-foot distance announced at the Budweiser Shootout as the new standard for the leader to restart an event. It could decrease from track to track based on driver input, officials said.

Under the new rule, the leader has between the double-red line 50 feet from the start-finish line and single-red line at the start-finish line to start the race. Otherwise, the starter on the flag stand will start the field.

 

Daytona To Be Repaved

International Speedway Corporation plans to resurface Daytona International Speedway in three years, the first time that has occurred since 1978.

And the decision was in place long before Dale Earnhardt Jr. said on Wednesday that the 2.5-mile track was becoming too bumpy and long overdue for a new surface.

"It has nothing to do with money, although it will be a $20 million project," DIS president Robin Braig said. "It has nothing to do with technology. We banked Talladega so we know we can do it on the high banking.

"It's all about when NASCAR and Goodyear says we need to do it," Braig said.

Daytona is one of the few major tracks that hasn't been resurfaced over the past 10 years. Talladega, Darlington, Lowe's Motor Speedway and many others have been through the process.

Sprint Cup series director John Darby said the DIS surface hasn't reached the point where it needs immediate attention because it isn't coming apart like Talladega was, but it is near the end of its life cycle.

 

Busch Helps Rookie Logano During Practice

Kyle Busch hopped into teammate Joey Logano’s car during Daytona 500 practice Friday, presumably to help the rookie dial-in his No. 20 Toyota.

The two both took turns in the Joe Gibbs Racing entry, but combined ran just 22 laps in the only practice session of the day at Daytona International Speedway. The 18-year-old Logano has had a roller-coaster Speedweeks, wrecking last week and scraping the wall in an earlier practice session, but rebounding with a fourth-place run in one of Thursday’s qualifying races.

Kevin Harvick, winner of the 2007 race, scraped the wall late in the session and will go to a backup car. He’ll now race the same car he drove to victory in last week’s Budweiser Shootout.

Only 37 drivers participated in the practice, which was paced by Jamie McMurray.

Busch, who won the second of Thursday’s qualifying races, did not turn any laps in his own Toyota. Aric Almirola, Denny Hamlin, Scott Speed, Jeremy Mayfield and Scott Riggs also took the day off.

 

Sadler Helps Allmendinger Get In 500

Better to be friends who work together as teammates than mortal enemies who hamper every move the other makes.

That was the message delivered by Elliott Sadler to his Richard Petty Motorsports teammates prior to Thursday's Gatorade Duel at Daytona International Speedway. But it's one thing to preach this feel-good message; quite another altogether to go out and live it when you're driving a race car at speeds approaching 200 mph.

Sadler walked the walk after talking the talk during the second of twin 150-mile races that help set the lineup for this Sunday's Daytona 500. With new teammate A.J. Allmendinger in danger of failing to finish well enough to get into the season-opening event, Sadler deliberately slowed down and dropped back in the field to give Allmendinger much-needed drafting help.

Allmendinger ended up finishing 10th, while Sadler settled for 17th. Reed Sorenson, another RPM teammate, also assisted Allmendinger. But it was Sadler's show of generosity that drew the most attention -- and with good reason.

Around the first of the year, Allmendinger was basically set to replace Sadler as driver of the No. 19 Dodge. Sadler, who signed a contract extension last year with the organization when it was still known as Gillett Evernham Motorsports, threatened to sue GEM and Allmendinger alike -- and eventually it was announced that he would remain driver of the No. 19 for 2009.

Thursday's display of goodwill on the track confirmed that there are no hard feelings left between the two.

 

Slowing Economy Helps NASCAR "Little Guys"

Perhaps the most time-tested adage in auto racing is that money buys speed. That's long been reflected in the upper reaches of NASCAR.

Last year the four richest teams controlled the 12 spots in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, a 10-race playoff-style format at the end of the racing season. The price tag for running a championship contender seemed to be at least $20 million.

But this year the recession has hit NASCAR in ways that will change what fans see on the track. Some sponsors — whose money is the lifeblood of race teams — have cut spending or dropped out, forcing teams to lay off crewmembers and trim operations. The four dominant teams — Hendrick Motorsports, Roush Fenway Racing, Joe Gibbs Racing and Richard Childress Racing — are as potent as ever, with big-name drivers such as three-time defending champion Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick.

