SPOILER ALERT: Daytona 500 rain-soaked results
Click above for high-res gallery of the 2009 Daytona 500
As we mentioned yesterday, the Autoblog team watches a lot of motorsports, but NASCAR isn't usually one of them. None of us found ourselves in front of the TV for yesterday's running of the Daytona 500, the sport's biggest race and inaugural contest to kick off the season. From what we're told, we didn't miss too much. There were left turns (lots of them), crashes and the race was cut short with 48 laps left to go on account of rain. Who was out front when the rains came? Follow the jump to find out.
Gallery: 2009 Daytona 500
[Source: New York Times | Photos: Getty Images]
The 2009 Daytona 500 was won by none other than Matt Kenseth, the guy who didn't win a race last year and had gone 36 races without standing atop a podium. After the race was called due to rain and Kenseth declared the winner, the Roush Fenway Racing driver joked, "It's going to be really wet out here because I'm crying like a baby." Kenseth actually started the race at the back of the pack because his primary Dewalt-sponsored Ford Fusion was wrecked during qualifying on Thursday.
The race itself was, of course, interrupted by a number of crashes, but they're only talking about one today. It occurred on Lap 124 and was caused by Brian Vickers and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Both drivers were more than a lap down and out of contention at that moment, but their tangling at the bottom of the track caused a mess in front of the entire field that took out three-time Sprint Cup defending champion Jimmy Johnson, Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch, among others. With those three out of the way, winning became a real possibility for many remaining drivers who weren't given a real chance at the outset.
Earnhardt, Jr. had actually already been penalized twice for major errors in the pits, including driving past his pit stall and not stopping his car fully inside the stall. Needless to say, Earnhardt, Jr. didn't have many fans among his peers after the race was over.
Kenseth's win does come at the expense of some hard work put in by Elliot Sadler, who had taken the lead on Lap 122 and held it for 24 laps. Having no idea there were only six laps to go, Kenseth made his move to pass Sadler with a push from Kevin Harvick. Not long after the heavens opened up and a rain-soaked Daytona declared Kenseth the winner instead of Sadler.
Among the normal festivities of Daytona weekend, this year's race did feature one unique element: the presence of one Cole Trickle, a.k.a. actor Tom Cruise. Cruise was on hand to drive the Chevy Camaro Pace Car during ceremonial laps before the race began. The actor even reprised his role by hopping into the actual Chevy Lumina stock car used during the filming of Days of Thunder.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Rick C. 4:02PM (2/16/2009)
These guys need to get with it and run rain capable tires, just like other racing series and people on the street do.
Reply
DC 4:04PM (2/16/2009)
They have rain tires, and they can use them in road course racing. They did last year or the year before when the Nationwide Series was in Mexico City.
The problem with running grooved tires in the rain at an oval track is that there is too much sustained heat, the cars are pretty heavy, and the speed is too high for running around the track safely.
VP 5:32PM (2/16/2009)
Hey genius maybe you should trying running in the rain on an oval. The other series run road courses. Getting a clue before getting on the soapbox.
Sanders 7:41PM (2/16/2009)
Ovals, rain and rain tires don't go together? Is the blacktop special to prevent this? BS. I'll believe it when I see it.
Torrent 3:37PM (2/16/2009)
No surprise. I was at Infineon Raceway yesterday, about 3 crashes and the race was cut short, too.
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JD 3:40PM (2/16/2009)
Cut short with almost 50 laps to go. It was an anti-climatic finish.
Regarding the crash involving Jr.: I didn't think it was his fault...
HotRodzNKustoms 3:46PM (2/16/2009)
@JD General rule of racing is that fault usually goes to the person making the pass. Even if i is their fault or not. That being said I think it was the fault of that one guy making that @hole block.
why not the LS2LS7? 3:59PM (2/16/2009)
I posted it in the other thread, but it shocks me that that level of blocking is considered legal in NASCAR.
DC 4:02PM (2/16/2009)
That is what makes NASCAR a unique sport. You can rub fenders and block, and it remains legal. However, when it comes to rough driving, it depends on the driver.
