Your Car Care REPs are primed up and ready to take you full throttle. February 20th 2011 was considered the Super Bowl of Motorsports. The 53rd annual Daytona 500! I was fortunate enough to spend my university years living in Daytona Beach. I experienced the thrill of the Daytona 500 several times first hand. This year was a monumental and historical one. Trevor Bayne & the Wood Brothers racing team are the winners of the 2011 Daytona 500. Trevor Bayne is the youngest driver yet to win this prestigious (and richest) US auto race and this is the 1st win for the Wood Brothers racing team since 1976. At just 20 years young Trevor Bayne’s name is added to the list of other winners that dates back to the year 1959. I was watching this year’s race with my son. During the race he says to me “Dada, why is this so exciting? They’re just going around and around in circles.” A lot of people watching auto racing on television seem to say the same thing. So what makes the Daytona 500 such a huge race and attracts fans from all over the country? Today we’ll discuss the history of the Daytona 500 and see what fuels fans excitement.
The 1st Daytona 500 started in February 22nd 1959. Fifty-nine cars took to the track and went around 200 laps. The “500” in the Daytona 500 stands for the number of miles that a driver has to run to complete the race. Race crews prepare for months to compete in this race. A race crew usually consists of a crew chief, pit crew, lead mechanic, car fabricator, sponsors and drivers. Each part of the team plays an important role in bringing its car across the finish line. Crews usually do special builds for the Daytona 500. The winner of the race is presented with the Harley J. Earl Trophy in Victory Lane. The Daytona 500 is a qualifying race that requires teams to have top qualifying times in order to reserve a position in the race. Qualifying times are usually done 1 week prior to race time. The 1st Daytona 500 finish went down in history when the race was too close to call. Johnny Beauchamp went to Victory Lane and savored the celebration although the results were posted as “unofficial.” Sixty-one hours later, Lee Petty was the winner in what appeared to be a dead heat between Petty and Beauchamp – with the lapped car of Joe Weatherly making it a three-wide finish at the checkered flag. A clip of newsreel footage proved that Lee Petty was the winner by a few feet.
A few weeks before the race, crews are arriving in Daytona Beach hauling their cargo of speed machines. The weather in Daytona Beach is splendid during this time of year. A ton of sunshine with low humidity, this makes ideal conditions for motorcross racing. During my college years in Daytona I can remember auto race teams coming into town. Daytona is a relatively small town so you would easily spot race teams with their trailer loads plastered with auto part logos. This pilgrimage into Daytona is a big part of the excitement surrounding the Daytona 500. What I witnessed year after year was teams being able to reunite with other race teams whom they had a huge amount of respect and admiration for. For us dwellers of Daytona it was like the Macy’s parade on Thanksgiving. I attended an aviation related university so my classmates and I were already gear-heads. We couldn’t wait to get out of class and check out all the vehicles as they came down International Speedway Blvd. for registration during Speedweek. I can distinctly remember the excitement, the smells and the sounds. You really have no idea how loud these race cars are until you are live at a race. I would be miles away and could hear the engines roaring around the racetrack during qualifying times. That’s the sound of 200 MPH.
In 2001 the Daytona 500 took the life of one of the best drivers to ever compete in the sport. Dale Earnhardt was racing his #3 car when he died in a last-lap crash. After the death of Dale Earnhardt the NASCAR organization made several adjustments to the rules and regulations for the safety of the drivers and the fans. New regulations included adding neck brace harness. It should be noted that since these new rules were enlisted no driver has died at the Daytona 500 (since Earnhardt’s death in 2001). Dale Earnhardt Jr. followed in his father’s foot pedals and had his 1st race in 1999. He won the Daytona 500 in 2004.
Watching this year’s race was nostalgic for me. I watched most of the race with my son (who wasn’t as thrilled as I was). He got excited towards the last 10 laps, which was filled with spinouts, catch wrecks and tap outs. By the last 3 laps it looked like a good ‘ol Dirty Daytona 500. Just a sidebar note, when I was attending university (years ago) in Daytona people would call each other “Dirty” like “Hey, what’s up Dirty.” or “How you doin’ Dirty?” This was not a disrespectful term, it was actually a term of endearment. Now the entire southern region is known as the “Dirty South”… go figure. The leader of the race for the last 3 laps was Carl Edwards he had 2 laps to maintain as leader to become the next winner of the D500 when all of a sudden Dale Earnhardt Jr’s car gets tapped from behind. He ended up veering to the right colliding into the wall tearing off his right cowling causing a chain reaction with other drivers. This made it possible for Trevor Bayne’s Ford to slide into the leader position until he saw the checkered flag. Trevor Bayne held onto the lead to win the 2011 Daytona 500. My son got truly excited once he saw how young Trevor Bayne looked. “He looks like a teenager”, says Osi. I told him he was just 1 year out of teen hood. At 20 years young Trevor Bayne & the Wood Brothers names are added to the list of winners to drive down Victory Lane, including Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Bobby Allison and Jeff Gordon. Important to note this is the 5th win for the Wood Brother’s Racing team in the Daytona 500.