But several midsized teams — which were spending $12 million-$20 million a year — are gone. That has spawned a new generation of low-budget teams that, like NASCAR teams a half-century ago, will run on shoestring budgets — and try to play David to the Big Four's Goliath.

The new teams, most with budgets of 10% to 25% of the Big Four's, will benefit from a confluence of factors that has opened up NASCAR races to more upstart drivers and teams.

Gordon, Busch Win Duels – Daytona 500 Field Set

Gatorade Duel No. 1

Jeff Gordon returned to victory lane for the first time in more than a year, winning Thursday’s first Gatorade Duel qualifying race at Daytona International Speedway.

 Jeff Gordon Celebrates In Victory Lane After His Gatorade Duel Victory

Driving the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, Gordon held off Tony Stewart and rookie Joey Logano in the closing laps. Because of Thursday’s victory, Gordon will start Sunday’s Daytona 500 on the inside of the second row as he tries to break his 41-race losing streak.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to visit victory lane quite a few times, but not many times as a father,” said Gordon, who was greeted by his daughter Ella after the race, which does not count in the Sprint Cup standings. “There’s nothing more special than that.

“This team has been unbelievable. We all know what we went through last year by not winning. There’s a lot of expectations on this team, but they never wavered. The guys just kept working hard, building great race cars. I hope there’s a lot of this in store for us in 2009.”

Stewart finished second in his No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet and earned the first transfer spot into the 500. The second spot went to Scott Riggs’ new Tommy Baldwin Racing team, as Riggs moved from 11th to eighth in the final five laps.
Since Stewart raced his way into the Daytona 500, Regan Smith moved up the qualifying order and is guaranteed a starting spot Sunday. Smith is entered in Thursday’s second Gatorade Duel.
Logano surged into the top five late in the race and ended up third in the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Hendrick’s Jimmie Johnson was fourth, with Earnhardt Ganassi Racing’s Aric Almirola fifth.

Sixth through 10th were Penske Racing’s Kurt Busch, Richard Petty Motorsports’ Kasey Kahne, Riggs, Yates Racing’s Paul Menard and Roush Fenway Racing’s Jamie McMurray.
Bill Elliott ran well early in the race, but under the second caution, the transmission on Elliott’s Wood Brothers Racing Ford locked up, sending Elliott into the wall.
Elliott still transfers into Sunday’s Daytona 500 via his qualifying speed, as he was the fastest of the drivers not locked into the race.

Daytona 500 polesitter Martin Truex Jr. brought out the third caution when he spun on lap 49. Truex’s No. 1 Earnhardt Ganassi Chevrolet slid up the track in Turn 2 and then was clipped by David Ragan’s Ford.

Kyle Roland,  a crewman for Mayfield Motorsports, was struck on pit road while he helped service Kirk Shelmerdine’s No. 27 Toyota. Roland was serving as jackman for Shelmerdine when he was hit by Shelmerdine’s car on a pit stop. Roland was taken to a local hospital for possible treatment, a NASCAR spokesman said.

Gatorade Duel No. 1 Results

Finish	Start	Car #	Driver	Car Make
1	5	24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet
2	6	14	Tony Stewart	Chevrolet
3	3	48	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet
4	10	20	Joey Logano	Toyota
5	4	8	Aric Almirola	Chevrolet
6	22	2	Kurt Busch	Dodge
7	19	9	Kasey Kahne	Dodge
8	15	36	Scott Riggs	Toyota
9	7	98	Paul Menard	Ford
10	12	26	Jamie McMurray	Ford
11	9	187	Joe Nemechek	Toyota
12	18	09	Brad Keselowski	Chevrolet
13	14	47	Marcos Ambrose	Toyota
14	21	07	Casey Mears	Chevrolet
15	16	55	Michael Waltrip	Toyota
16	23	77	Sam Hornish Jr	Dodge
17	28	146	Carl Long	Dodge
18	25	37	Tony Raines	Dodge
19	26	66	Terry Labonte	Toyota
20	24	127	Kirk Shelmerdine	Toyota
21	1	1	Martin Truex Jr	Chevrolet
22	20	7	Robby Gordon	Toyota
23	13	6	David Ragan	Ford
24	8	16	Greg Biffle	Ford
25	17	34	John Andretti	Chevrolet
26	11	17	Matt Kenseth	Ford
27	2	21	Bill Elliott	Ford
28	27	123	Mike Skinner	Chevrolet

