Feb 21 2008
The Sea of Green was Blue
We’re finally home from what was probably one of the best Daytona 500 SpeedWeeks we’ve had the chance to experience. We’ve been to Daytona in February for the last 14 years, and it has always been a cold experience. Fry on Friday and freeze on Sunday, is the norm.
This year the weather was fantastic. The racing was close and exciting. The gala was spectacular. And, did I mention the weather ?
Dale Jr. was the toast of the town, and on Sunday, all eyes were on the 88 car. The big question was whether or not the Hendrick tsunami would keep inundating the rest of the field.
Dale Jr. did his best to make history happen, but with just a few laps to go, and a caution to bunch the field, Jr. was running out of help.
His team-mates, with the exception of Casey Mears, were in the garage, and Tony the Tiger was looking like he was going to add to his trophy case.
With the exception of the Penske fans, no one seemed to see the 12 and 2 cars working their way up to the front. All eyes were on the 88 and the 20, because of their obvious showings in the previous week. Jr. got shuffled to the back, Mears cut down his right front, and the Hendrick teams were going home without the ‘Big One’.
Most of the fans, with the exception of the Hendrick supporters, reacted like their favorites had won the race. I guess they were just glad to see someone other than the Hendrick team take the trophy. When I look back, I think they knew they had just experienced one of the greatest Daytona 500 races in history.
Like I wrote before, it’s getting real expensive to go to SpeedWeeks, but I’m still hooked, and with this year’s Daytona 500 racing, I can’t wait to see what the teams will do with the Car of Today the rest of the season. Without a doubt, I’ll sign up again for next year.
The Dale Jr. fans will just have to wait 12 months or so to see if the sea will be blue or green next year.
Have a good 2008 race season, and we’ll see you at Texas Motor Speedway in April.
MoHo4
