| | DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Saturday night should be a day to remember -- 400 miles at the Daytona International Speedway for the Pepsi 400.
I know that you know I prefer to think of this race as the Firecracker 400, but, hey, I don't want to make that little girl in those commercials angry! Now there's someone that can be intimidating!
And speaking of intimidating, there is no bigger name in Winston Cup racing than Dale Earnhardt. And there is no bigger name in stock car racing than Daytona.
|  | | In 44 career Winston Cup point races at Daytona, Dale Earnhardt has 33 top-10 finishes. |
Once again, I believe there are a variety of things to talk about leading up to the halfway point of the season. But this week, I'm going to share with you a brief overview of some of the "big" names hoping to have an explosive night.
Let's start with Earnhardt, who may only have one victory in the Daytona 500, but always seems to run well at this 2½-mile superspeedway. Well, almost always.
No one is perfect, and racing is an endless battle against the irritating flaws of imperfection. But if you had to take one guy against the field at Daytona, Earnhardt wouldn't be a bad choice.
Earnhardt is able to understand how important every race is, but he's still able to find that extra dose of effort and energy when it comes to "big" races.
The Winston Cup circuit isn't like the PGA Tour. We don't have those four "majors" that mean added prestige, more money and long-term exemptions on the circuit. Instead, each Winston Cup race is equally balanced when it comes to points that determine the championship. (The money thing is a whole different issue!).
Still, there are races that standout in a season, recognized inside and outside the sport as "events." And anything that happens at Daytona is an event! You could hold the RPM 2Night shuffleboard playoffs at Daytona, and it would be an event!
Earnhardt is good in races, but he has earned his fans and his fortune because he excels in "events."
This week, the style of the race should have him pumped up for several reasons. He is the king of restrictor-plate racing. He says he can see the air. I believe he can see into the future at these races.
But, there should be one additional motivating factor for Earnhardt this week -- he could come out of here with the point lead. I am not picking against Bobby Labonte, but let's get back to the nature of the "event."
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KINGS OF THE BEACH
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Here's a look how some of the best Winston Cup drivers have performed in Winston Cup races at Daytona International Raceway.
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Driver
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Starts
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W
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T5
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T10
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Dale Earnhardt
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44
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3
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22
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33
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Dale Jarrett
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26
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4
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7
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11
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Jeff Gordon
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15
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4
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7
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8
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Bill Elliott
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46
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4
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14
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23
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Bobby Labonte
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15
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0
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3
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5
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Terry Labonte
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43
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0
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10
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23
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Mark Martin
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31
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0
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10
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16
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Rusty Wallace
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36
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0
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3
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12
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Because of the close racing and no-margin-for-error brand of competition that has made restrictor-plate racing famous (or infamous), one small mistake can cost a number of guys some big points. Now, Earnhardt could be the victim and Labonte could increase his point lead, but it seldom seems to happen that way.
At these "events," Earnhardt is usually there at the end, and it is certainly not unusual to expect "there" to be Victory Lane. I like the way he is running. I like his history on this track. I like tight point races where the champion is forced to perform, that consistency stuff gets moldy in a hurry.
Dale Jarrett is another good pick, on this track or maybe even on the PGA Tour. He told me he shot 89 at Pebble Beach Golf Links last Thursday. He three-putted the 18th, or he would've shot an 88. Heck, did you see some of the scores from the US Open at Pebble? Sure, that cut the grass when they heard Jarrett was coming, I mean he is the Winston Cup champion, but an 89 at Pebble Beach is still a good number.
"88" might be the "number" at Daytona Saturday night. Jarrett has won the last two races at this track, but Jarrett has not be back to Victory Lane since his win in the 500 here in February. In the last two months, however, he has slowly and quietly climbed the slippery points ladder and is once again a threat for the title.
Jarrett wants to head into the second half of the season with a solid shot at his second Winston Cup championship. The race on Saturday night will determine where he starts the second half of the season. And it could go a long way toward determining where he finishes it.
One guy you have to watch this week is Jeff Gordon. He won last Sunday in Sonoma. He won the last restrictor-plate race at Talladega. He is a smart restrictor-plate racer and knows how to win the "events" at Daytona.
Speaking of restrictor-plate races, they are Yogi Berra's favorite because they are, "Never over until they are over." We could easily see a 13th different winner. We could see the first three-time winner this season. Either way, you have to hold your breath from start to finish.
Here's a point we made heading into the race at Sears Point and I will repeat it here for those of you that weren't paying attention. A big number of cars will finish on the lead lap Saturday night. If you are not on the lead lap at the end of the Pepsi 400 you will lose a lot of points. And another thing, you could be third at the white flag and 23rd at the checkers. That's a lot of points, too.
This is the fifth race in a critical stretch of five races that began at Dover and ends in Daytona. Benny Parsons and I have been talking about these races almost every week on NASCAR 2Day. All the tracks are different. The style of racing is different. These five races not only set the tone, but could also sent the trend for the two months just ahead.
If you look at the Winston Cup season as 34 races long it will overwhelm you. If you break it up into segments, it is easier to comprehend who went wrong where and when; and in what races during which point of the season did the eventual champion emerge.
Last year, it was from Richmond in May to Bristol in August when Dale Jarrett could not do anything wrong. I don't think we've seen "the stretch" yet. But Saturday night -- OK, maybe Sunday morning, or for some of us, Sunday afternoon -- add up the points in the those five races, and look for the stories you like.
It's the beginning of the long Fourth of July weekend. A perfect way to kick it off is with the Firecracker 400! A demanding "event" at Daytona. Oh, and one more thing about the race Saturday night ... watch out for that little girl on the bike!
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