 

Gatorade Duel No. 2

Kyle Busch seemed to shake off his 2008 Chase For The Sprint Cup blues by holding off Mark Martin and Brian Vickers to win the second Gatorade Duel qualifying race Thursday at Daytona International Speedway.

Kyle Busch Celebrates After Winning The Second Gatorade Duel

Mayfield Motorsports’ Jeremy Mayfield and Richard Petty Motorsports’ AJ Allmendinger finished ninth and 10th, respectively, to earn starting spots in Sunday’s Daytona 500.
“An emotional day,” Mayfield said. “It’s probably better than any win I’ve ever had. I’ve had so much support from everybody. It’s just unbelievable.”

While Mayfield used a late two-tire pit stop to gain track position, Allmendinger raced his No. 44 Dodge into the final transfer spot with help from teammates Elliott Sadler and Reed Sorenson.
“Everybody’s known over the last two months what’s happened,” Allmendinger said. “I’ve got to thank the 44 guys. They worked way long hours to get these cars ready. And I’ve especially got to thank my teammates, Elliott and Reed. They kind of had to ruin their races to come back and save me.”

The final three drivers to make the 500 reached it through qualifying speed: Bill Elliott (Wood Brothers Racing), Travis Kvapil (Yates Racing) and Regan Smith (Furniture Row Racing).
Busch won eight of the first 26 races last year but struggled in the 10-race Chase, finishing 10th in the final Cup standings.
Busch surged to the front late in the race, getting drafting help from Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin to get around Hendrick Motorsports' Martin for the lead with three laps to go.
“I knew the first opportunity that we had to make the move that we ought to just take it and go for it and try to hold them off from there,” Busch said. “It turned out to be all right; it was the winning move.”

On the last lap, Martin and Vickers (Red Bull Racing) slipped under Hamlin and moved in on Busch. Vickers gave Martin a hard bump-draft into Turn 3, sending Martin to the outside of Busch.
Busch moved up the track to block Martin, and then Vickers darted under Martin as the two raced for second to the checkered flag.

Martin slipped around Vickers for second, with Vickers holding on for third. Earnhardt Ganassi Racing’s Juan Pablo Montoya finished fourth, with Hamlin finishing fifth

.
Sixth through 10th were Hall of Fame Racing’s Bobby Labonte, Hendrick’s Dale Earnhardt Jr., Roush Fenway Racing’s Carl Edwards, Mayfield and Allmendinger.

Stewart-Haas Racing’s Ryan Newman didn’t have as good a race as his teammate/owner Tony Stewart did in the first Duel. Newman was forced to pit with a flat tire on lap 13, but a caution came out soon after, and Newman was able to stay on the lead lap.

Newman moved back in the top five late in the race but was hit from behind by Michael Waltrip Racing's David Reutimann on the backstretch and slammed the wall. After crawling out of his No. 39 Chevrolet, Newman walked on the track and lifted his arms in frustration at Reutimann.

Gatorade Duel No. 2 Results

Finish	Start	Car #	Driver	Make
1	8	18	Kyle Busch	Toyota
2	1	5	Mark Martin	Chevrolet
3	18	83	Brian Vickers	Toyota
4	3	42	Juan Pablo Montoya	Chevrolet
5	13	11	Denny Hamlin	Toyota
6	5	96	Bobby Labonte	Ford
7	6	88	Dale Earnhardt Jr	Chevrolet
8	14	99	Carl Edwards	Ford
9	21	41	Jeremy Mayfield	Toyota
10	19	44	A.J. Allmendinger	Dodge
11	12	33	Clint Bowyer	Chevrolet
12	20	12	David Stremme	Dodge
13	22	171	Mike Wallace	Chevrolet
14	17	31	Jeff Burton	Chevrolet
15	10	00	David Reutimann	Toyota
16	7	78	Regan Smith	Chevrolet
17	16	19	Elliott Sadler	Dodge
18	24	29	Kevin Harvick	Chevrolet
19	4	28	Travis Kvapil	Ford
20	26	51	Kelly Bires	Dodge
21	15	43	Reed Sorenson	Dodge
22	25	175	Derrike Cope	Dodge
23	28	157	Norm Benning	Chevrolet
24	2	39	Ryan Newman	Chevrolet
25	9	82	Scott Speed	Toyota
26	23	73	Mike Garvey	Dodge
27	27	64	Geoffrey Bodine	Toyota
28	11	08	Boris Said	Ford

