Prime Time - Daytona 500

By Shaun Burke

Credit: Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images for NASCAR

I have seen a lot of weird stuff in my days following NASCAR.

To say the 2012 Daytona 500 was the most bizarre race I've ever seen would be an understatement. There was rain, fire, tide detergent and fork lifts in turn 3. At the same time, there was tweeting, bathroom breaks and interviews in the middle of the backstretch.

But in the end, Matt Kenseth was the one hosting the trophy proclaiming victory.

After torrential rains arrived at Daytona Beach just in time for the Daytona 500, the race was moved to Monday evening, prompting the twitter hashtag #NASCARPrimeTime. For the first time in history, a NASCAR race would be run on a weeknight.

It was an opportunity for NASCAR to attract new fans, and boy did it ever. Based on my twitter timeline, I'd say there were many people who don't watch NASCAR or haven't watched it lately tuning in.

All was going well until lap 2. That's why five-time champion Jimmie Johnson got turned by Elliott Sadler, igniting a multi-car accident. Involved in the crash was Danica Patrick, meaning FOX had to quickly readjust their game plan.

What Sells NASCAR? Winning? Talent?

CREDIT: David Yeazell / SpeedwayMedia.com

As I watched qualifying for Sunday's Daytona 500, I was struck with the question: "What sells NASCAR?" Just like Saturday night's Shootout coverage, FOX chose to open Daytona 500 qualifying on Sunday with the 'Danica Patrick Show'. As a result, it really got me thinking as to why folks devote 4 hours on a weekly basis to watch cars drive in circles.

Is it the talent? Obviously not...

How could the sport's most popular driver go 129 races without winning a single race? Sorry JR Nation but its not for lack of equipment due to the fact that the last 6 Sprint Cup Series Championships have been claimed by Hendrick equipment.  Despite continuing his winless streak for a third year in 2011, merchandise sales for the No. 88 car have yet to falter.

Why would the driver with the most wins in the modern era, be booed every time his name is called during driver introductions if fans picked their drivers based on talent? Jeff Gordon surpassed Darrell Waltrip last season for the most wins all-time, yet fans choose to boo him on a weekly basis.

Martin Truex Jr. Draws Pole For Budweiser Shootout

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Martin Truex Jr., driving the No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota for Michael Waltrip Racing, drew the pole position for Saturday’s 34th annual Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway.

Truex Jr., making his second career Budweiser Shootout start, peeled off the No. 1 wrapper on the Budweiser bottle.

“Came here with a plan and I’m sticking to it,” said Truex Jr. on his strategy of winning the 75-lap non-points race.

Completing the all-Toyota front row for the Budweiser Shootout will be Kyle Busch in the No. 18 M&M’s Toyota.

Roush Fenway to Kick Off 25th Season at Shootout

Biffle to start seventh; Edwards and Kenseth draw 11th and 23rd starting positions

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 17, 2012) – Greg Biffle will start seventh via a random draw when Roush Fenway kicks off its "25 Winning Years" 2012 celebration in Saturday night's Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway. Carl Edwards drew the 11th starting spot, while Matt Kenseth will start 23rd. The event marks Roush Fenway's 24th consecutive start in the Shootout and the 13th time the team has fielded multiple cars in the all-star event.

Three-time Olympic gold medalist swimmer Ryan Lochte to serve as Grand Marshal for the first Gatorade Duel

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Ryan Lochte, three-time Olympic gold medalist
swimmer and Daytona Beach native, will serve as Grand Marshal for the
first of two Gatorade Duel At Daytona 150-mile qualifying races on Thursday, Feb. 23 at Daytona International Speedway.

Lochte, who won his first gold at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens and two more at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, will deliver the starting command "Drivers, start your engines" to begin the first Gatorade Duel.

Including his three gold medals, Lochte is a 12-time Olympic and World medalist. He currently holds the world record in the 4x200-meter freestyle relay as part of the American team and the world record for both the 200-meter and the 400-meter individual medley.

Pat Monahan of Multiplatinum, Grammy-Winning Group Train to sing National Anthem for 54th annual Daytona 500

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Pat Monahan, lead singer of the three-time Grammy-winning group Train, will sing the National Anthem for the 54th running of the Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb. 26 at Daytona International Speedway (FOX, 1:00 p.m. ET).
"Pat has one of the most amazing voices in music today and we are ecstatic to have him perform the National Anthem for the Daytona 500," Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood III said. "He will deliver a rousing rendition of the National Anthem before hundreds of thousands of fans in attendance and millions more watching live on FOX Sports."

Train, which consists of Monahan, Scott Underwood and Jimmy Stafford, has earned three Grammys, two Billboard Music Awards for Top Rock Artist and Top Rock Song and an ASCAP Pop Music Award for Song of the Year.

