Tweet from @Hinchtown: In lieu of watching any Daytona Pre Race show, I'm watching Talladega Nights. #moreentertaining
For those who are watching the pre-race stuff, they're doing a piece on 5-time champ Jimmie Johnson.
This is the first race of a 36 strong calendar.
Tweet from @kleebanks: Almost time for the Daytona 500!!! Who's gonna win? Hubby and I are pulling for either Mark Martin or Dale Junior!! #NASCAR
Denny Hamlin on his tough week: "We've had everything... we even had the lights go out on us during practice. Things have progressively gotten a little bit better... we've got a good shot at it."
Hamlin starts 18th.
Another country music song, with racing lyrics. Apparently the crowd goes wild and no one can do it NASCAR style. That rhymes. Sort of.
Tweet from @Jersey2Bronx: While I am not a huge NASCAR fan, I usually consider the Daytona 500 the unofficial start of Spring, & reminder that Summer is coming soon
The Fox pundits (apologies for not knowing who they are) talk of the dual racing we're seeing at Daytona.
"These guys have perfected the fact, with 450 horsepower nose to tail, you've got 900 horsepower."
"Synchronised racing."
Rev. Dr. L Ronald Durham offers a prayer for the racers and for the greater world.
The crowd stands for the National Anthem, sung by Martina McBride.
The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds do a fly past.
4:50 to command. Command what, I don't know yet. Is it the engine thing?
The countdown, and lots more, is sponsored by Pizza Hut. This is also making me hungry.
From what I can see on Twitter, the fans appreciated Martina's rendition of the Star Spangled Banner. Goodo.
Pizza Hut predictions
Mike - Tony Stewart
Larry - Kurt Busch
DW - Earnhardt Jr
Hammond - Kevin Harvick
Start Your Engines.
Tweet from @MattTaliaferro: For as good as the Anthem was, they really mangled the command to fire engines. And every big race needs a good command. #NASCAR
Tweet from @slywheel: Tweeting from my phone for the first time ever to save on bandwidth for stream #nascar
That's dedication for you.
The field is beginning to form as they exit the pitlane.
Chevy Camero SS Pace Car leads the field. There are some Transformers cars at the back of the field.
The Transformers cars have dropped off the back now. Can't stand the pace, clearly.
Trevor Bayne from the car: "We're all here to win, but I understand it's my first 500 and we're all here to learn. It has the capability to run upfront, it's finding that buddy to work with. We've got a lot of support, we're pumped about it."
Comment from The Boston Red Scott: Montoya just got a mention. I'm cheering for him I think. I just miss his name from F1.
Race started.
They'll start pairing up now.
They have started pairing up already.
A nice tribute to Earnhardt Senior, with a silent lap 3. Everyone in the crowd held up 3 fingers as well.
Thankfully no one crashed, or that would have been an awkward silent lap.
Kyle Busch has spun it.
Yellow flags.
Replays show Kyle Busch drifting left and then back across in front of his drift partner but lost control on his own really.
Kyle's radio on the replay: "It was three wide, I had nowhere to go. Stupidly insane."
Michael Waltrip on the radio: "I didn't do anything wrong, I stayed right in the middle like he asked me too."
Busch is in pit road, they are realigning the front of his car.
The commentators have good facts: Some drivers can talk to up to 15 different competitors by selecting them on the radio. But some drivers, like Busch, have refused to give out their frequencies, and competitors have to go through their spotters.
Track is clear.
Kervin Harwick is currently leading.
The field is spreading slightly, the leaders are lining up, those at the back are trailing off. In the middle though, many cars going three or four wide.
Yellow flags for oil on track.
J.J. Yeley's car was spewing smoke which has caused the second caution.
Cars are piling into pit road to put fuel in their car. Half the field stopped during the earlier caution as well.
Kevin Harvick struggled to get away from his pit box, and almost took his fuel guy with him. All safe and sound though.
Dale Earnhardt Jr's spotter said on the radio he couldn't see the caution lights, which almost caused a collision.
Track is clear.
Labonte is currently leading, followed (rather closely) by Keselowski.
Menard and Stewart behind have just slipped into the lead.
For Montoya fans, he's up to third at the moment.
