Danica Patrick's debut at Daytona was a bumpy one. But that's what Daytona is really all about, isn't it? Up until now, I've only watched the Sprint Cup races. Danica enticed me to watch the Nationwide series and I'm so glad I did. It was great. Danica wasn't the only woman in the race, although the news would make it sound like she was. Unfortunately, Chrissy Wallace's (daughter of Nationwide racer Mike Wallace and niece of legendary racecar driver Rusty Wallace) turn behind the wheel at Daytona was extremely short lived. She was bumped by #98 Paul Menard and hit the wall, sending her completely out of the race at Lap 4.
Right after the caution came down for Chrissy, 18-year-old rookie #99 Trevor Bayne was hit by #40 Mike Bliss when he bump-drafted Bayne's car, sending the rookie to the garage at Lap 7.
Danica Patrick seemed to be a bit hesitant behind the wheel. I was worried about how she would do because she kept sliding further and further back in the field to where she felt comfortable, staying away from the other drivers. They don't say "rubbin' is racin'" for nothing. You have to be fearless enough to kiss bumpers and trade paint with the other drivers. She started looking more and more comfortable and actually started aggressively moving up the track when, at Lap 68, the first "big one" hit. A total of 10 cars were caught up in the accident caused when #16 Colin Braun clipped #61 Josh Wise. Unfortunately, Danica's #7 got caught up in the aftermath when she had nowhere to go.
The second big wreck happened at Lap 91, when Carl Edwards' #60 moved up and hit #22 Brad Keselowski, who turned into second place Dale Jr, causing him to hit the wall and roll over. Luckily, Jr. was fine and walked away from the wreck unscathed. Unfortunately, this wreck left him with a 29th place finish after a strong showing for the first 90 laps and what looked like a very strong chance of winning.
Tony Stewart's #14 took the checkered flag at Lap 120 for another Daytona win. All in all, this was a great way to start the race, even if some of the fan favorites were taken out. I'll definitely be watching more Nationwide races now that I know how great it is.
The next Nationwide race will be Saturday, February 20, 2010 at 5pm EST at California Speedway on ESPN2. I'll be there in person. How cool is that?!
Results of Daytona Drive4COPD 300 at Daytona International Speedway:
1. Tony Stewart #14
2. Carl Edwards #60
3. Kevin Harvick #33
4. Justin Allgaier #4
5. Brian Vickers #32
Heather Chavez, Real Estate Virtual Assistant - Second Self Virtual Assistance: When There Isn't Enough of You to Go Around!
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