If NASCAR is in love with them, a la Jr, they won't penalize him for taking out 10 cars. If they don't like him as much, a la Jason Leffler, they will park him for 5 laps because he wrecked 3 cars.
catgirlshyla 7:14PM (2/16/2009)
You are now hearing the Daytona USA Arcade theme song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wY6xkJ4RcFU
BinaryTerror 3:54PM (2/16/2009)
Hey...
We are NASCAR and terribly afraid of rain. While all other motorsports continue in rain...we put our umbrellas up in fear we might melt.
NASCAR = Pansies.
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DC 4:01PM (2/16/2009)
Yeah, since all other race series run 195 mph in the rain.
If you are an idiot, refrain from posting. I am looking at you BinaryTerror.
Jr. caused the wreck, the race was called too early, and congrats to Matt for breaking the drought.
Carlo_Carrera 4:23PM (2/16/2009)
Hey DC, you must not watch much other racing than NASCAR because, F1, Le Mans, Grand-Am at Daytona 24hrs, ALMS DTM, Ausie V8s etc, etc, etc.. all run close to and sometimes above speeds that NASCAR does in the RAIN. And don't give me that bologna that cup cars are heavy blah, blah, blah. Because F1 and sports cars generate tons of downforce making their cars heavier than cup cars at speed, F1 cars can drive on an upside down road at speed. And don't give the the sustained speed thing either because there is no way a cup car could do 190mph with rain tires on.
As BinaryTerror wrote: NASCAR = Pansies.
BinaryTerror 4:29PM (2/16/2009)
All other sports do slow for the rain...as would NASCAR if they weren't all pansies.
F1 averages higher straight speeds on many tracks and get there quicker...but in the rain they too must slow. Motorcycles on 2 wheels more grossly overpowered than a NASCAR still run in torrential downpours.
NASCAR used to stand for stock car racing. Last time I checked one important rule for using motorsports to improve our cars was to run them in all weather conditions. I drive my vehicle in the rain, then again NASCAR is still running Carbs and fake cars, not even "STOCK" anything.
phaphaphooey 4:51PM (2/16/2009)
Shhhhh, don't let DC know that no one cares about Nascar aside from the residents of select American trailer parks.
DC 5:05PM (2/16/2009)
Carlo, you are a professional idiot as well.
When it rains, they run nowhere near the speeds they can when it is dry. The cars don't weigh nearly as much as NASCAR stock cars, nor are the suspensions as loose in setup as what those other series race. Also, those other series don't run banked ovals which makes hydroplaning all the worse in stock cars.
If NASCAR ran rain tires at Daytona, speeds would probably reach a maximum of 100 MPH and a cars would spin out at every corner. The dynamics of the tracks and cars in combination do not work when it is wet.
So please, quit pretending like you are an expert.
DC 5:07PM (2/16/2009)
Phaphoey, sure they may have some people that fit your descriptions, but you watch too many Will Ferrel movies for your own good.
Why don't you go to all those other American racing series and ask how many dedicated fans they actually have and then come back to me. Why don't you tell me what other events sporting events draw 160,000 people to attend and mind you, tickets aren't cheap.
Grow the firetruck up.
Carlo_Carrera 6:18PM (2/16/2009)
DC what is your beef? You disagree with me and start your case by calling me an idiot? You are the one drinking the NASCAR kool aid, but I am not going stoop to your level and call you names. I will rebut your claims with facts.
The cars running at Daytona 24hrs run almost the complete oval and cut into the infield in two places and they are sport cars, generating massive amounts of downforce, do you know what downforce is? Putting way more mass and sustained heat into rain tires than cup cars ever could. F1 cars generate much more downforce than even sports cars, putting their tires under unbelievably sustained loads in the wet or dry. The sustained heat cup cars generate on a high speed oval track doesn't even come close.
Then you bring up hydroplaning, they are running on a 31 degree banked oval, the water is going to run off very quickly, making hydroplaning almost impossible add to that 30+ cup cars running rain tires also pumping the rain off.