Montoya is partnered up with Jamie McMurray, they did a perfect swap to put Montoya in front. A third car joined up behind them as well!
This will change as soon as I've typed it: Menard, Stewart, Montoya, McMurray, Labonte
Tweet from @NASCAR24Maniac: Kevin Harvick just blew up. #NASCAR
It's quite tricky following Twitter. I'm seeing an alert for over 10,000 comments each time I refresh, which means about 30,000 tweets a minute. This Daytona business is quite popular!
Yellow flags.
Chaos in the pitlane. Montoya was leading when he came in.
It looks like Montoya retained his lead out of pit road.
Replays show Harvick's car blowing up, smoke filling the lane. Jeff Gordon couldn't see anything, and bumped into the car in front. He's in pit road with the crew examining the bumper. Back on track now.
Kevin Harvick climbs out of the car and removes his helmet.
Harvick: "They're suspecting a broken block. Didn't do anything different to what I had been doing. Just a ten, fifteen degree oil temperature difference... tough way to start the year but man, like you say, we never blow motors."
Tweet from @NASCAR_Rewards: Apparently that was the first blown engine for Harv in 150 races. Wow. #NASCAR
Track is clear.
Montoya has drifted back to sixth. Bowyer is leading for this lap. Earnhardt Jr behind.
Big Crash.
Replays showed Waltrip turning Reutimann. Then good grief, the collateral damage. Biffle was involved.
Comment from Steven Roy: Nose to tail at 200mph doesn't leave much reaction time
Reutimann in the garage: "I don't know, it's a product of this kind of racing. Mike was pushing me and I don't think I anticipated the guys moving up in front of us as they did. It's not Mike's fault, he's pushing, that's all you can do from behind. I was probably a bit slow on the draw there, giving him a head's up. It'll be a miracle [if we can get back out]"
Tweet from @jenlada: Slow motion does not do NASCAR crashes justice. Makes high speed collisions look like gentle caresses. Or amusement park bumper cars.
Ooops, got carried away with the crash and all.
Jeff Gordon: "It doesn't really matter at this point. Our chances of winning the 500 are over at this point, that's the disappointing thing... we were having a lot of fun... They need to let it thin out a little bit, as soon as it thins out then go to it, it can be very safe. I was just sitting there, waiting for it to thin out, I probably should have waited further back. They're pushing and shoving up the back straight, straight away. You can understand those guys in the first few rows... it's going to be a heck of a race to watch. It's hot, a little slicker today. Unfortunately for us, the damage is going to take a while to get it fixed, but we'll get back out there and get as many laps as we can."
Five damaged cars still on track, at the moment. The first six cars didn't pit under this cuation. McMurray and Montoya are leading.
Track is clear.
Commentator says: "The problem you have is, this is a race..."
Indeed.
Top five for now: Menard, Bowyer, Truex Jr, Keselowski, Smith.
Michael Waltrip, out of the car: "I just didn't get the information soon enough. I was pushing David, and he said give me some room, then all of a sudden said I've got to go low... when you change directions pushing in the corner, it's just a recipe for disaster. As a driver I'm frustrated, as an owner it's expensive, but as a fan, I can't wait to go watch."
Dale Earnhardt Jr stats: currently 13th, high 1st, low 36th.
Daytona resurfacing facts:
- Six months to repave
- Repaving started 5th July 2010
- Used 50,000 tonnes of asphalt
- 1.4 million square feet
- First repaving since 1979
Richardson crashes into the inside wall.
Fifth caution.
Tweet from @HockeyKamen: @factbyfactbox Not to mention temporarily removing floodlight stanchans and sections of fencing to get the paving equipmenmt to stay on the 31 degree banked turns
Comment from The Boston Red Scott: Richardson #37 was the lead car of a pair, car went off down into the inside wall for a relatively low impact collision.
Richardson spins around.
Tweet from @RSH2o: LeftLeftLeftLeftLeftLeftLeftLeftLeftLeftLeftLeftLeftLeftLeftLeftLeftLeftLeftLeftLeftLeftLeftLeft. ....NASCAR is so much fun....
Track is clear.
Blaney leading at the moment, as we reach "the quarter pole."