Trevor Bayne’s win is a monumental moment for a couple of reasons. In the last couple of years viewership and ticket purchases to NASCAR racing has been down. NASCAR has been trying to get more young people involved with the sport. But that is a tough feat to accomplish when your average 16-year-old is more interested in getting the latest mobile device then their driver’s permit. The win of the Wood Brothers team & Trevor Bayne could possibly spark the interest of the younger generations involvement in NASCAR racing. It’s due time that we pass the torch on to the next generation. Without them the sport could be a distant memory. And for those of you that say watching a NASCAR race on TV isn’t any fun, try going to one live it’s a whole different ballgame…I mean race-game.
Your Car Care REPs are primed up and ready to take you full throttle. February 20th 2011 was considered the Super Bowl of Motorsports. The 53rd annual Daytona 500! I was fortunate enough to spend my university years living in Daytona Beach. I experienced the thrill of the Daytona 500 several times first hand. This year was a monumental and historical one. Trevor Bayne & the Wood Brothers racing team are the winners of the 2011 Daytona 500. Trevor Bayne is the youngest driver yet to win this prestigious (and richest) US auto race and this is the 1st win for the Wood Brothers racing team since 1976. At just 20 years young Trevor Bayne’s name is added to the list of other winners that dates back to the year 1959. I was watching this year’s race with my son. During the race he says to me “Dada, why is this so exciting? They’re just going around and around in circles.” A lot of people watching auto racing on television seem to say the same thing. So what makes the Daytona 500 such a huge race and attracts fans from all over the country? Today we’ll discuss the history of the Daytona 500 and see what fuels fans excitement.
A few weeks before the race, crews are arriving in Daytona Beach hauling their cargo of speed machines. The weather in Daytona Beach is splendid during this time of year. A ton of sunshine with low humidity, this makes ideal conditions for motorcross racing. During my college years in Daytona I can remember auto race teams coming into town. Daytona is a relatively small town so you would easily spot race teams with their trailer loads plastered with auto part logos. This pilgrimage into Daytona is a big part of the excitement surrounding the Daytona 500. What I witnessed year after year was teams being able to reunite with other race teams whom they had a huge amount of respect and admiration for. For us dwellers of Daytona it was like the Macy’s parade on Thanksgiving. I attended an aviation related university so my classmates and I were already gear-heads. We couldn’t wait to get out of class and check out all the vehicles as they came down International Speedway Blvd. for registration during Speedweek. I can distinctly remember the excitement, the smells and the sounds. You really have no idea how loud these race cars are until you are live at a race. I would be miles away and could hear the engines roaring around the racetrack during qualifying times. That’s the sound of 200 MPH.
Watching this year’s race was nostalgic for me. I watched most of the race with my son (who wasn’t as thrilled as I was). He got excited towards the last 10 laps, which was filled with spinouts, catch wrecks and tap outs. By the last 3 laps it looked like a good ‘ol Dirty Daytona 500. Just a sidebar note, when I was attending university (years ago) in Daytona people would call each other “Dirty” like “Hey, what’s up Dirty.” or “How you doin’ Dirty?” This was not a disrespectful term, it was actually a term of endearment. Now the entire southern region is known as the “Dirty South”… go figure. The leader of the race for the last 3 laps was Carl Edwards he had 2 laps to maintain as leader to become the next winner of the D500 when all of a sudden Dale Earnhardt Jr’s car gets tapped from behind. He ended up veering to the right colliding into the wall tearing off his right cowling causing a chain reaction with other drivers. This made it possible for Trevor Bayne’s Ford to slide into the leader position until he saw the checkered flag. Trevor Bayne held onto the lead to win the 2011 Daytona 500. My son got truly excited once he saw how young Trevor Bayne looked. “He looks like a teenager”, says Osi. I told him he was just 1 year out of teen hood. At 20 years young Trevor Bayne & the Wood Brothers names are added to the list of winners to drive down Victory Lane, including Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Bobby Allison and Jeff Gordon. Important to note this is the 5th win for the Wood Brother’s Racing team in the Daytona 500.
Trevor Bayne’s win is a monumental moment for a couple of reasons. In the last couple of years viewership and ticket purchases to NASCAR racing has been down. NASCAR has been trying to get more young people involved with the sport. But that is a tough feat to accomplish when your average 16-year-old is more interested in getting the latest mobile device then their driver’s permit. The win of the Wood Brothers team & Trevor Bayne could possibly spark the interest of the younger generations involvement in NASCAR racing. It’s due time that we pass the torch on to the next generation. Without them the sport could be a distant memory. And for those of you that say watching a NASCAR race on TV isn’t any fun, try going to one live it’s a whole different ballgame…I mean race-game.
