I scoured the Globe for any type of predictor for who would win this weekend's Daytona 500. The main idea for this weekly column is to offer insight into sports that you may not have spent much time considering.I guess that if I wanted to do that this week I could explain the basic rules of NASCAR and you would all be blown away by the wealth of knowledge that you just received. Instead I dissected the Daytona 500 in every which way to try and give perspective to relate to those who are still trapped in a world where racing isn't consider sport.
So a quick history about the, "Super Bowl" of NASCAR. The Daytona 500 has been raced for 50 years, this being the 51st, and when you think Super Bowl, you think of championship at the end of the year. But nearly 200,000 people show up for this spectacle to kick off the NASCAR season and the winner of this race rarely even matters come season's end.
Over the 50 years only 8 times has the winner of the Daytona 500 gone on to win the championship, the most recent being 2006 when Jimmie Johnson started his three-peat with victory on the beach. In fact, since 1975 the average finish of the eventual champion is 14.6. Tony Stewart in 2002 and Cale Yarborough in 1976 finished dead last and they still went on to win the Cup.
It doesn't matter where you start, it is all about the finish. Only nine times has the winner started from the pole position and in 2007 Kevin Harvick came all the way from 37th position to win.
So all the hoopla surrounding the weekend is just like Opening Day in MLB. To get you warmed up though, here are a few highlights of some of the best Daytona 500 finishes. If you can watch a pitcher throw 9 pitches to a batter, or watch a Quarterback sit under center for 30 seconds before snapping the ball, you can take time to watch a few minutes. Oh they are doing this at 190-200 MPH.
So when looking for a Champion this year, you can't really trust the "Super Bowl of NASCAR". The man who wins the Daytona 500 tends to be more lucky than good at times. Just looking at the past few years, the winner of the race has only lead an average of 16 laps in the race. You have to go back to 1998 to find the last time that the winning driver led at least half the race and it has only happened three times in the past 20 years.
It is a coin flip as to who will win on Sunday because of the packed field, but I can guarantee that it will be exciting and worth the watch.
And Now You Know! (And Knowing is Half the Battle)
So a quick history about the, "Super Bowl" of NASCAR. The Daytona 500 has been raced for 50 years, this being the 51st, and when you think Super Bowl, you think of championship at the end of the year. But nearly 200,000 people show up for this spectacle to kick off the NASCAR season and the winner of this race rarely even matters come season's end.
Over the 50 years only 8 times has the winner of the Daytona 500 gone on to win the championship, the most recent being 2006 when Jimmie Johnson started his three-peat with victory on the beach. In fact, since 1975 the average finish of the eventual champion is 14.6. Tony Stewart in 2002 and Cale Yarborough in 1976 finished dead last and they still went on to win the Cup.
It doesn't matter where you start, it is all about the finish. Only nine times has the winner started from the pole position and in 2007 Kevin Harvick came all the way from 37th position to win.
So all the hoopla surrounding the weekend is just like Opening Day in MLB. To get you warmed up though, here are a few highlights of some of the best Daytona 500 finishes. If you can watch a pitcher throw 9 pitches to a batter, or watch a Quarterback sit under center for 30 seconds before snapping the ball, you can take time to watch a few minutes. Oh they are doing this at 190-200 MPH.
So when looking for a Champion this year, you can't really trust the "Super Bowl of NASCAR". The man who wins the Daytona 500 tends to be more lucky than good at times. Just looking at the past few years, the winner of the race has only lead an average of 16 laps in the race. You have to go back to 1998 to find the last time that the winning driver led at least half the race and it has only happened three times in the past 20 years.
It is a coin flip as to who will win on Sunday because of the packed field, but I can guarantee that it will be exciting and worth the watch.
And Now You Know! (And Knowing is Half the Battle)
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2 comments:
Based on what you've said I hope Joey Logano doesn't win this weekend. To be honest, he should probably focus on eating a little more. You really probably should've explained the rules though...something about if you're not first you're last right (also, the Rangers are home on June 28, looks like you're breaking a promise)?
The rules are simple.
Drive fast, turn left (unless you are on a road course)
But there is more to it than that. That is just the public's idea of what a NASCAR race is. They also say, "Anyone could do what they do, heck I could do it".
All I have to say is.. Prove It.
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