A cool Matt Kenseth wins a fiery Daytona 500 | Armchair Report is a trademark of Sport Media Report, LLC

A cool Matt Kenseth wins a fiery Daytona 500 | Armchair Report is a trademark of Sport Media Report, LLC

Mike Shaner
2-28-2012

Matt Kenseth is the Steve McQueen of NASCAR. He outlasted time and overcame floods and graphic explosions to win his second Daytona 500. After leading a race high 50 laps Kenseth calmly drove his car to victory lane, and without a hint of fatigue or a drop of sweat, he shrugged off his epic victory. In former times he may have been wearing dark shades with a chesterfield hanging from his lips. Instead he just gave a closed mouth smile and said: "I am glad it all worked out.” 

Torrential downpours on Sunday forced 43 adrenaline filled drivers, who had been waiting since the last race in November to get back on the track to wait one more day. Finally, 29 hours later the engines roared like stealth bombers as the field motored past the start finish line to take the green flag.

The anticipation of 43 anxious drivers with starry eyed dreams of winning the most prestigious race in NASCAR was finally being realized as they powered down the back stretch approaching 200 mph. After 3 months, and then an extra 29 hours, all they had to do was race, and then less than two minutes later, it came to an explosive end for four of the favorites. Jimmy Johnson spun setting off a domino effect that took out Trevor Bayne, Danica Patrick, Kurt Busch, and David Reagan. Bayne summed up what they all must have been feeling: “this is devastating.”

So after all the planning, hoping, and waiting the field got to run one full lap before competition was slowed for the caution period. For Patrick, Busch, Bayne, and Johnson, it was over. For the rest of the field it was just another round of frustration in what had turned into an excruciatingly long weekend.

As the race restarted, the drivers seemed to calm a bit, if for no other reason than actually wanting to make a few laps. This time they made it to the 13^th lap before Ryan Newman cut a tire bringing out the second caution of the young, but already exhausting race.

After the restart the field seemed content to race but not get too racy. There was a caution on lap 64 for debris, and then another on lap 81 when Jeff Gordon’s usually reliable Hendrick motor gave out, but nothing explosive.

Things would soon heat up again as the racers dashed for a $200k bounty given by NASCAR to the leader at the halfway mark of the 200 lap event. Terry Labonte elected not to pit for new tires under Gordon’s caution in an effort to gain track position. Labonte, who prophesized that staying out on old tires seemed “like a good way to get wrecked,” saw his prediction come true six laps later as he spun into the sixth caution of the night.

This set up a 10 lap battle royal to halfway that was culminated by Denny Hamlin frantically Pushing Martin Truex Jr. to the lead. Truex poked his nose across the finish line to collect his money and then disappeared into the night.

The race ran smoothly for the next 59 laps, stopping twice for minor cautions, and it seemed we were headed for a rapid conclusion—and then things got hot, literally. Juan Pablo Montoya exited pit road under caution all by himself. He pressed the throttle and then without warning something in his car broke tossing him into a safety vehicle filled with 200 gallons of jet fuel. You can imagine the terrific explosion that followed.

The truck and Montoya’s car were sizzled to a crisp. The carnage looked like something from an old Vietnam movie, and once again the drivers had to wait—and wait—for over two hours. While the cars were waiting under red flag conditions, and the drivers found various ways to amuse themselves, rain once again threatened to end the race. Imagine the irony if after all of the waiting and all of the drama, the race had ended with an explosion and drowned with a drizzle.

Alas, it was not to be. A 500 mile race that was scheduled to end Sunday afternoon would conclude sometime Tuesday morning with a 40 lap sprint. Tired anxious drivers boxed up for a 100 mile street fight on a questionable racing surface had all the makings of a spectacular finish.

With 22 laps to go Marcus Ambrose, Casey Mears, and Arik Almirola touched and spun to bring out the 9th caution of the night, huddling the cars back up for a dangerous 20 lap sprint to glory. Matt Kenseth, steady as always, was leading followed by Biffle, Earnhardt Jr, Kevin Harvick, and Denny Hamlin.

9 Laps later Jamie McMurray cut a tire and spun into the wall collecting Carl Edwards, Brad Keslowski, Kasey Kahne, and Arik Almirola. This bunched the field up once again, setting the stage for a big crash with 4 laps to go, and naturally sending the already epic race into overtime.

Matt Kenseth led the field to a green white checker finish. Dale Earnhardt Jr. nuzzled right up against Greg Biffle’s rear bumper trying with all his might to push him to the lead, but Kenseth held his line as they took the white flag.

The trio muscled their way into turn one, out of turn two, and down the backstretch for a final time. Earnhardt was pushing with all he had, the longer Biffle waited, the harder Earnhardt pushed, and Kenseth just stayed cool. As they drove into turn 3, Biffle still didn’t make a move, and coming out of turn 4, an exasperated Earnhardt pulled out on his own to pass Biffle for second as Matt Kenseth took the checkered flag and won the 55^th running of the Daytona 500.

Earnhardt said it best after the race “Matt was just too strong.” On this fiery night, it could be said that Matt was just too cool.