The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly -- Daytona 500
Another season of NASCAR is upon us, and after a hiatus, The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly returns. Without further adieu, here we go!
THE GOOD
Kurt Busch: As the race winner, he automatically gets first billing. He did a great job in overcoming the first Big One that collected 15 other drivers, including his teammates Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer, and Danica Patrick. He kept his #41 livery close enough to give himself a chance to get that first Daytona 500 win. He led only the final lap, the fewest laps led by a Daytona 500 champion. Congratulations on getting that first Daytona 500 win Kurt!
Ryan Blaney: Great run by the young Wood Brothers driver to finish in second. He will win multiple 500's before his career is over. Nothing he could do to stop that incredible run that Busch had.
AJ Allmendinger, Aric Almirola, & Paul Menard: Very solid runs by these three drivers to round out the top 5.
Michael Waltrip: In his final Cup start, he comes home with a solid top 10 finish while driving for an underfunded team. Good job Michael!
THE BAD
Jamie McMurray: He was the cause of not one, but TWO Big Ones! The second one took him out of the running. His overaggressiveness cost him a chance to win his second Daytona 500. Plus his actions dramatically affected several cars that could have won the race. Perhaps he didn't eat his Wheaties this morning, or someone took them away. Who knows?
THE UGLY
Jamie McMurray: See above.
Fuel mileage: I thought the introduction of stages was supposed to eliminate the fuel mileage guess. There were a number of cars that ran out of gas at the end, Menard and Cole Whitt being two of them. For Whitt, that cost him a possible top 10 finish. (He still ended up with a top 20 finish, finishing 18th.)
Tires: They were the bane of Kyle Busch's (and a few others) existence. A cut tire on Busch's #18 Toyota livery caused a mini-Big One that also collected Dale Earnhardt, Jr and a few others.
