NASCAR SEASON REVS UP WITH 54th RUNNING OF THE DAYTONA 500

Imagine if the Super Bowl was held at the start of the NFL season; or the MLB World Series took place in April.  It’s inconceivable to think that a major sports league would hold its biggest “event” at the beginning of its season, right? Wrong.

For over half a century, NASCAR has kicked off its season with the richest and most prestigious race on the schedule - the Daytona 500. 

Award-winning motorsports journalist Liz Clarke covered NASCAR for nearly two decades as a reporter for outlets that included USA Today.  In her opinion, NASCAR’s format is right on track.

“There's no sporting event like the Daytona 500,” said Clarke.  “It is epic in its scale, demands, high stakes and ultimate reward. It's every stock-car racer's dream to compete in it. And to win it, defines a career. And for a sport with a 36-race season, it's like starting an overture with a giant clash of cymbals; it gets your attention.”

Also known as “The Great American Race,” the Daytona 500 is the crown-jeweler of the NASCAR circuit. According to officials at the Daytona International Speedway, the race has the biggest total payout in prize money for any motorsports event in the U.S. The 2012 Daytona 500 will have a total purse in excess of $19-milllion, with the winner guaranteed a minimum payout of $1,431,325.

Joseph Oakton of Maryland has been an avid NASCAR fan for more than 12 years and attended close to 30 races.  He too believes there’s nothing like the Daytona 500.

“I think it's great to begin the season with the 500 as you get a little taste of the racing with the Bud Shootout and the Gatorade Duels before it all culminates with the big race on Sunday,” said Oakton.  “At Daytona, it will come down to the last turn or right at the line before you will get a winner.  You are on the edge of your seat for the entire 500 and you just can’t beat that feeling.”

While track attendance as a whole has dipped in recent years, the TV ratings for the Daytona 500  have risen. According to FOX Broadcasting Company, the exclusive home of the Daytona 500, the race experienced a significant increase in numbers over the last two seasons.  Trevor Bayne's win in 2011 averaged 15.6 million viewers, up from 13.3 million in 2010.  Nielsen estimated that 30.1 million viewers watched at least a portion of the race, up from 29.8 million from the previous year.

It’s all about the Fans:

The Daytona 500 is more than just a race.  It’s the central character in the story that has become the billion-dollar sports and marketing phenomenon known as NASCAR.

Clarke is also the author of “One Helluva Ride,” an intense account of how NASCAR swept the nation.  While covering the sport, she got to know many of its champions, like Richard Petty and the late Dale Earnhardt; along with pioneering promoters, including Humpy Wheeler.

“When I was approached about writing a book about sports, NASCAR was my immediate choice,” stated Clarke. “It was the sport that, to me, had the most fascinating history and was populated by incredibly colorful, courageous, visionary and self-made people. I wanted to explain how NASCAR began; why it resonated with working-class America; the marketing genius behind re-packaging the sport for nationwide appeal; and, above all, why it was that NASCAR fans cared so deeply about the sport.”

It’s well documented that NASCAR fans are extremely loyal to the drivers that they follow.

Clarke added, “The fan support had to do with the personality of the drivers…headstrong, hellacious men who, despite their courage, tended to be incredibly generous and good-hearted with their fans. In 22 years, I've covered athletes from NFL players to Olympians, and would rank Junior Johnson, (Richard) Petty and (Dale) Earnhardt among the five most memorable in terms of sheer talent, personality and smarts.

Daytona - Memorable & Heartbreaking:

Ironically, the Daytona 500 has been the home to some of NASCAR’s most electrifying moments and the sports darkest day. And at the center of both, is Earnhardt.

Clearly the most dynamic figure in NASCAR history, his aggressive driving style earned him the nickname, “The Intimidator.”   He also holds the spot as Clarke’s best memory of the Daytona 500, after seeing him finally win it in 1998 after 20 plus years of coming up short.

“The evening before, I watched him pat his car goodnight on the equivalent of its bumper, before the crew put the cover on it, for good luck,” recalls Clarke.  “I remember him rounding that last lap, and the way all the teams spilled onto pit road to high five him as he drove to victory lane.  Then in his post race press conference, I had never seen him so ecstatic.

Just three years later on Feb. 18, 2001, NASCAR’s biggest star died in an accident on the last lap of that same track.

“The wreck didn’t seem that bad on TV,” said Oakton.  “So when the news broke that number 3 was dead, it was surreal.  I remember staring at my TV saying, ‘that’s impossible, heroes don’t die, they’re invincible.’ To me, Earnhardt wasn’t just a NASCAR driver, he was a larger than life cultural icon.  That crash is the first thing I think of each year when I watch the (Daytona) 500.”

Gentlemen (& Lady) Start Your Engines:

On Sunday, Feb. 26, 43 drivers will take to the track for the 54^th running of the Daytona 500, which airs at 1 p.m. on FOX.  After turning in a record lap of 194.738 mph during qualifying, Carl Edwards holds the pole for Sunday’s race.  But no pole-sitter has taken the checkered-flag in 11 years.

Roush Fenway Racing will have three cars at the front of the Daytona 500 as Edwards will be joined by teammates Matt Kenseth, who won the second of the twin 150-mile qualifying races Thursday, and Greg Biffle, who finished second to Edwards in qualifying speed.  Defending NASCAR champion, Tony Stewart, won the first 150-race and will line up next to Kenseth. 

Danica Patrick will be just the third woman to ever start the Daytona 500.  

The Final Lap:

When the race debuted at the Daytona International Speedway in 1959, it was originally called the 500-Mile International Sweepstakes.  That first race ended in a three-wide finish, with Lee Petty narrowly beating Johnny Beauchamp. In 1962, it officially became the Daytona 500.