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The Super Bowl is in the rear-view mirror, and the Great American Race is just around the corner.
It’s officially Daytona 500 week, ladies and gentlemen! After Kyle Larson’s comeback story ended up with the 2021 championship, NASCAR enters one of the most unpredictable years in the sport’s 74-year history. Much like last year, this will be your one-stop-shop for all things Daytona 500.
For returning viewers, the Clash at the Coliseum left fans wanting more of the new seventh-generation car. Daytona’s 2.5-mile tri-oval is a completely different beast compared to the quarter-mile Coliseum track, so there is still plenty of mystery.
For those of you who are new to the sport, let me be the first to say welcome, and we hope you enjoy your stay. NASCAR can be a difficult sport to understand in your first viewing, but know that you’re in for one of the most exciting sporting events you can ask for. You may have a lot of questions along the way, like who to root for, what the flags mean or anything else that may come to mind. So here is a comprehensive guide to the 64th running of the Great American Race.
Why Daytona?
What is it about this track or this race that’s such a big deal? NASCAR and Daytona go together as well as peanut butter and jelly. Ever since the beginning of NASCAR in 1949, the historic Daytona Beach course was a staple of the series; and when the 2.5 mile superspeedway was built in 1959, it naturally became the biggest race of them all. The history of this race is something that is matched by few in the sports world. Simply put… football has the Super Bowl. Hockey gives out the Stanley Cup. In NASCAR, they fight for the Daytona 500.
Stages
Each race is divided into three stages. Today, those stages are 65-65-70 laps. What does this mean? At laps 65 and 130, a green and white checkered flag will be displayed followed by a caution. The top 10 drivers at the stage break will earn points for their efforts. 10th place gets one point, then each driver ahead earns an additional point, as the leader earns 10 points, plus a playoff point; which leads us to the next section.
The Playoffs
Wait, why are we talking about playoffs in the first race of the season? Well, NASCAR has a pretty clear-cut rule for the Playoffs: win and you’re in. There are 16 playoff drivers, made up of winners from the season and then the highest in points that make up 16. So, if 11 drivers win races, then the five highest drivers in points without a win will make the playoffs. After the first 26 races, the playoffs drivers will all be set at 2000 points, with drivers earning five bonus points for race wins and a single point for stage wins. On top of this, the points leader at the end of the regular season earns 15 bonus points. From there, there are three rounds with three races. Much like the regular season, if a driver wins, they advance to the next round. After each round, the bottom four drivers get eliminated. After the three rounds are complete, there are four drivers left, with one race remaining. That last race, points don’t matter. The highest finisher out of the four will be the Champion. If you’re overwhelmed, I understand. Let’s go into the next topic.
The Yellow Line Rule
One of the most controversial rules that NASCAR has is the yellow line rule. In an attempt to prevent injuries, NASCAR made it illegal to pass someone while having any part of your car below the yellow line at Daytona and Talladega Superspeedway. Doing so results in a pass through penalty, where a driver has to drive through pit road without stopping in their pit stall. Along with this, any driver to force another driver to go below the line will likewise be subject to a pass through penalty. While this rule was put in place to prevent accidents, a number of major accidents have occurred as a direct result. The one accident that everyone goes back to is when Carl Edwards was flipped into the catch fence at the end of the 2009 Spring Talladega race. Brad Keselowski tried to pass Edwards for the win, but Edwards tried to block him, leading him all the way to the yellow line where Keselowski spun Edwards and ended up taking the win. Like it or not, the rule is here to stay as of now.
The Charter System
To make it in NASCAR, you need to pay up. In 2016, NASCAR tried to help the teams out by developing the charter system. Teams with charters are guaranteed a minimum payout every race. The biggest benefit for charters is that the teams who have one are automatically locked into every race. However, they are held to a minimum standard of performance where they can lose their charter if they slip below this. 36 teams hold charters, which means that only four non-chartered teams qualify for a 40 car field.
