While many people argued that Matt Kenseth stole or lucked into his Daytona 500 win, no one can deny he was truly worthy of winning the Auto Club 500 at Fontana this past weekend. That victory solidified Kenseth’s position at the top of the rankings, as he’s the first person since Jeff Gordon in 1997 …
Like it or not, after just 380 miles the first race of the 2009 Sprint Cup season is officially in the books. Matt Kenseth was crowned the winner of just the fourth rain-shortened Daytona 500 in history, taking the lead one lap before the weather with a generous push from runner-up Kevin Harvick. But was that last-lap pass enough to leave Kenseth number one in the eyes of our staff this week? After all, Kyle Busch dominated the race, only to become an innocent victim of the day’s big wreck on lap 125. And where did AJ Allmendinger land after starting the year with a career-best third – driving for a team that doesn’t even know if it’ll exist two months from now? Find these answers, and more, by examining our first Top-15 Power Rankings poll of the year.
Some teams came out of the block strong following good runs in Sunday’s Daytona 500. Due to the nature of restrictor-plate racing, fate can play a major role in which teams are successful and which head to California hoping to get their season on the right track. And while it’s easy to get caught up …
This week, here’s a sneak peek at what a select few were thinking following the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway.
Matt Kenseth entered Daytona winless in his last 36 starts. That winless streak is now history. Kenseth passed Elliott Sadler in turn 3 on lap 145 for the lead under threatening skies. Half a lap after the pass, the yellow came out for a crash involving the No. 98 of Paul Menard and the No. …
2009 closes out the first decade of the 21st century for NASCAR, and what a long, strange trip it’s been. Who would have thought back in 2000 Petty Enterprises would cease to exist nine years later – along with no Adam Petty to lead NASCAR’s first family into the next generation? Or that Dale Earnhardt …
Considering the fact that a points-paying race has not yet taken place, gauging the true momentum of drivers and teams is a bit more of a daunting task than it is between races. So much flux and change has occurred in the garages of all three of NASCAR’s top series this offseason, mainly because of …
Welcome to the first 2009 edition of Running Their Mouth! Each week, we’ll go through media reports, interviews, PR and all our own stuff to find the best quotes from the Nextel Cup race, capturing the story of how the weekend unfolded. It’s the most original commentary you’ll ever find: the truth, coming straight out …
1 – lap led by Bud Shootout winner Kevin Harvick, the last one.
The Key Moment: Kevin Harvick assumed the lead milliseconds before the caution flag flew, signaling the end of the race. In a Nutshell: With the convoluted new format and dearth of attendance and excitement Saturday night, is it time to just call this Shootout silliness off? Dramatic Moment: Waiting to see who was going to …
Who… gets my shoutout of the race? New readers, don’t expect to see the race winner here – he already gets a trophy and a check for his effort! Instead, this weekly shoutout goes to a driver who didn’t win, but impresses me all the way through with his effort from beginning to end. This …
Sometimes history can in fact repeat itself. In a scenario very similar to the one that allowed Kevin Harvick to win the Daytona 500 back in 2007, a lane opened up on the high side at the end of the backstretch on the final lap. Harvick took advantage of the hole, took the lead away …
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