Great results for the Dodge fans out there, 1st, 2nd, and 4 more in top 8.

http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/dayton...=ESPNHeadlines

 

Daytona is notably more about teamwork and strategy than any other race. Congrats to Newman, Busch, and the whole Penske team for proving that racing at these levels has to be a team sport. Congrats too, to Tony Stewart for putting on a nail-biting finish. Who really won Daytona? The fans.

For MoPar fans it was especially sweet to see their marque take a decisive six of the top eight finishers.

 

While I agree that Dodge had a good showing and had an EXCEPTIONAL day at Daytona, I would have to say that Toyota had a better day when it comes to publicity, exposure and overall race performance. Throughout the race, there was a 'Yoda running in the front or within the top 5. And when there wasn't, it wasn't too long before one got back to the front.

I know all that matters is who crosses the line first, but overall, I think Toyota had a MUCH better day than Dodge even though Dodge did edge them out.

Congrats to Ryan Newman on the victory!

 

I didn't see the race so what happened to the Toyota? (That is, why didn't it win?)

 

They didn't have a car strong enough to take on the two Dodges. Tony Stewart had a good run towards the end of the race leading more than 3/4 of the way around on the final lap, but an errant move to the bottom of the track cost him the win because it opened the window for Kurt Busch to push Ryan Newman into the lead around the final turn. Like Lil said, teamwork is what NASCAR is all about, and the Penske team proved it. Kyle Bush was CONSISTENTLY in the front with his JGR Toyota, leading almost half the race (86 of 200).

Personally, I think that if the race would have been another few laps (without that caution that came in on lap 7 or 8) either Tony or Kyle would have won... But, the last 10 laps is when all the chaos and all the carnage starts... so it is what it is. Simple math, really... One car can't be two.

 

I thought for sure that Tony Stewart would have won it. This was the first time I really sat down and watched a NASCAR race. Although they were going up to about 180 mph, they seemed to accelerate quite slowly. I guess it's totally different when you're used to watching F1.

 

Because it crossed the finish line after the two Dodges

 

I definitely would not say that the Toyotas "didn't have enough" for the Dodges. The Toyotas in the race had the most powerful engines out of the entire field. What happened was Tony Stewart in his #20 Toyota was leading in the final lap on the outside while blocking the two Dodges and for some reason he decided to go to the inside. The Dodges were bumper-to-bumper so when Tony went to the inside that allowed the Dodges to draft together and go faster than Tony. Maybe Tony thought that he could hook up and draft with his teammate Kyle Busch who was a bit further back, I don't know.

Even after the race Tony was interviewed and he was really dissapointed; he said that he may have made a mistake with that move. I think that if Tony stayed on the outside and continued to block he would have won the race.

The Dodges won mostly based on luck and some good timing. They were never a threat during the race (as Toyota cars led most of the laps in the race) and only managed to get to the front because there were a bunch of cautions near the end of the race.

And the big news was still Toyota during the weekend. Toyota dominated the truck race at Daytona on Friday, then Toyota won the Nationwide race on Saturday.

 

With 6 of the top 8 all being Dodges there was more than luck, timing and a bunch of cautions going on IMO.

 

There was some strategy at play, but luck and timing definitely was a big part of it. We'll see how the Dodges do next weekend at California.

 

There were 9 Camrys who qualified and ran in the race this year. More than twice as many as last year.

 

Two Camrys finished this year in the top 4, and 3 Camrys finished in the Top 15. 6 Camrys out of the 9 in the race this year finished in the Top 20.

To compare, 8 out of 14 Dodges finished in the Top 20, only 2 out of 9 Fords finished in the Top 20. Easily the biggest dissapointment was Chevrolet, only 4 out of 19 Chevrolets finished in the Top 20!

The Top 10 was comprised of 6 Dodges, 2 Toyotas, 1 Chevrolet, 1 Ford.

Chevrolet had the most cars in the race followed by Dodge. Toyota and Ford were tied with the least cars in the race.