You also claim cup car suspensions are tighter that sports cars or F1 cars? You you have no idea what you are talking about, don't you see the way the nose of a cup car dives when they are hard the brakes. You really think a cup car has tighter suspension than a sports car or F1 car? Don't you know how much suspension travel they have to put into those cup cars to handle the bumps at Daytona. And any racing handbook will tell you that a car with more suspension travel will work better in the rain than a car with tight suspension.
NASCAR could easily get tires from Goodyear that could handle cup cars on an oval in the rain. The NASCAR drivers would have to actually drive, maybe even brake a little before entering corners but at least they could complete races. Maybe NASCAR just doesn't want their so called "premier drivers" looking like idiots because they can't handle the rain.
I have not claiming to be an expert, but I know I understand the physics involved better than you.
And your claim that NASCAR is unique because they bump and grind is also bologna. Did you happen to catch the finish of the 12hrs of Sebring last year? or pretty much any Grand-am or AMLS race? Ever see an Aussie V8 race, those guys really beat each other, they make NASCAR look like tea party.
I am not claiming to be an expert but you really have no clue as to what you are writing about.
DC 7:08PM (2/16/2009)
Carlo, you make me laugh. Thank you for that.
Lets address your points.
Calling you an idiot is just a descriptive word of what I think your knowledge of the subject is. Go ahead, you can call me anything you want to. Now lets look at these "facts" of yours.
While it is true the Daytona 24 cars can run in the rain, they are limited in the speed and abilities the cars have when it starts to get damp at the track. The DP and GTs also weigh in most cases over 1000 lbs less than the NASCAR racecars which causes more problems with control. The DPs haven't raced in the type of rain that hit Daytona this past Sunday without the aid of TC. New rules in the past 2 years have mandated no TC but they haven't had an opportunity to have to deal with running in full wet conditions without it. Also a race in the rain with NASCAR stockers would be extremely dangerous and boring, because they could only get to about 100 mph, if that, and they would be sliding all over the place. (This will be addressed later on in this post)
As for the downforce idea, sure, F1 cars and DPs probably do get more downforce than NASCAR racecars at speed, however, when it rains, you can bet that goes out the window because they aren't running fast enough to make that much of a factor.
Then you bring up hydroplaning, they are running on a 31 degree banked oval, the water is going to run off very quickly, making hydroplaning almost impossible add to that 30+ cup cars running rain tires also pumping the rain off.
Water is going to run off very quickly? Yeah, I guess that is why it takes hours on end to dry the tracks with jet engine powered blowers. Give me a break, the water isn't going to just "run off". It stays on the track and combines with the grime and dirt to provide a slick as ice track surface. Hydroplaning impossible, hah! Oh, and this "pumping" idea you have is interesting because it doesn't happen. Rain tires channel the water away from the contact patch of the wheel. The water would just get moved aside and other cars would just have to run over it. There is not "pumping" of any water happening.
Apparently you don't know that Cup cars run on bump stops, which causes the car to skate across the track in DRY conditions. If it turns wet at all, you can bet a 99.9% chance of wrecking because of water. The cars "dive" but once under compression, they stay that way so in effect the front suspension becomes solid. oddly enough you point out exactly what I was trying to say, that handbook is correct that more travel will work in the rain. Cup cars don't have much travel, and therefore it doesn't work smart genius.
Its entirely your opinion on what Goodyear can and can't do and what the drivers can and can't do. Apparently they aren't complete idiots, Carl Edwards did beat Michael Schumacher in the RoC. So get your head out of your ass.
Physics =/= your friend.
Tea party? Really? Yah, I guess that is why they have so many more fans. I watch all type of racing and NONE comes close to the amount of contact and on edge performance as NASCAR brings to the table. There is a reason Montoya and Speed don't run ALMS. The challenge is much higher than in sports cars. Oh, and I saw that Sebring race. Guess what, that is the first time that has happened in a long time. In NASCAR you get that every damn week.
I know exactly what I am talking about when I say you sir are an idiot.
Marc 8:47PM (2/16/2009)
People that really believe a treaded tire can be made that would withstand the pressures required to run at 190mph on a banked oval are far worse than pansies.
But to be kind I'll just say your misguided.