Commentators on why they are running in twos and not threes: "You can second-guess, but you can't third-guess."
Top five at the moment: Menard, Smith, Bowyer, Burton, Keselowski
Robert Richardson has been released from the care centre after his crash. He's okay.
Montoya is still up there, sixth or thereabouts at the moment.
The mid pack are still three wide, occasionally four wide!
Brian Vickers had damage from the earlier crash, he rejoined the track but has pulled off now. Doesn't look like he will make it back to the garage.
Yellow flags for Vickers, despite the fact he's miles off track.
Cars streaming into pit road again. Most going for fuel only.
Comment from Steven Roy: Sounds like NASCAR need to be able to cut in and scream YELLOW YELLOW YELLOW at all the drivers then let their spotters talk to them
Tweet from @mikehembree: Some cars mangled in the earlier Big One now returning to the track to mop up a few laps. A zany activity caused by points system. #nascar
Track is clear.
29 cars on the lead lap.
Montoya and McMurray discuss their drafting over the radio. McMurray says it was hard to lock up on his bumper when you're in traffic. Montoya says they have fast enough cars to get back up there.
Currently they are sitting 13th and 14th.
Smith, Busch and Earnhardt Jr lead at the moment. Earnhardt was just voted the Pizza Hut fan favourite on Fox. Mmm, pizza.
I saw a tweet fly past that read: "Why is NASCAR real?" That is quite the philosophical question.
Seventh caution of the day. Cars piling down pit road again.
Replays show Travis Kvapil hitting the wall. Commentators suggest it might have been a slow puncture.
Current standings: Logano, Burton and Earnhardt Jr.
Track is clear.
Earnhardt Jr takes the lead. The crowd goes wild.
28 cars still on the lead lap.
Earnhardt Jr crashed in practice and had to go to a backup car. He's battling for the lead, with Montoya and McMurray.
Again, McMurray is struggling to keep up with Montoya.
Commentators appear to have invented the word "co-opetition."
Tweet from @psychemedia: @factbytefactbox co-operative competition: share the common costs and recieve mutually exclusive, non-competing benefits
Kyle Busch was leading a draft pairing, but seems to be struggling with his car.
Tweet from @DavidKrimmel: This is Juan Pablo's year! #NASCAR
Jeff Burton's engine fails and he's running slowly round the inside.
Ambient temperature nudging 80 degrees - commentator suggests it's the warmest day of the week.
Tweet from @RacingWithRich: Both Burton and Harvick were pushing at the time engines expired. ECR engines need to lead. #NASCAR
Kurt Busch has led the most laps so far - 14.
We are halfway through.
Jeff Burton: "We're asking a lot of the engines here, for sure. These are tough situations. We thought we were well within our limits. I'm proud of everybody. We ran well all week. Disapponted, but proud of everybody."
Then proper tears!
Tweet from @bobpockrass: Walking from garage to media center, saw Robert Richardson Jr. outside fanzone bistro. Out of race, I guess you've got to eat. #nascar
Current top five: Newman, Logano, Smith, Kurt Busch, R. Gordon
This is a long green flag period, commentators suggest we are just 14 or so laps from green flag pit stops, which we haven't seen yet so far.
Montoya spins off to cause a caution.
We didn't get to those green stops.
Replays show Montoya losing control a little, but weaves back into it and gets to pit road.
Track is clear.
Montoya is 25th now.
Current top five: Kurt Busch, Smith, Truex Jr, Bayne, Bowyer.
Four pairs of cars up there fighting for the lead.
Apparently it was Trevor Bayne's birthday yesterday, he was 20 years old.
Throughout that ad break, we had great insight into the conversation between Dale Earnhardt and Tony Stewart.
Total | Driver |
---|---|
17 | Busch |
16 | Bowyer |
11 | McMurray |
Seems to me that McMurray benefited from an awesome Montoya behind him and didn't necessarily return the favour.
Yellow flags - 9th caution.
Kvapil limps into pit road.
Tweet from @brotherflounder: Kvapil blows ANOTHER tire. Please park him. #NASCAR
Pit road is crazy chaos once more. Doesn't look like there are too many tyre changes. Busch definitely changing the right side.