No matter how you look at it, Toyota did VERY well in the race even if they did not win.

Compare this to last year, when NO Toyotas finished in the Top 20 at all. The highest finishing Toyota last year was in the 22nd position. Last year Chevrolet also dominated the race, total opposite of this year.

Even Jeff Gordon, who ended the race early with suspension problems said that he didn't think that anyone had enough to beat the Toyotas.

 

Daytona is one of the Superspeedways that hosts what they call "restrictor plate" races. Some years ago aerodynamics combined with awesome engines to boost lap speeds to over 200 mph. With 30-40 cars bunched up in a few draft packs, one hiccup and the whole pack is going into the wall. At those speeds, somebody - perhaps several somebodies are going to be killed. In 1988 Bobby Allison's crashed into a the fence at 210 mph, endangering hundreds of fans. That same year, Bill Elliott set the track record fpr a single lap at 213 mph. Today many engine builders believe that if restrictor plates weren't used, top cars would reach speeds in excess of 225 on the super-speedways. In the interest of slowing the field for the safety of both drivers and fans, a primary restriction on the carburetor was initiated.

NASCAR instituted a restrictor plate rule that mandates an aluminum plate be placed between the carburetor and the intake manifold with four holes cut very precisely in it - the size, between .875" and one inch to be determined by the organizing body for the track. The idea is to restrict fuel and air availabile to the engine, limiting horsepower, and slowing the cars to significantly lower speeds. Traditionally used at Daytona and Talladega, look for them to appear at several other venues this year too.

Carburetors, like some of the other somewhat low-tech approaches to a NASCAR racer are attempts to keep the costs of an entry at the semi-affordable level. "Stock" cars have long disappeared from the tracks, and the "Cup Cars" bear only a passing cosmetic resemblance to anything available on a showroom floor. Purpose built tube frames, massively strong running gear, and heavy roll cages not only meet minimum weight requirements (3400 lbs), but provide crash survivability at pretty incredible speeds.

Despite a formula designed to hold costs down the MSRP of a cup car is well over $150,000 for last year's obsolete car - and probably a whole lot more for something competitive. With the new COT, introduced last year, there are lots of the old formula available - in case you'd like a "project car" for the garage. Don't plan on driving it on the street - they are about a street legal as a F1 car.

Some fans complain that on the Superspeedways the action is pretty slow - which is primarily indicative of the close competitiveness of the cars. With those small restrictor plates pinching off air and fuel, acceleration is a slow process, especially considering the tall gearing needed. Of course aerodynamics plays a large role in drivers having to cooperate with one another to achieve maximum aero-efficiency by stringing "trains" of cars together in a massive draft, running only a hand-span apart at speeds over 180. That's tough, especially when you consider even a light crosswind, or a small bump in the track surface.

It all makes for a good show - no wonder its the fastest growing major sport in America, with new races and new venues being offered every year. It makes a TON of money for sponsors too, who line up for the privilege of putting their logo on a winning car.

 

Toyota will not only win a NASCAR race this year, they will do far better than their F1 effort. Before anyone posts about all the uber technology in F1, I am very well aware, but NASCAR is a much easier playing field to do well in and Toyota has done what they could to give their teams the power they need. Not much else they can do with NASCARs rules.

For many reasons, I hate to say luck makes a difference, but the final lap in NASCAR races is about being in position to win, not necessarily being out front, or lapping the field like F1. The super speedways like Daytona, just amplify that. As I recall, the last lap started with Jeff Burton in the lead and he wound up 13th. Right now it appears that Toyota and Chevy have the hp but the Dodges were COTs that just raced very well. Little E going to Hendricks and the Toyotas make this NASCAR season one worth watching.

 

A few years ago Rusty Wallace said he ran his Dodge unrestricted at a closed test at Talladega just to see what it could do, he reached 228 and said the car felt like it would take flight and he quickly backed off, bet that was a wild ride.