2009 Daytona 500 Starting Lineup

Starting lineup for Sunday's Daytona 500 race for NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series at Daytona International Speedway after Thursday's qualifying races, with car number in parentheses, driver, car and qualifying speed in mph:

1. (1) Martin Truex Jr., Chevrolet, 188.001.

2. (5) Mark Martin, Chevrolet, 187.817.

3. (24) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 187.402.

4. (18) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 186.896.

5. (14) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 187.336.

6. (83) Brian Vickers, Toyota, 185.858.

7. (48) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 187.727.

8. (42) Juan Pablo Montoya, Chevrolet, 187.743.

9. (20) Joey Logano, Toyota, 186.753.

10. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 186.451.

11. (8) Aric Almirola, Chevrolet, 187.649.

12. (96) Bobby Labonte, Ford, 187.211.

13. (2) Kurt Busch, Dodge, 185.38.

14. (88) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 187.079.

15. (9) Kasey Kahne, Dodge, 185.517.

16. (99) Carl Edwards, Ford, 186.389.

17. (36) Scott Riggs, Toyota, 185.893.

18. (41) Jeremy Mayfield, Toyota, 185.082.

19. (98) Paul Menard, Ford, 187.044.

20. (44) A.J. Allmendinger, Dodge, 185.77.

21. (26) Jamie McMurray, Ford, 186.509.

22. (33) Clint Bowyer, Chevrolet, 186.726.

23. (47) Marcos Ambrose, Toyota, 186.012.

24. (12) David Stremme, Dodge, 185.391.

25. (07) Casey Mears, Chevrolet, 185.426.

26. (31) Jeff Burton, Chevrolet, 185.958.

27. (55) Michael Waltrip, Toyota, 185.805.

28. (00) David Reutimann, Toyota, 186.827.

29. (77) Sam Hornish Jr., Dodge, 185.079.

30. (19) Elliott Sadler, Dodge, 186.066.

31. (7) Robby Gordon, Toyota, 185.51.

32. (29) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 183.602.

33. (6) David Ragan, Ford, 186.374.

34. (43) Reed Sorenson, Dodge, 186.07.

35. (16) Greg Biffle, Ford, 186.889.

36. (39) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 187.778.

37. (34) John Andretti, Chevrolet, 185.59.

38. (82) Scott Speed, Toyota, 186.842.

39. (17) Matt Kenseth, Ford, 186.614.

40. (21) Bill Elliott, Ford, 187.739.

41. (28) Travis Kvapil, Ford, 187.574.

42. (78) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 186.924.

43. (66) Terry Labonte, Toyota, Past Champion.

Failed to qualify

44. (87) Joe Nemechek, Toyota, 186.807.

45. (08) Boris Said, Ford, 186.78.

46. (09) Brad Keselowski, Chevrolet, 185.571.

47. (127) Kirk Shelmerdine, Toyota, 184.854.

48. (171) Mike Wallace, Chevrolet, 184.847.

49. (37) Tony Raines, Dodge, 184.106.

50. (73) Mike Garvey, Dodge, 184.004.

51. (75) Derrike Cope, Dodge, 182.02.

52. (23) Mike Skinner, Chevrolet, 181.928.

53. (51) Kelly Bires, Dodge, 181.701.

54. (46) Carl Long, Dodge, 181.032.

55. (64) Geoff Bodine, Toyota, 180.81.

56. (57) Norm Benning, Chevrolet, 177.396.