Either Earnhardt or Stewart says to the other: "Why don't you get some more drink, man, you've been working hard out there."
Aw, they look after each other's health too.
Comment from CAMikaze: Will we have pit stops under green today?
The restart is put back a lap, not sure why.
Track is clear.
Bobby Labonte was running in the top five but has slowed down, looks like he's heading back to pit road.
Kenseth has a bit of bodywork sticking out which looks like it might be slowing him down.
Current top five: Bowyer, Menard, Stewart, Kyle Busch, Newman.
Tweet from @Xooma_Racing: this race may end up w/ a car many laps down pushing a teammate to the win #nascar
Kenseth has crashed heavily into the wall, but is okay. Looks like the car behind bumped him a bit too hard.
Yellow flags - 10th caution.
Apparently the race record for cautions is 11, which has happened three times. My guess is we're bound to make that four.
More pit road action.
Tweet from @bobpockrass: Mark Martin getting free pass and that will put 27 cars on lead lap with 63 to go. #nascar
Current top five: Bowyer, Menard, Stewart, Kyle Busch, Truex Jr.
Track reporters say that Bowyer has told Stewart he might hook up with Menard for a bit, but might be back later. Complicated!
Track is clear.
Montoya and Biffle crash. Montoya saves it to head for pit road. Biffle looks more damaged.
Yellow flags - 11th caution.
Biffle is climbing out of the car, not sure where he has come to a halt though.
Biffle's car being towed away now.
Cars in pit road again.
Biffle's car comes to a halt, after ploughing through plenty of grass.
Tweet from @TomSavage: These Drivers are all so nice to each other in these after crash interviews. I liked the old days when the would push and shove. #NASCAR
Tweet from @scottaltimaman: grass looks nice but does nothing to slow the cars down, time to pave it #nascar #daytona500 #comeonman
Current top five: Truex Jr, Bayne, Earnhardt Jr, Kyle Busch, Logano.
Track is clear.
Still 27 cars on the lead lap.
Montoya currently running 24th.
Tweet from @mikefraney: @factbytefactbox how many laps left?
Just 53 laps to go now.
58 lead changes in this Daytona 500 so far - the record is 60.
Tweet from @Msave69: Very expensive day for many teams at#daytona500 #nascar
Tweet from @HockeyKamen: @factbytefactbox At the 3/4 pole now. 50 Laps to go. #NASCAR #Daytona
It looks like Montoya has hooked up with McMurray again.
They're running around the 10th/11th mark.
Dale Earnhardt is up there scrapping for the win. It's been 93 races since his last Sprint Cup win. The crowd would go wild.
Comment from The Boston Red Scott: I'm enjoying watching a sport where minor contact doesn't finish a team's chances.
Tweet from @TheF1Archive: @factbytefactbox It's Jr. Best not confuse the Earnhardt's
Apologies. I figured it was a given that Sr wasn't racing, given we had a three minute silence for him earlier.
Yellow flags - the record breaking 12th caution.
Kvapil brushed up against the wall and knocked his car apart.
They're heading down to pit road now.
Looks like Montoya was fourth out of the pit road exit race.
Labonte looks like he's struggling to get back out again.
40 laps to go.
62 lead changes, 12 cautions so far.
Tweet from @littlepun: I can't believe kevin left!! I know it sucks to be out but I would just step out on pitroad and watch....maybe that's just me??#nascar
Assuming nothing else goes kaboom, the cars should be able to make it to the end of the race.
Track is clear.
NASCAR thermocam.
Tweet from @IzzieBristow: Really diggin the Heat cam that @Nascar has this year. Interesting to see whats hot and whats not!
Current top five: Hamlin, Newman, McMurray, D. Ragan, Bayne.
Keselowski has hit the wall. Smith also spun it.
13th caution.
Replays show contact between Keselowski and Jordan. The errant number 2 car narrowly missed Stewart and Montoya, plus a couple of others.
Current top five: Hamlin, Newman, D. Ragan, Bayne, Earnhardt Jr.
Track is clear.
None of the first sixteen drivers stopped under that caution.
Kyle Busch gets a wobble on but catches it expertly to remain in position.
Current top five: Newman, Hamlin, Menard, Stewart, D. Ragan.
