2007 Daytona 500 Blog Notes
Editor’s Note: Beginning today, Matt McLaughlin will be keeping a running blog of his opinion on the major NASCAR happenings of the week. We hope …
Matt joined Frontstretch in 2007 after a decade of race-writing, paired with the first generation of racing internet sites like RaceComm and Racing One. Now semi-retired, he submits occasional special features while his retrospectives on drivers like Alan Kulwicki, Davey Allison, and other fallen NASCAR legends pop up every summer on Frontstretch. A motorcycle nut, look for the closest open road near you and you can catch him on the Harley during those bright, summer days in his beloved Pennsylvania.
Matt McLaughlin’s 2007 Daytona 500 Driver Handicaps
Jimmie Johnson won last year’s Daytona 500 and his 32nd-place result in last year’s Firecracker 400 ended a streak of five top-six finishes at Daytona.
Racing at the Beach: Tragedy, Triumph & New Faces at Daytona, 2001-06
The 2000 edition of the Great American Race wasn’t very good, but come 2001 NASCAR thought they’d developed a solution to ensure good racing at Daytona.
Racing at the Beach: Curses Are Broken at Daytona, 1994-2000
When the Winston Cup crews arrived at Daytona for the kick off event of the 1994 season, one of the track’s favorite sons had been lost.
Racing at the Beach: Dale Earnhardt Tries His Best & Comes Up Short at Daytona, 1990-93
Dale Earnhardt must have felt his blood pressure rise whenever he recalled the Daytona 500 of 1990, and who can blame him?
Racing at the Beach: Out With the Old & In With the New at Daytona, 1986-90
For Dale Earnhardt fans, the 1986 Daytona 500 is one of the “big ones that got away.”
Racing at the Beach: Daytona Sees Smaller Cars, Fairy Tales & Passing the Torch, 1981-85
The 1981 Daytona 500 marked the debut of the “little” cars, with a 110-inch wheelbase as opposed to the 115 inches on the reliable Monte Carlos and Cutlasses.
Racing at the Beach: Daytona Legends Take Center Stage, 1976-1980
Richard Petty and David Pearson arrived at Daytona Beach in February of 1976 with some unsettled business.
Racing at the Beach: Daytona Legends Set the Stage, 1971-75
Defending Daytona 500 champion Pete Hamilton won the first 125-mile qualifier race of ’71 in his new ride, a Plymouth out of Cotton Owens’s shop.
MPM2Nite: Don’t Drink NASCAR’s Kool-Aid
As a season of uncertainty in NASCAR is set to begin after some football game this evening, NASCAR is circling the wagons. Unable, or perhaps …