DAYTONA BEACH – Another summer race is over and another checkered flag has been waved over another driver no one expected.
Let’s take a look at the findings…
1. Wood Brothers deliver another underdog winner
Add Harrison Burton’s name to the ever-growing list of surprise winners at Daytona.
Can we really call every winner here a surprise?
Burton, a 23-year-old racer heading for unemployment, survived the carnage that took down so many competitors in the final laps. All he could do was pass and hold off one of the greatest drivers of all time – Kyle Busch, who happened to be pretty desperate for a win and a playoff spot.
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However, that wasn’t easier than it sounds, because Busch challenged him in the last corner to the finish line.
This puts the Wood Brothers back on Daytona winning track: the organization’s 100th NASCAR victory in the team’s illustrious history, more than 13 years after their improbable victory in the 2011 Daytona 500 with Trevor Bayne.
And it is the first career win for Burton, who learned several weeks ago that he will not be allowed to remain in the No. 21 car next year after three subpar seasons.
Until Saturday.
The bottom line here: Don’t be too surprised. This is one of three NASCAR tracks, along with Talladega and the newest plate race track, Atlanta, where something like this can happen.
2. Has Harrison Burton improved his employment prospects?
The only thing that is certain about this is that he certainly did not damage it.
And there is no doubt about the feel-good atmosphere that the whole thing exudes.
With Burton’s father, Jeff, in the announcer’s booth, images of Dale Jarrett winning the 1993 Daytona 500 and his father, Ned, on the phone with CBS were conjured up. The emotions were real for a family that knows how tough and hard this sport can be, not only on man and machine, but also on the psyche.
You lose your spot, but you’re still obligated to show up week after week and play the whole race and do your best, even if your heart may think otherwise. And then this, a real shock of fame on NASCAR’s biggest stage.
This can’t hurt Harrison Burton’s chances.
But honestly, how much can that help? It was all about avoiding all the chaos and being there at the end. It says a lot about Burton’s courage and determination to stay hard on the gas on the backstretch and in Turn 3 as he passed Kyle Busch.
And there is a lot to be said about the tenacious way in which he defended the lead until the end.
But what does this mean for his job prospects in the near future? Given the few good rideshare opportunities and the many good drivers on the road, maybe not much.
3. Another week, another decline
Now it’s back to work at NASCAR’s research and development center near Charlotte.
Corey LaJoie’s rollover in Michigan last week caught everyone’s attention. This week, new equipment – an additional rail next to the rear window – was added to cars to prevent such incidents, as the old roof flaps and other air deflectors proved not to be bulletproof.
Josh Berry’s crash in the final laps on Saturday showed the engineers that he still had more work to do. He was driving in the front, was hit from behind, veered violently to the side and immediately flipped onto his roof. Berry then slid headfirst for a long way before making a violent head-on impact with an inside retaining wall.
The pursuit of safety is as old as racing itself. It seems like these cars can be built to be 100% safe, but then something happens and you realize they are only 99% safe.
4. Grandstands provide the view, the infield for the spectators
Perhaps the summer NASCAR race at Daytona will take on the character of the Rolex 24 sports car race, which is largely an infield event for paying customers.
The crowd in the stadium was large enough to satisfy most tracks. There seemed to be somewhere between 40,000 and 50,000 in the stands, which is fine except when compared to the sold-out crowd at the Daytona 500.
At least that is the rough estimate.
However, the infield was swarming with coaches and caravans, and the central-western half of the infield was crowded with countless tents.
Speedway President Frank Kelleher said in the hours before Saturday night’s race that reserved campgrounds were sold out, as were all trackside suites. All 50 states, 56 countries and six continents had produced ticket buyers, he added.
5. NASCAR drives from Daytona to Darlington, then playoffs
There is one race left in the 26-race Cup Series regular season, which will take place next Sunday evening at the historic Darlington Raceway in South Carolina.
After Darlington, the journey continues to Atlanta and the start of the playoffs with ten races.
Next up in Daytona is Fall Cycle Scene from October 17-20, in conjunction with Biketoberfest in Daytona Beach. Historic Sportscar Racing returns from October 31-November 3 and the World Karting Association returns from December 28-30.
After that, everything points to the sports car events Rolex 24 next January and the NASCAR Speedweek in February.
