When I graduated high school back in 2003, the gift I was given from my folks was something I never expected. I saw some inklings, but until the paperwork was in my hands, I couldn’t believe it.
There is just something about going to Daytona, the place that truly put NASCAR on the map, was a shocking gift, but one that I looked forward to as it would only be a month away. The plane ride down had a lot of NASCAR fans on board, so it was almost like going with a huge family. We landed, literally right at the track since the airport was next door to the track, and got to hear some of the practice sounds.
It would be Friday before we would experience the track for the first time, which included a trip to Daytona USA, the ultimate experience for fans at Daytona. I got to see how the cars changed over the years, the actual winning car from the Daytona 500, race the track via the simulator, and watch fans attempt to change two tires.
That night was the Nationwide race, which at that time was still named the “Busch Series” and it was the night of July 4, so there were going to be fireworks no matter what come the end of the night.
In the end, it was Dale Earnhardt Jr. leading flag-to-flag to win the race, in a car designed for his group of friends back home.
It was pretty much the same the next day, but it included pre-race pit road passes for me and my dad, so we got to relax on the front straightaway infield, see the field come out to the grid, and then even enjoy a free concert by Sara Evans. Overall, it was an extremely good weekend. There were only two downsides to the trip. One, it was extremely hot and humid, but it was Florida in early July, so it was kind of expected. And two, the massive sunburn I received. I’ve been burnt before, but this was to the point where I was blistered around my shirt collar.
Needless to say, when we landed at the Pittsburgh airport, once we got the luggage and got out to the parking lot, I tore the white tee I had on straight off my back because it hurt so bad.
But, despite being as red as the local fire trucks, it was a trip that was extremely enjoyable, and one that I hope to do again. There is just one thing I may do different…bring SPF 100 instead of SPF 50. It is Florida, and it is July, best be prepared next time.
RESULTS: 1-Johnson 2-Stewart 3-Harvick 4-Bowyer 5-Waltrip 6-Kurt Busch 7-McMurray 8-Earnhardt Jr. 9-Mears 10-Newman
NOTABLE FINISHES: 12-Kyle Busch 14-Patrick 21-Keselowski 29-Edwards 33-Kenseth 34-Gordon
CAUTIONS: 6 for 27 laps. Lap 24-28 (Fluid on Track from #27), 71-74 (#22 Accident-T2), 99-104 (#11, 42, 56, 18 Accident-FS), 128-132 (#30, 43, 9, 51, 16 Accident-FS), 150-153 (#11, 24, 20, 83, 51, 7 Accident-FS [Red Flag- 8 mins, 53 secs.]), 157-159 (#5, 9, 48 Accident-BS).
LEAD CHANGES: 18 among 11 drivers. Kyle Busch POLE, Kenseth 1, Kyle Busch 2-25, Yeley 26, Kyle Busch 27-30, Johnson 31, Kyle Busch 32, Johnson 33-70, Gilliland 71, Ragan 72, Hamlin 73-92, McMurray 93-100, Kvapil 101, Wise 102, McMurray 103-104, Johnson 105-128, Yeley 129, Burton 130, Johnson 131-161.
TIME OF RACE: 2 Hrs, 36 Mins, 30 Secs.
AVERAGE SPEED: 154.313 MPH
MARGIN OF VICTORY: 0.107 Seconds
POINTS (Top-10, Wild Cards): 1. Johnson, 658 points; 2. Bowyer, -49; 3. Edwards, -71; 4. Harvick, -73; 5. Earnhardt Jr, -110; 6. Kenseth, -118; 7. Kyle Busch, -125; 8. Biffle, -142; 9. Kurt Busch, -157; 10. Stewart, -159. WC1-Truex Jr. (11th, 1 win); WC2-Kahne (12th, 1 win)