Sponsorship means Everything
The sponsors are there for more than just making the cars look cool. Sponsors and endorsements are the lifesavers of teams and drivers alike. There’s a reason teams with big-name sponsors like M&M’s, Napa, Busch and FedEx are at the front of the field. The more money a company has, the more they can pay teams for sponsorship. Good teams are good because they’re able to garner a lot of sponsorship money and use it to better their cars. That’s why drivers will step out of their comfort zones to help promote their sponsors. Without them, they’re out of a ride. There’s been plenty of good drivers that didn’t get their chance because they didn’t have the sponsorship money. After all, why take a chance on an unproven driver with no sponsorship money when there is another young driver bringing in way more money? It’s just the nature of the beast.
The Three National Divisions
While the Cup Series competes for the biggest prize, NASCAR has two other national touring series: the Xfinity Series and the Camping World Truck Series. Both series have the same rules and playoff systems as the Cup Series; but that’s not to say they don’t have their differences. The Truck Series, which is quite literally big pickup trucks racing at over 170 MPH, is typically seen as the first big step in a young driver’s journey to the Cup Series. Think of it as the equivalent of AA Baseball. They race 23 times a year, with races about half the length of the Cup Series. Once a driver either shows promise or has money to spend, they usually get promoted to the Xfinity Series. The Xfinity series is a 33 race slugfest with a lot of hungry drivers trying to attract Cup Series rides. While waiting for their big chance, it’s not uncommon for drivers to take one-off races to see how they fare at the next level. Look for Xfinity stars Noah Gragson in the no. 62, along with defending series champion Daniel Hemric in Kaulig Racing’s no. 16 car to be right in the middle trying to make something happen.
The Draft
Daytona International Speedway is a 2.5 mile tri-oval. What does that mean? There will be speeds well over 200 MPH during the race. To slow down the cars, NASCAR has implemented tapered spacers in the engines to prevent injuries as much as possible. This leads to cars going full throttle essentially the whole race. With every car going as fast as they can go by themselves, it’s almost impossible for a car to pass on its own; so what they do is draft. The draft is a freight train of cars in a single file line, where they use their air off of each other to increase their speed. While the draft can basically be a free for all, drivers typically try to work with their teammates; which leads to the next point.
NASCAR is a Team Sport
While NASCAR may not appear as such, it is absolutely a team sport. To start with, the three manufacturers, Toyota, Ford and Chevrolet, that share resources and parts. Within those manufacturers are individual teams of one-to-four cars. These teams have shops in the Charlotte, North Carolina, area and build their cars and share resources. Many teams specialize in developing younger drivers and having the veterans help teach and develop them into Cup-caliber drivers. Teams like the Toyota-backed Joe Gibbs Racing and the Chevrolets of Richard Childress Racing have Xfinity Series programs along with their Cup teams to ensure that their prospects have a place to continue racing.
Broadcast Booth
So now you know most of the ins-and-outs of NASCAR; but now let’s talk about the men that will bring the race to you. Play-by-play man Mike Joy has been the Fox play-by-play man since 2001, and is absolutely fantastic. He’s known for calling Dale Earnhardt’s victory in the 1998 running, his 20th try to win the event, in arguably the sport’s most iconic moment. Joining Joy in the booth is Clint Bowyer. Bowyer was a solid driver in the late 2000s-2010s, notching 10 wins and a 2012 runner-up points finish. On top of that, Bowyer is one of the most outspoken, colorful personalities in the sport, and will surely add some funny commentary. With Jeff Gordon leaving the Fox booth to take a leadership role at Hendrick Motorsports, the third announcer spot is vacant. What Fox is trying this year is a rotating schedule of former drivers and crew chiefs to fill the spot. This week will host former champion and car-owner Tony Stewart. Arguably the second-best to never win the Daytona 500, Stewart is another colorful, loud, outspoken personality. His showing at the Clash showed he’s a natural fit in the booth.
Okay, so now we’ve gone over some key terms and facts about the sport. That’s good; but who are you going to root for? Let’s go over some of the main contenders.
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Kyle Larson
When Tony Stewart calls you the best driver he’s ever seen, you’re doing something right. That’s the praise Kyle Larson received after winning the 2021 NASCAR Cup Championship. There’s a real argument to be made that Larson’s season was the best of the 21st century. 10 wins ties for the most since 1998, and he led over 2500 laps, by far the most of the millennium. That said, if he has one weakness, it’s superspeedway racing. Larson’s first time at Daytona was in an Xfinity car, and he ended up in the catch fence. If he figures out how to win in the draft, good luck beating him.
