Motorsports

NASCAR Top 5 lists

By Brant James, Times Staff Writer
Published February 14, 2008

Best Daytona 500 finishes

1979

Donnie Allison blocked Cale Yarborough's move low for the lead and the cars collided and spun, allowing Richard Petty to drive through for his sixth of seven Daytona 500 wins. As a national audience - much of it snowed in on the East Coast - watched the race live on television for the first time, Yarborough, Allison and Donnie's brother Bobby fought. A countrywide fascination with the sport was born.

1959

Lee Petty, above, and Johnny Beauchamp crossed the finish line nearly simultaneously in the race's first installment and Petty was awarded the win three days later when newsreel footage was examined.

1976

Richard Petty, who had just lost the lead on the backstretch on the final lap, tried to slingshot back past David Pearson, causing the cars to touch and spin out on the grass near the finish line. Pearson got his car moving again and rolled to the checkered flag as Petty sat stalled.

1990

Leader Dale Earnhardt had a tire cut down in Turn 3 of the last lap, allowing journeyman Derrike Cope to pass for the first of two career wins in just his third Daytona 500 start. Earnhardt's legacy of misfortune at Daytona was minted.

2007

Kevin Harvick and long-suffering Daytona 500 suitor Mark Martin dueled fender to fender when the field wrecked behind them as they sliced through the tri-oval. No caution flew - as per NASCAR protocol - with Martin apparently just in front. Harvick then won a sprint to the checkers by 0.02 seconds.

Youngest winners

1. Jeff Gordon 25

2. Richard Petty 26

3. Mario Andretti 26

4. Pete Hamilton 27

5. Jeff Gordon 27

Oldest winners

1. Bobby Allison 50

2. Dale Earnhardt 46

3. Lee Petty 44

4. Bobby Allison 44

5. Richard Petty 43

Cale Yarborough 43

Dale Jarrett 43

Top five finishers on Sunday (book it)

1. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

2. Tony Stewart

3. Jeff Gordon

4. Jimmie Johnson

5. Kurt Busch

Five story lines to watch for in 2008

1. Chevrolet, Dodge and Ford executives begin grumbling about how Toyota got so much better after a thorough hazing in its freshman year.

2. Hendrick Motorsports' normally pristine facade will be tested as its longtime employees learn to adjust to the presence of Dale Earnhardt Jr.

3. Continued carping from drivers and owners will prompt NASCAR to make adjustments on the so-called "Car of Tomorrow" in its first full season.

4. Fans, tired of trying to find a nickname for the cumbersome Nationwide series, stop talking about it altogether.

5. In an interesting bit of symmetry, Jimmie Johnson becomes the first to win three consecutive titles at NASCAR's top level since Cale Yarborough in 1976-78.

Five drivers who could make the Chase after missing last season

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Hasn't won a race in his past 62 Sprint Cup starts, but finds new beginning at mighty Hendrick Motorsports.

Juan Pablo Montoya

The 2007 rookie of the year's career has been marked by quantum leaps in open-wheel racing.

Kasey Kahne

If Gillett Evernham Motorsports has caught back up to the draft, that is.

Greg Biffle

A lug nut away from being the first to win titles in NASCAR's top three series in 2005, he's trying to return to weekly contention.

Ryan Newman

A one-spot improvement gets him into the playoffs.

Five drivers who could fall out of the Chase

Martin Truex

Driving talent remains, but now he's Dale Earnhardt Inc.'s standard-bearer. No easy task.

Clint Bowyer

The story of his second full Cup season read like a fairy tale. Those tales rarely have sequels.

Jeff Burton

His fortunes will be linked (like those of RCR teammates Kevin Harvick and Bowyer) to an engine-building alliance with DEI.

Denny Hamlin

Faded at the end of the 2007 season.

Kevin Harvick

See Bowyer, Burton.

Five on the hot seat

Max Siegel, Dale Earnhardt Inc., president of global operations

He tried but failed to put putty in the Earnhardt family chasm, and will be held partly accountable for Dale Earnhardt Jr. fleeing to Hendrick Motorsports. Not so fair, but it's his legacy to own.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., Driver

It's not the cars' fault anymore. Hendrick equipment wins races, 18 of 36 in points events last season. Casey Mears even claimed his first Cup victory.

Kasey Kahne, Driver

Anointed one, where have you gone? A season after leading Sprint Cup in wins (six), he failed to reach Victory Lane or the Chase for the Championship, then got sued for allegedly pushing a security guard. Comeback time.

Roger Penske, Team owner

Storied, ultra-successful (in open wheel and sports cars, mostly) and universally respected, the billionaire nudged the Indy Racing League's all-time wins and championships leader into a stock car. It has not gone well, though it's early. Did he ruin Sam Hornish's career?

Joe Gibbs, Racing

Once struggled for morsels in a crowded brood of Chevrolet teams, but now Toyota's flagship. Will the relationship benefit both the team and manufacturer?

Five whose first Sprint Cup win was in the Daytona 500

1. Tiny Lund 1960

2. Mario Andretti 1967

3. Pete Hamilton 1970

4. Derrike Cope 1990

5. Sterling Marlin 1994

Michael Waltrip* 2001

* A bonus!

Five best restrictor- plate racers winless in the Daytona 500

1. Kurt Busch

2. Mark Martin

3. Tony Stewart

4. Matt Kenseth

5. Dave Blaney

[Last modified February 13, 2008, 21:03:24]