Tweet from @montanaro28: Anyone else get goosebumps when NASCAR on FOX Cranks It Up? Still waiting for something else in sports that is as riveting.
Truex runs wide from the middle pack and ended up going through pit road.
Comment from CAMikaze: Top 10 finish by Blaney = Kids eat free at his sponsors restaurants.
Tweet from @blodger: Trevor Bayne is the story of the day. Amazing initiation for a young driver. #NASCAR
Current top ten: Newman, Hamlin, Bowyer, Busch, Ragan, Bayne, Busch, Smith, Stewart, Menard.
Yellow flags.
Kazey Kahne runs high and into the wall, a right front tyre failure.
Tweet from @PaulBenn: JPM JPM JPM JPM #nascar. What can I say. I'm a #f1 fan
69 lead changes, 14 cautions.
Total | Driver |
---|---|
30 | Bowyer |
28 | Newman |
19 | Kurt Busch |
17 | Truex Jr. |
Carl Edwards ran over some debris from Kahne which gave him a puncture too.
Track is clear.
15 laps to go.
S Wallace heads to pit road with a tyre problem.
Newman out in front is doing 190+mph, the engines roaring at 9000rpm.
Commentator says of the engines: "At this point, forget the guages, run it till it blows."
10 laps.
Current leaders: Newman, Hamlin, Bowyer, Kyle Busch, Stewart, Earnhardt Jr.
Newman and his partner lost touch for a moment and have fallen backwards.
Stewart and Busch almost came together there.
Commentator: "And here comes... everybody."
There are six pairs of cars, and with five laps to go, it could be any of them.
Montoya, meanwhile, is down in 22nd. Never mind.
The pairs run three wide.
Yellow flags - 15th caution.
Smith had a spin, his car looks okay. Newman's does not.
Replays show a gap forming with Smith in front, the car behind got a push from the one behind that, who then pushed him into an angle.
Running before the accident.
Hamlin had a flat tyre so went into pit road.
Kyle Busch also has a bit of damage.
Now leading: Regan, Bayne, then x2 Buschs.
Smith gets a spin on.
Dale Earnhardt Jr on the radio suggesting his tyre is going down, a pit road visit follows.
We're on 200 laps now, but we've got to attempt to finish under green conditions.
Kyle Busch on the radio: "I told you, I told you, it don't matter how long you can push. It was always going to be a green, white, checker."
Track is clear.
I've just realised I don't have a white flag.
Accident!!
I may never need it!
Dale Earnhardt Jr is out. The crowd wail.
Before that there was talk of a black flag, it looks like Ragan didn't hold his lane on the restart.
We're watching replays but I can't figure out what happened. It looks like Earnhardt Jr was just collected in the aftermath of something else.
Kyle Busch visits pit road.
Ooh, I forgot the yellow flag again.
16th caution.
Comment from Pat W: A black flag just means a drive-through penalty not a DQ like in F1.
Newman was also involved, spinning off.
Regan shown punching the steering wheel in frustration, but he takes his drive through.
Bayne is leading now.
Pit reporter says Bayne is being told to save fuel as he may not have enough to get to the chequered flag. That depends how long it takes to get to the flippin' flag!
Track is clear.
Current top five: Bayne, Stewart, Labonte, Martin, Kurt Busch.
White flag goes here.
Trevor Bayne wins the Daytona 500!!
Debut race, birthday yesterday, 20 years old. They're saying it's a fairy tale.
Bayne does some showing off for the crowds. Victory celebrations are the sweetest.
Comment from Steven Roy: Great move by Bayne. Slid off Labonte's nose and parked in front of the guy who was passing him. That was really clever racing
I was about to say that.
Bayne is out of the car and celebrating with his team. Then back in the car.
Winning celebrations.
Top three: Bayne, Edwards, Gililand.
We ended up with 208 laps.
Well, it took five hours of Factbyte Factboxing, but we got a fantastic last few laps. Great work by Bayne, hopefully he'll get a chance to show what he can do in the future as well.
Thanks for joining me today, I'll see you soon for some more FBFBing. Hopefully not five hours worth!
Filed under Stock cars
Previous event 2011 Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona
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Event start
18:30GMT +00:00
20 February 2011
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