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Michael McDowell
McDowell was a mostly unknown driver before the 2021 Daytona 500, having never scored a win and having a couple top-fives. Start no. 357 was blackjack, as he avoided a wrecking Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski to score the huge upset and win the biggest race in stock car racing. He followed that up by nearly winning Talladega, showing that his win was no fluke. McDowell is not a championship threat by any means. But you don’t need to be to have a shot at Daytona.
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Denny Hamlin
It’s the same song and dance for Denny Hamlin in 2022. He’s one of the best ever at Daytona, with three 500 wins in the last six years. Anytime NASCAR heads to Daytona, everyone knows that he’s who they’re going to have to beat. However, a fourth Harley J. Earl trophy is not what he needs to cement his legacy. Another year has passed where Hamlin got beat at Phoenix for the championship. Hamlin is 41 years old, the clock is ticking. He had a career resurgence in 2019 and has been the most consistent driver in the sport over the last three years. Hamlin is the best driver to not have a championship, a title nobody wants to have. This may be the last best shot for him.
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Kyle Busch
I stated earlier that Tony Stewart is the second-best to never win the Daytona 500, this guy is the best. Pound-for-pound, very few have ever been able to rival the talent of Kyle Busch. He’s got it all, two championships, two Brickyard 400s, a Coca-Cola 600, a Southern 500, a win at Talladega and 101 wins in the Xfinity series. Somehow, someway, the Daytona 500 has always eluded him. This guy is in the thick of things every year, like in 2008 and 2009 where he dominated both runnings. There was 2017, when he won the first stage but cut a tire midway through the race. The one that may have hurt the most was 2019, where he got beaten by his teammate Denny Hamlin. While he’s had two relative down years, Busch is a popular pick to have a resurgence in 2022. What better way to kick off M&M’s last year than by grabbing the one race that’s always gotten away?
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Brad Keselowski
Brad Keselowski is starting the next chapter of his career, taking a ride at the newly named RFK Racing and taking 50% ownership of the team. This is, to some, the end of his competitive days, as he is focusing more on learning how to run a Cup team. Not so fast, as Keselowski and teammate Chris Buescher are both very solid superspeedway racers. Keselowski nearly won the 500 last year, getting wrecked while going for the lead on the last lap. Despite that, he went to Talladega and scored his sixth win at the track. There’s still plenty left in the tank for Keselowski, who, like his best friend Kyle Busch, is still looking to score a Daytona 500 win. Jack Roush has had some great success at Daytona, and Keselowski is one of the best at it.
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Ryan Blaney
Ryan Blaney has had a feast-or-famine career at Daytona. After a runner-up finish in 2017, he led 118 laps in 2018, more than anyone in the race since Davey Allison in 1992. After a wreck in 2019, he lost in 2020 by under .020 seconds, before wrecking again in 2021. The big critique about Blaney was that he was always a driver on the verge of breaking out, but couldn’t close out races. He bucked that trend in 2021, notching three wins including the summer Daytona race. Big things may be coming for Blaney, who is now arguably the top-dog at Penske.
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Austin Cindric
Whereas Blaney is the top dog, Austin Cindric is the puppy at Team Penske. The son of team president Tim Cindric, the first-year driver is the heavy favorite for Rookie of the Year. Cindric made his debut in the 2021 Daytona 500, and was impressive right out of the gate. Cindric may be the most Cup-ready rookie to enter the sport since Chase Elliott in 2016. He’s shown some of the most incredible development any driver has shown in recent years. After an ugly truck season in 2017 that saw him tear up equipment and dump Kaz Grala for a win in Canada, he became the most consistent Xfinity driver over the past three years, scoring wins at every kind of track and grabbing a championship as well. Cindric is already a popular pick to make the Playoffs, which says a lot for a rookie.
That concludes my sampler for the best race weekend of the year. This year is one of the most unpredictable in recent history, so there’s no telling who will score the first win. I’m going to say that Kyle Busch breaks through and finally grabs that Daytona 500. What are you most excited for in 2022? Feel free to leave a comment or Tweet me @HBLoomis. Let’s talk racing!
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