Ford's Bayne Makes Beach Course Run

Trevor Bayne, the defending champion of the Daytona 500, officially kicked off NASCAR's portion of Daytona Speedweeks by driving the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion along the old beach course en route to Daytona International Speedway.  Below are comments from Bayne and co-owners Eddie and Len Wood from today's press conference.

TREVOR BAYNE – No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion -- "This is
probably the coolest thing I've got to do outside of actually racing
on other tracks. As a racecar driver you watch races of the beaches
and I wish we could come back here and get the groove all rutted up
and try to miss the potholes, but this is an unbelievable feeling –
being on the beach where it all started. This is history right here. I
almost want to bottle up the sand and take it with me because this is
where it started for Daytona, this is where it started for NASCAR and
I'm just glad to be a part of it.  I'm glad I get to be the first
driver to do this because this is a really cool tradition.  They also
told me I get to do some donuts at an intersection a little later on,
so I'm pretty pumped about that.  The difference is the police are
actually leading me this time, instead of following me when I do them.
It would be one thing to drive a street car down this beach, but to
be in the 21 car and sitting here I feel like I'm a part of history
and that's pretty cool."

Bayne and the Woods Return to Daytona as Defending Daytona 500 Champions

Bayne and the Woods Return to Daytona as Defending Daytona 500 Champions
February 16, 2012

Trevor Bayne and the Wood Brothers are back at Daytona International Speedway as the defending Daytona 500 champions, reflecting on the big win of a year ago but, more importantly, focusing on this year's Great American Race.

Eddie Wood, co-owner of the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion, said he spent some of his first days of Speedweeks 2012 thinking about the team's triumph last year, a victory that kicked off a strong year for both NASCAR and the Wood Brothers.

"It's good to be back down here and re-live some of the simple things that didn't seem that significant until you come back and start remembering them," Wood said, explaining that even a couple of stops at of his family's favorite restaurants, the Daytona Beach Steak 'n Shake and The Porto Fino Restaurant, evoke memories of their storybook Speedweeks.

CHEVY NSCS AT DAYTONA MEDIA DAY -- Kasey Kahne Press Conf. Transcript

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
DAYTONA SPEEDWEEKS MEDIA DAY
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
FEBRUARY 16, 2012

KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 FARMERS INSURANCE CHEVROLET, met with members of
the media at Daytona International Speedway and discussed his recent
surgery, Hendrick Motorsports and snow in his home state of
Washington. Full Transcript:

IN REGARDS TO HIS RECENT KNEE SURGERY: "It is tight and swelled up but
it is a lot better today than what it was yesterday. Each day it gets
better, it's crazy how quickly our bodies heal.  I have had my right
knee done a couple of times so I kind of knew what I was getting into
when it happened.  I just knew I needed to get it fixed as quickly as
I could. It's probably not the ideal situation to head to Daytona
with, but I think it's better now than any other time of the year.  It
should be fine it won't affect my racing at all. "

Ford NASCAR Media Day (Almirola, Front Row and McDowell)

ARIC ALMIROLA – No. 43 Smithfield Ford Fusion – HOW DOES IT FEEL TO
HAVE THIS FULL-TIME OPPORTUNITY?  "It feels great to come in here to
Daytona and get ready for the year.  This is the most excited I've
been in a long time about racing a Sprint Cup car.  It's a huge honor
to drive that 43 car for Richard Petty Motorsports and all the history
behind it, and to have that opportunity to have my name above the door
and get to drive that car, I'm super-excited about it."

DO YOU FEEL THAT YOU AND YOUR TEAM ARE UNDERDOGS?  "I would say that
Richard Petty Motorsports used to be considered an underdog race team,
but if you really look at all the efforts that Richard has put into
turn his race team around, taking it from Randelman, North Carolina
and moving it down to Concord, aligning himself with Ford and aligning
himself with Roush Fenway Racing to get cars and get motors and
horsepower from Doug Yates.  You look at all those steps that he's
taken to put his race team back to the top, obviously they probably
don't have the wins that you would expect out of race teams like
Hendrick in recent years, but I think the legacy of Richard Petty
Motorsports continues a long way back and still resonates with us
today.  My goal going into this year is to put them back on the map.
I think Marcos winning last year at Watkins Glen put them where they
need to be.  People realize they can win races, they're a
winning-capable team and they did that.  So, for me, I just go into
this season and they've got good cars, they've got good horsepower,
aligned with a great manufacturer with Ford.  We've got great sponsors
in Smithfield, U.S. Air Force and STP, so all of the pieces to the
puzzle are there to go out and be successful.  I feel like it's up to
me and Greg Erwin to go out there and get the job done."