NASCAR’s 51st season begins with today’s Daytona 500 — the first of 36 fender-fighting points races. The economy is poor, gas is expensive and the sponsorship pool is thin, but the show must go on. Here are some things to watch heading into the “Big 500,” plus preseason predictions:
Deep pool could dwindle. Front Range fans might remember the Nationwide Series (formerly Busch Series) competing at Pikes Peak International Raceway in the late 1990s and early this decade and wondering why those poorly qualifying cars drove to the garage within the first 10 laps complaining of engine trouble, poor handling or some other mechanical gremlins. Well, it was all about taking the green flag to pocket a share of the purse and indirectly help NASCAR achieve its traditional 43-car field. The well-stocked Cup Series has been immune to that tactic, but with the weak economy and dwindling sponsorship, the big boys might be in that position by late summer or early fall.
Four straight. Jimmie Johnson, the three-time defending champion, is going for an unprecedented fourth straight title. There is no reason to think Johnson, 33, won’t continue his dominance. He began his rookie season in 2002 by winning the Daytona 500 pole, led the standings as a rookie and has never finished outside the top five in the point standings, finishing fifth in 2005 before winning it all the past three years. He was runner-up to Matt Kenseth in 2003 and to Kurt Busch in 2004.
Rookies to watch. Joey Logano, who today will become the youngest driver to compete in the Daytona 500, heads a shortlist of newcomers. Logano, 18, replaces Tony Stewart, which gives him one of the sport’s top teams (Joe Gibbs Racing) to develop his craft. Former Formula One driver Scott Speed is a rookie with Red Bull Racing, and another former open-wheel racer, Max Papis, has a deal with Germain Racing, a part-time outfit that is not competing in the Sprint race at Daytona. It’s not too early to bet the bank on Logano winning this year’s top rookie honors.
Home cooking. Denver-based Furniture Row Racing begins its fourth season in Cup, albeit its first as a part-time outfit. The team, owned by Cherry Hills resident and Furniture Row founder Barney Visser, has committed to 12 races but might enter more if a sponsor not affiliated with Visser’s companies comes on board. Visser’s new driver, Regan Smith, was last year’s rookie of the year while driving for Dale Earnhardt Inc. The 25-year-old is an impressive addition. He was 14th-quickest in time trials last week and will start 42nd today. AJ Allmendinger, who won the 2006 Grand Prix of Denver while competing in Champ Car, signed with Petty Enterprises and will drive the No. 44 Dodge.
Chase and championship prediction. In a vote by 198 accredited NASCAR media members, Carl Edwards was picked to win this year’s championship, with Johnson finishing second. Edwards, who won a series-high nine points races last year, received 70 first-place votes. Johnson had 37.
“It is an unreal compliment for 70 (media members) to think that I will win it all,” Edwards said in a NASCAR release. “What Jimmie has done is spectacular. For the media to say they think that I might be able to stop that is pretty neat.”
Tony Stewart. The two-time champion split with Joe Gibbs to become driver and part owner of Haas Racing, previously thought of as a low-level team that is now dubbed Stewart/Haas Racing. The two-car team — defending Daytona 500 winner Ryan Newman left Penske Racing to become Stewart’s teammate — has veteran leadership and is using Hendrick Motorsports engines. But who knows if the team’s equipment and resources will match the level of its drivers?
Mike Chambers: 303-954-1357 or mchambers@denverpost.com
Edwards gets the nod
Here are the media’s predictions on the Chase championship:
1. Carl Edwards
2. Jimmie Johnson
3. Kyle Busch
4. Jeff Gordon
5. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
6. Greg Biffle
7. Kevin Harvick
8. Mark Martin
9. Jeff Burton
10. Matt Kenseth
11. Denny Hamlin
12. Tony Stewart
Source: NASCAR
Daytona 500
NASCAR SPRINT CUP
Site: Daytona Beach, Fla.
TV: Today, noon, KDVR-31
Track: Daytona International Speedway (tri-oval, 2.5 miles, 31 degrees banking in turns).
Race distance: 500 miles, 200 laps.
Last race: Kevin Harvick boldly passed Jamie McMurray on the last lap of the exhibition Budweiser Shootout to give a sparse Saturday night crowd at Daytona International Speedway reason to want more.
Last year: Ryan Newman snapped an 81-race winless streak, using a huge push from teammate Kurt Busch to give car owner Roger Penske his first Daytona 500 victory. Penske, the most successful owner in open-wheel history with 14 wins in the prestigious Indianapolis 500, now has his first victory in NASCAR’s showcase event in 23 tries.
Fast facts: Martin Truex Jr. edged Mark Martin and grabbed the top spot for NASCAR’s season-opening race with a qualifying speed of 188.001 mph Monday. . . . Martin captured the outside pole with a qualifying run of 187.817 for Hendrick Motorsports, which offered the 50-year-old veteran a full-time ride this season after he spent the last two years running part-time for DEI. . . . The winner of the Shootout has gone on to win the Daytona 500 five times: Bobby Allison (1982), Bill Elliott (1987), Dale Jarrett (1996, 2000) and Jeff Gordon (1997). . . . Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the 2004 event on the same track that claimed his father’s life three years earlier.
Next race: Auto Club 500, Feb. 22, Fontana, Calif.
On the net:
Starting lineup
Start Car
Pos. No. Driver Make
1. (1) Martin Truex Jr. Chevrolet
2. (5) Mark Martin Chevrolet
3. (24) Jeff Gordon Chevrolet
4. (18) Kyle Busch Toyota
5. (14) Tony Stewart Chevrolet
6. (83) Brian Vickers Toyota
7. (48) Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet
8. (42) Juan P. Montoya Chevrolet
9. (20) Joey Logano Toyota
10. (11) Denny Hamlin Toyota
11. (8) Aric Almirola Chevrolet
12. (96) Bobby Labonte Ford
13. (2) Kurt Busch Dodge
14. (88) Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet
15. (9) Kasey Kahne Dodge
16. (99) Carl Edwards Ford
17. (36) Scott Riggs Toyota
18. (41) Jeremy Mayfield Toyota
19. (98) Paul Menard Ford
20. (44) AJ Allmendinger Dodge
21. (26) Jamie McMurray Ford
22. (33) Clint Bowyer Chevrolet
23. (47) Marcos Ambrose Toyota
24. (12) David Stremme Dodge
25. (07) Casey Mears Chevrolet
26. (31) Jeff Burton Chevrolet
27. (55) Michael Waltrip Toyota
28. (00) David Reutimann Toyota
29. (77) Sam Hornish Jr. Dodge
30. (19) Elliott Sadler Dodge
31. (7) Robby Gordon Toyota
32. (29) Kevin Harvick Chevrolet
33. (6) David Ragan Ford
34. (43) Reed Sorenson Dodge
35. (16) Greg Biffle Ford
36. (39) Ryan Newman Chevrolet
37. (34) John Andretti Chevrolet
38. (82) Scott Speed Toyota
39. (17) Matt Kenseth Ford
40. (21) Bill Elliott Ford
41. (28) Travis Kvapil Ford
42. (78) Regan Smith Chevrolet
43. (66) Terry Labonte Toyota
